haylesc78, welcome, CPAP is the gold standard treatment for Sleep Apnea, there are no herbal remedies. An option is surgery but it is very painful and only works in about 20% of cases so you may go through the surgery and still have sleep apnea. I would suggest keep working with your specialist to try to over come the CPAP issues. It's not easy for any of us but I find the benefits for me far out weigh the problems, but thats just me. What brand and model CPAP and what type of mask do you have? Also do you know what pressure your CPAP is set at? There are a few suggestions I can give you to try to help but if you are set on not using it, it is up to you.
Some of the things that may help are sleeping on your side or stomach the whole night or sitting up, losing weight if you are over weight.
Sleep Apnea is an illness that has no cure, it can only be treated, you will have it for the rest of your life and it gets worse as you get older and if you are not treated.
Im' not sure if you understand or your doctor has explained what it can do to you.

hi there my cpap is resmed i have the full facial mask the specialist tried me with a nasal mask which was even worse as it felt like a gale force wind straight to my brain i also clench my teeth a lot in my sleep and have periodic limb movements upto 13 an hr so frustrating i ache all over and often get headaches earache and toothache off clenching my teeth i think my biggest problem is I'm so tense even in my sleep its unreal

haylesc78, can you tell me the model of the Resmed it is normally next to the power button.
I also have PLMD and it is caused by the sleep apnea, my dr wanted to put me on medication for it but after a few weeks of CPAP I hardly move at all at night. I used to also get the aches all over, headaches etc but they have all gone. I even believe your teeth clenching could be related to the sleep apnea. Do you know what sleep apnea does to our bodies? It sounds like you are tense and not using the CPAP makes it worse. Has the specialist looked at giving you some meds to relax you fora short time till you get used to the CPAP. I really think you need to try as hard as you can with this. Themedical system is different in the UK to Australia, I can give you a couple of websites, one is based in the UK where you maybe able to get some more local knowledge and support.

hi tez62 no the specialist has not offered me anything to relax me see I also have ADHD im not allowed sleeping tablets as they don't want me taking sedatives with holding my breath not sure of the model of the resmed I will find this and send u the info I have really bad itchy tickly cough which drs says is caused by the acid in my stomach as I get acid reflux but yes im always tense and I wake up aching all over it drives me potty

Is there a difference when you are awakened at the beginning of REM sleep because of Sleep Apnea, and being woke up by the CPAP machine blowing forced air into the lungs, of a COPD patient, and getting woken up at the beginning of REM sleep any way? I am not sure I see the purpose of using a CPAP machine, for my self, when that's what's going to happen any way. Does any one else have the same problem? :)

I'm new to all this only having a machione for about 5 weeks. I wonder if the pressure is too high? or the wrong mask? I personaly do not feel the the air pressure at all, I'm constantly amazed when I disconnect the hose from the mask and the strength of the air gushing through. I tried a couple of masks before settling on one that suites me.
Failing all thias perhaps you could try something to relax you, meditation, yoga what ever before bed.

My Dr said if I had a problem adjusting to the machine to use the Cpap machine while watching tv so brain was distracted by the tv rather than laying in bed concentrating on the machine. he said do this for a couple of nights before trying to sleep with it. I was lucky this was not my issue I had more difficulty in finding the right mask for me.

Good luck with this, you wont believe how much better you will feel once you get past the problem you are experiencing.

Cheers!

my specialist changed all the settings ov my cpap machine the pressure and everything still makes me choke i can't even fall asleep wearing the mask as when i first start falling asleep is when i start holding my breath which often makes me jump so the specialist says that could be making me panic

haylesc78, do you know what he has set the ramp to? You can make it 30 mins so the pressure doesn't kick in till it gives you time to sleep. There is also a setting called ERP which allows you longer to breathe out, this sometimes helps people. Also can you find out what he has set the pressures at?

Hi i also have a humidifier which i attach to the cpap machine as im veru congested from clenching my teeth so the specialist changed the pressure settings on that aswel not sure what pressure they are on will have 2 find out but to be honest i just gave up trying with it months ago i keep missing appointments with the specialist due to forgetting about the appointments and transport problems etc

haylesc78, this is your life and you need to take responsibility for it. CPAP is not easy but the benefits are huge if you get it working for you, we can help you but you need to keep appointments and look after yourself. Can you re book the appointments and get things back on track?

I have an appointment with the sleep specialist on friday 29th so see what happens i saw my specialist at the ADHD clinic a few days ago and hes writing to my gp to see if i can have some muscle relaxants fot when im asleep so will have to see what happens there and see if these help

Good luck with your appointment on Friday and let us know how you go

You're definitely right Tez62, there are no natural remedies for helping with sleep apnea. I had issues with using with a CPAP and then I tried switching to the snoring mouthpiece and I had great results with it.

Has anyone here ever tried any of the top snoring mouthpieces available on the market?

I have been using an Auto PAP. That means it automatically adjusts to my breathing requirements during the night. It also has a "ramp" feature. That makes the machine start out with a very low pressure, and gradually increases up to your setting. Your CPAP probably has this feature, too.

Your DME should let you use many masks so you can discover which works for you.

I've been using a CPAP for over 20 years, and have hated it very night. BUR, I use it all night, every night. There is no good alternative.

Good luck.