A mouth guard caused TMJ for me. I stopped using it but the TMJ did not go away. Just one session of cranial-sacral therapy cured it. Worth a try. I used CPAP for over a decade with zero improvement in my moderate hypopnea due to Fibromyalgia. The machine caused permanent sinus inflammation on one side that I have to endure this day. Then the machine was recalled due to sinus cancers from the insulation, resulting in a class action lawsuit. So, I lost 42 lbs. on the Paleo Diet, and started sleeping on the tops of two pillows standing up straight. I had an at home sleep test and scored just one apnea and no hypopneas. My husband had to start sleeping in a recliner due to severe pain, which meant sleeping on his back, causing severe apnea. Following my example, he simply put the back of the chair up higher until he was halfway sitting up to sleep and that was the end of his apnea.
I started sleeping upright as you have, but I have encounter neck issues. Constant sore neck, and I think a pinched nerve? It is super annoying, not to mention soreness in lower back dues to the slumping/sliding. My shoulder are sore when I try to side sleep. Other than that, my aps have been very low as well. Just need to get more comfortable .
@@my_sideproject3815 - I agree about a stiff, sore neck being an issue. Some fold regular pillows under their necks. I also have allergies, so I use a latex pillow. They do not fall apart over time or slip down, and they are very supportive, sometimes too supportive. It's a constant issue to get comfortable like you said. If my neck is super painful when I get up, I use a semi-circle shaped pillow that can be warmed in the microwave and worn around the neck.
Before I get into bed in fall, and winter, I keep a sugar free menthol cough drop in my mouth,while preparing the bed, etc. and that helps clear the sinuses,enhancing breathing.
So glad I found this channel. Recently told I have moderat sleep apnea and that I needed cpap machine. I was so angry (still am) because i was informed I didnt have to the machine, but if I refused my commerical coach licence would be revoked, thus loose my job! Talk about having me by the short and curlies, I am damned if I do and damned if I dont. Have the machine a week and can not sleep with it at all, anger is not the word!
Happy that you found a new avenue to help address your sleep apnea. What you can do to help make the machine work better is actually a very simple 5 in 5 out breathing exercise as soon as you put it on. You can do that for like 10 minutes or so.
If you can't tolerate it after a month, could you just pretend to be using it when you see the doctor, and instead use some of the other suggestions here to actually help you?
@@meagiesmuse2334No, to maintain my CDL license I need to wear my CPAP about 80% of the nights or I will lose my license. The machine only registrar's the night if 4 hours of sleep accumulate. 3 hours and 59 minutes? Nope! The machine records many of my sleep statics, and if the 4 hours are met, then the machine grabs a cell phone tower and uploads this data to the cloud. Then, when I go to my doctor next time, they can also go to the cloud and view my results. The only way i habe found to "trick" my machine is to wear it also when awake until the 4 hours accumulates. I often go to sleep with it on and wake with it off because sometime during the night I apparently habe removed it. Sometimes it is claustrophobic wearing it and therefore, in my sleep, I'll remove it. 4 hours sounds like an easy target but not for me.
@@meagiesmuse2334initially upon a doctor visit i assumed that my doctor saw i had a cpap machine in my charts. My big mistake as I tattled on myself informing my doc I had it. Don't ever do that. Wait until they ask you about it or be quiet. I assumed it was already listed in my chart when it actually wasn't.
@@meagiesmuse2334 unfortunately the machine I have sends signals to my doctors surgery, so I can not tell them I am using it. This was pointed out to me when i suggested the same to them. I do intend to try doctor Petkus remedies. It can do no harm. Thanks
I went below 70% on my sleep study. Sleep at my age is like gold. Three sided triangle 1.sleep 2.physical condition 3.nutrition. This channel is a holistic way that's an all new way to approach it. Great videos here, thanks doc.
I suspect that many people have silent reflux (or possibly GERD) or other mucus issues that are misdiagnosed as sleep apnea because it wakes them up or affects breathing, when tested with a sleep study. I have managed to decrease the extreme, constant mucus that has been draining in the back of my throat (for years) by at least 60 percent, by drastically reducing dairy (cow and goat milk/yogurt/cheese/cream). I quit milk, drastically reduced cheese, quit cream as it was the worst for mucus. I have had a little A2 Dairy or bulgarian yogurt (very limited) - all of this over past 2 months. I suspect if I discipline myself further that I can get rid of more mucus in back of throat if I completely give-up all dairy, chocolate, citrus, sauces, tea and coffee, I might get it close to 100 percent gone. I used to have a dry cough day and night that affected my sleep most nights, until I had a food sensitivity test that revealed that I have huge reactions to dairy and some other foods. I suspected dairy was one of my problems, so that seems like test is at least more accurate than most? This was via a Naturopath doctor. I haven’t done a new sleep apnea test at home yet but plan to see if this has helped. Also lost about 20 lbs over past 2 years. Hopefully it will also show reduced sleep apnea events. I couldn’t wear the C-Pap, it made my low sleep even lower! I have insomnia as well, dad and sister had it as well. What’s your thought on my thoughts on possibly misdiagnosed with sleep apnea due to reflux or something else, in at least a certain percentage of patients? I am planning on looking into alternative fixes if I still have enough sleep apnea, when I have my test again. Will check your website to support you as well. Thank you very much for all of your great, informative videos!!
Regarding how many did not benefit from cpap I have been having periods of hyperventilating in my sleep, and awakening with a pounding, fast pulse. Having had hyperventilation,in my life, I began to put my nightshirt over my face and nose, and breathed in carbon dioxide, such as a bag over the head would do. It did work, but at times it was so bad, it took a long time to control.
@@dylanpetkusmdThis is what’s been happening to me doctor please tell me how do I end this nightmare and get off this thing, CPAP sucks and doesn’t work I hate it and sleep apnea is literally killing me, it’s causing me a lot of problems
Another factor in getting good sleep is anxiety levels and then also...levels of melatonin. Seems like I have a lot less melatonin vs my younger days. I think quality sleep comes w good physical health and good mental and emotional health.
I have a deviated septum due to a metal bar crushing my nose when I was 12. Doctors answer was CPAP. I can breath fine if I stay on my right side. If I roll onto my left side my nose shuts down. I avoided CPAP by using breath rite strips. I found a tube device that works better that inserts into the nose. It is sold as an aid to stop snoring. I explained all this to my new doctor. His response was to ask" how do I know my problem isn't neurological. " I know because it works. I've used this for years and I have not died in my sleep!😊 Some Doctors are a pain in the ass.
Usually I can fall asleep with a cpap mask, but if I am wakened in the middle of the night, I found there is NO way I can fall back to sleep with that thing. Oh, and forget trying to yawn with that thing on. Has it helped me? I would say yes. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. It is annoying. Better than choking though...
Have a question perhaps you know. I know alcohol is supposed to make sleep worse. But for some odd reason, after moderate consumption of some beer, somehow I feel less worse when I wake up. I still have the symptoms of poor unrefreshing sleep, drowsiness, etc. But strangely, I feel less horrible. I know it's weird and I'm not advocating that as a treatment or anything but it's just something I noticed whenever I have a drink. Somehow, I feel somewhat better sleep. My only theories were rem suppression due to alcohol and less breathing disturbances, or lowered arousal threshold. Would appreciate your insight. Thanks
Dr. - re: small changes with big impact, if a change of .3 cm can double the airflow, what about gargling with salt water to constrict tissue? Add: the exercise suggestions towards the end of video make a lot of sense .... I used to play 2 different reed instruments.
I take a 12 hour Mucinex every morning and use either Sinex or Xlear with a Neti pot at night. That helps a lot but I also take Benadryl too often. I know it's bad, but no sleep is worse.
How much worse is the position on the right side than on the left? I can sleep on my left, but it's starting to get annoying - all the time there's pressure on one ear, on one side of my legs. I would say that this creates a little extra stress, that I want to roll over on the right side (sleeping on the left then on the right), but I forbid myself. An uncomfortable position also spoils sleep and increases sleep apnea, according to the idea, it seems to me. I tried to sleep on the right and didn't notice any deterioration. (I do breathing practices and tongue exercises, I feel better, but apnea is still worse), it's also better. Maybe I should sleep on either side and not force it on the left? I just don't understand why it's better on the left than on the right?
Hi I started your apnea reset protocol. But some exercises are not for me because I cant mew. I cant place my tongue up at soft palate because its too narrow. So until I widen it, my tongue can resist my teeth, not soft palate. But it is going to take about 6 months to widen it by finger exercises. Is that a real problem that I cant force my tongue at the too of soft palate? (Other word I cant mew. I cant keep right tongue posture)? Is it real for me to reduce apnea events extremely, like to 0 or at least 1-2 episodes per hour? Or i without mewing (right tongue posture it isn’t possible? Do you mew all your time or not? Does it play a huge role)? So I think, if I make an Accent on breathing exercises c02 tolerance (slowly I am going to go up to the hardest level), hypoxia training, healing my anemia and do tongue exercises (your 7min routine with tbs) will it work without being able to take correct tongue posture? (Dude, wait 6 months before I can mew sounds deathful for me) Thank you for the answer so much further
hi there, in that case, I would just double down on the breathing exercises and work only on tongue protrusion exercises in the meantime. You can definitely make huge strides in that way
Are there cases where people have tried CPAP, tolerated it, but it still didn’t work, then tried MAD and it worked? Or is MAD only effective if CPAP is?
No matter the option, we respond to conditioning. It takes time to get use to any of these. For some it might be a night or two. Others a week or more. Flip the coin.
The majority of people driven to CPAP therapy are not shown how to use it and given mask choices etc. Most give up on CPAP due to not understanding the dangers of hypopneas and apneas long term. A small minority understand the long term harm of not being compliant. It is the patient's fault due to stupidity and carelessness.
@@dylanpetkusmd Matthew Ebben Phd at Weill Cornell did write a letter or article admitting that we have not seen a reduction of cardio events due to use of CPAP etc. But show me a patient who can claim that they got any instruction or education regarding CPAP use? You are on your own buddy.
@@gilrose12345I’ve been using CPAP for a while now, and was taught how to use it and given make choices, know how much benefit I’ve gotten from it? 0 and know how many times it’s helped me despite compliancy and my AHI being below 5? 0 times and not only does it not help but often times makes me feel worse than the condition itself.
@@gilrose12345there you go bud there’s your patience, the CPAP is 100% useless, I’ve yet to experience a single day of normalcy where I actually feel better
A mouth guard caused TMJ for me. I stopped using it but the TMJ did not go away. Just one session of cranial-sacral therapy cured it. Worth a try.
I used CPAP for over a decade with zero improvement in my moderate hypopnea due to Fibromyalgia. The machine caused permanent sinus inflammation on one side that I have to endure this day. Then the machine was recalled due to sinus cancers from the insulation, resulting in a class action lawsuit.
So, I lost 42 lbs. on the Paleo Diet, and started sleeping on the tops of two pillows standing up straight. I had an at home sleep test and scored just one apnea and no hypopneas.
My husband had to start sleeping in a recliner due to severe pain, which meant sleeping on his back, causing severe apnea. Following my example, he simply put the back of the chair up higher until he was halfway sitting up to sleep and that was the end of his apnea.
That's great! Always good to hear a success story!
I started sleeping upright as you have, but I have encounter neck issues. Constant sore neck, and I think a pinched nerve? It is super annoying, not to mention soreness in lower back dues to the slumping/sliding. My shoulder are sore when I try to side sleep. Other than that, my aps have been very low as well. Just need to get more comfortable .
@@my_sideproject3815 - I agree about a stiff, sore neck being an issue. Some fold regular pillows under their necks. I also have allergies, so I use a latex pillow. They do not fall apart over time or slip down, and they are very supportive, sometimes too supportive. It's a constant issue to get comfortable like you said. If my neck is super painful when I get up, I use a semi-circle shaped pillow that can be warmed in the microwave and worn around the neck.
Before I get into bed in fall, and winter, I keep a sugar free menthol cough drop in my mouth,while preparing the bed, etc. and that helps clear the sinuses,enhancing breathing.
Great tip!
So glad I found this channel. Recently told I have moderat sleep apnea and that I needed cpap machine. I was so angry (still am) because i was informed I didnt have to the machine, but if I refused my commerical coach licence would be revoked, thus loose my job! Talk about having me by the short and curlies, I am damned if I do and damned if I dont. Have the machine a week and can not sleep with it at all, anger is not the word!
Happy that you found a new avenue to help address your sleep apnea. What you can do to help make the machine work better is actually a very simple 5 in 5 out breathing exercise as soon as you put it on. You can do that for like 10 minutes or so.
If you can't tolerate it after a month, could you just pretend to be using it when you see the doctor, and instead use some of the other suggestions here to actually help you?
@@meagiesmuse2334No, to maintain my CDL license I need to wear my CPAP about 80% of the nights or I will lose my license. The machine only registrar's the night if 4 hours of sleep accumulate. 3 hours and 59 minutes? Nope! The machine records many of my sleep statics, and if the 4 hours are met, then the machine grabs a cell phone tower and uploads this data to the cloud. Then, when I go to my doctor next time, they can also go to the cloud and view my results.
The only way i habe found to "trick" my machine is to wear it also when awake until the 4 hours accumulates.
I often go to sleep with it on and wake with it off because sometime during the night I apparently habe removed it. Sometimes it is claustrophobic wearing it and therefore, in my sleep, I'll remove it. 4 hours sounds like an easy target but not for me.
@@meagiesmuse2334initially upon a doctor visit i assumed that my doctor saw i had a cpap machine in my charts. My big mistake as I tattled on myself informing my doc I had it. Don't ever do that. Wait until they ask you about it or be quiet. I assumed it was already listed in my chart when it actually wasn't.
@@meagiesmuse2334 unfortunately the machine I have sends signals to my doctors surgery, so I can not tell them I am using it. This was pointed out to me when i suggested the same to them. I do intend to try doctor Petkus remedies. It can do no harm. Thanks
I went below 70% on my sleep study. Sleep at my age is like gold. Three sided triangle 1.sleep 2.physical condition 3.nutrition. This channel is a holistic way that's an all new way to approach it. Great videos here, thanks doc.
I suspect that many people have silent reflux (or possibly GERD) or other mucus issues that are misdiagnosed as sleep apnea because it wakes them up or affects breathing, when tested with a sleep study.
I have managed to decrease the extreme, constant mucus that has been draining in the back of my throat (for years) by at least 60 percent, by drastically reducing dairy (cow and goat milk/yogurt/cheese/cream). I quit milk, drastically reduced cheese, quit cream as it was the worst for mucus. I have had a little A2 Dairy or bulgarian yogurt (very limited) - all of this over past 2 months. I suspect if I discipline myself further that I can get rid of more mucus in back of throat if I completely give-up all dairy, chocolate, citrus, sauces, tea and coffee, I might get it close to 100 percent gone.
I used to have a dry cough day and night that affected my sleep most nights, until I had a food sensitivity test that revealed that I have huge reactions to dairy and some other foods. I suspected dairy was one of my problems, so that seems like test is at least more accurate than most? This was via a Naturopath doctor.
I haven’t done a new sleep apnea test at home yet but plan to see if this has helped. Also lost about 20 lbs over past 2 years. Hopefully it will also show reduced sleep apnea events.
I couldn’t wear the C-Pap, it made my low sleep even lower! I have insomnia as well, dad and sister had it as well.
What’s your thought on my thoughts on possibly misdiagnosed with sleep apnea due to reflux or something else, in at least a certain percentage of patients?
I am planning on looking into alternative fixes if I still have enough sleep apnea, when I have my test again.
Will check your website to support you as well. Thank you very much for all of your great, informative videos!!
Thank you for this information!
Regarding how many did not benefit from cpap I have been having periods of hyperventilating in my sleep, and awakening with a pounding, fast pulse. Having had hyperventilation,in my life, I began to put my nightshirt over my face and nose, and breathed in carbon dioxide, such as a bag over the head would do. It did work, but at times it was so bad, it took a long time to control.
Well at least that might be a sign that improving your carbon dioxide tolerance through the day will be helpful
@dylanpetkusmd How do I improve my carbon dioxide during the day?
That's what happened for me, didn't feel any benefit. I felt the same and sometimes worse wearing it. So I just stopped using it.
Welcome to the majority
@@dylanpetkusmdThis is what’s been happening to me doctor please tell me how do I end this nightmare and get off this thing, CPAP sucks and doesn’t work I hate it and sleep apnea is literally killing me, it’s causing me a lot of problems
Another factor in getting good sleep is anxiety levels and then also...levels of melatonin. Seems like I have a lot less melatonin vs my younger days. I think quality sleep comes w good physical health and good mental and emotional health.
Yep that's why a lot of what we do centers around increasing melatonin levels in the body naturally
Melatonin gives me heart palpitations, even lowest dose. Why is that, Dr
I have a deviated septum due to a metal bar crushing my nose when I was 12. Doctors answer was CPAP. I can breath fine if I stay on my right side. If I roll onto my left side my nose shuts down. I avoided CPAP by using breath rite strips. I found a tube device that works better that inserts into the nose. It is sold as an aid to stop snoring. I explained all this to my new doctor. His response was to ask" how do I know my problem isn't neurological. " I know because it works. I've used this for years and I have not died in my sleep!😊 Some Doctors are a pain in the ass.
Usually I can fall asleep with a cpap mask, but if I am wakened in the middle of the night, I found there is NO way I can fall back to sleep with that thing. Oh, and forget trying to yawn with that thing on. Has it helped me? I would say yes. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. It is annoying. Better than choking though...
Have a question perhaps you know. I know alcohol is supposed to make sleep worse. But for some odd reason, after moderate consumption of some beer, somehow I feel less worse when I wake up. I still have the symptoms of poor unrefreshing sleep, drowsiness, etc. But strangely, I feel less horrible. I know it's weird and I'm not advocating that as a treatment or anything but it's just something I noticed whenever I have a drink. Somehow, I feel somewhat better sleep. My only theories were rem suppression due to alcohol and less breathing disturbances, or lowered arousal threshold. Would appreciate your insight. Thanks
Have you done any work for people with Central Sleep Apnea?
I Use a soft neck brace to keep my mouth closed. It works best for me.
Any suggestions for good mouth guards to look at trying?
Dr. - re: small changes with big impact, if a change of .3 cm can double the airflow, what about gargling with salt water to constrict tissue?
Add: the exercise suggestions towards the end of video make a lot of sense .... I used to play 2 different reed instruments.
Yes certainly so using saltwater can clear up some mucus that would lead to those sorts of changes
I take a 12 hour Mucinex every morning and use either Sinex or Xlear with a Neti pot at night. That helps a lot but I also take Benadryl too often. I know it's bad, but no sleep is worse.
what do you think about ExciteOSA? I guess it's zapping the tongue to train it like a myofunctional therapy would? Kinda pricey at $1600
How much worse is the position on the right side than on the left? I can sleep on my left, but it's starting to get annoying - all the time there's pressure on one ear, on one side of my legs. I would say that this creates a little extra stress, that I want to roll over on the right side (sleeping on the left then on the right), but I forbid myself. An uncomfortable position also spoils sleep and increases sleep apnea, according to the idea, it seems to me. I tried to sleep on the right and didn't notice any deterioration. (I do breathing practices and tongue exercises, I feel better, but apnea is still worse), it's also better. Maybe I should sleep on either side and not force it on the left? I just don't understand why it's better on the left than on the right?
What if there was a medicine breathed in as a vapor affected the airway positively.
There are many of those, such as nebulized NAC which I think would be helpful for sleep apnea. Has not been studied yet
Hi
I started your apnea reset protocol. But some exercises are not for me because I cant mew. I cant place my tongue up at soft palate because its too narrow. So until I widen it, my tongue can resist my teeth, not soft palate. But it is going to take about 6 months to widen it by finger exercises. Is that a real problem that I cant force my tongue at the too of soft palate? (Other word I cant mew. I cant keep right tongue posture)? Is it real for me to reduce apnea events extremely, like to 0 or at least 1-2 episodes per hour? Or i without mewing (right tongue posture it isn’t possible? Do you mew all your time or not? Does it play a huge role)?
So I think, if I make an Accent on breathing exercises c02 tolerance (slowly I am going to go up to the hardest level), hypoxia training, healing my anemia and do tongue exercises (your 7min routine with tbs) will it work without being able to take correct tongue posture? (Dude, wait 6 months before I can mew sounds deathful for me)
Thank you for the answer so much further
hi there, in that case, I would just double down on the breathing exercises and work only on tongue protrusion exercises in the meantime. You can definitely make huge strides in that way
@ ok. Thanks. I will do exactly that.
Are there cases where people have tried CPAP, tolerated it, but it still didn’t work, then tried MAD and it worked? Or is MAD only effective if CPAP is?
Yes MAD can be effective by itself without cpap
@@dylanpetkusmdsorry, I missed, what is MAD
No matter the option, we respond to conditioning. It takes time to get use to any of these. For some it might be a night or two. Others a week or more. Flip the coin.
The majority of people driven to CPAP therapy are not shown how to use it and given mask choices etc. Most give up on CPAP due to not understanding the dangers of hypopneas and apneas long term. A small minority understand the long term harm of not being compliant. It is the patient's fault due to stupidity and carelessness.
Great, can you show me your published papers? I showed you mine. Otherwise, your conjecture is pretty useless.
@@dylanpetkusmd Matthew Ebben Phd at Weill Cornell did write a letter or article admitting that we have not seen a reduction of cardio events due to use of CPAP etc. But show me a patient who can claim that they got any instruction or education regarding CPAP use? You are on your own buddy.
@@gilrose12345I’ve been using CPAP for a while now, and was taught how to use it and given make choices, know how much benefit I’ve gotten from it? 0 and know how many times it’s helped me despite compliancy and my AHI being below 5? 0 times and not only does it not help but often times makes me feel worse than the condition itself.
@@gilrose12345there you go bud there’s your patience, the CPAP is 100% useless, I’ve yet to experience a single day of normalcy where I actually feel better
@@mrunknown6842
It is your life that is at risk for not using CPAP.