Sleep Apnea.

[soul64]

Hi,ive not posted for a while. Iv'e had T now for about 18 months,not great but it is what it is,soo annoying. Iv'e recently started using a cpac machine to help with my sleep Apnea, i use a nasal mask so that the air goes straight into my nose and wear a chin strap to stop my mouth from opening and letting the air out. I have noticed that my T is getting louder since i started using the the cpac machine.So it seems the two are linked.Does anybody out there have similar problems ,or know if using these machines affect can affect T.Have the best day possible . N

[swindonian]

Hi, I was diagnosed with Tinnitus 25 years ago and the in 2006 I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea when I started on cpap with a nasal mask. There may be an association between the two but both are so prevalent that it might be inevitable that so many people have both, there is already a proven link between Sleep Apnea and GERD so why not? I also started cpap with a chin strap but quickly habituated and haven't used it for years. As you know the air passing into your nose is almost silent to others but quite noisy to you if you have high pressure. I use an apap and max out at 9.5 which is a very similar sound to my hearing aids sound generator so I actually concentrate on that in bed using it as a masker. However, I also use pillow speakers with my tiny mp3 player, see my post a year ago healthunlocked.com/bta/post.... I also belong to 3 Sleep Apnea forums in the U.K. and America which have been very helpful. I wish you well. Fortunately my Tinnitus is not extreme although it does intrude from time to time but in the main I have learnt to manage that and Sleep Apnea reasonably well.

[soul64 in reply to swindonian]

Thank you for your reply.I have the pressure set at 8.2 this is a constant pressure apart from the ramp up at the start and its keeps my Apnea events down to a low level.I have thought about getting an auto machine that gives me air when i have an apnea event rather than a constant pressure all of the time.My machine is pretty quiet and its placed under the bed so i can' hear the machine during the night. My thinking is that there is a link up between the ears and the nose, and the air pumping into my nose is spiking my T up. ?. How did you managed to habituate from not using the chin strap,i do find the strap very annoying . Thank you once again. N

[NicBTA Partner]

Hello and welcome to the British Tinnitus Association forum soul64. Thank you swindonian for sharing your experience - I found it interesting and I hope it helped, soul64.

Sleep apnoea does put a lot of stress on the body, both physically and mentally, so it could be behind the spike in your noises, and not the sound of the machine. I know from personal experience, they are not always terribly quiet, but they aren't at a level damaging to hearing.

We have some resources that you might like to check out in addition to our home here:

tinnitus.org.uk

takeontinnitus.co.uk

Helpline 0800 018 0527 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm) (outside the UK you can call [phone])

Warmest wishes

Nic (BTA Communications Manager and Forum Administrator)

[soul64 in reply to NicBTA]

Hi admin person thank you for your reply.my machine i use is fairly quiet and is placed under the bed so i can't really hear it.Its a constant pressure machine set at 8.2, i was wondering if an auto machine would be better as it would give me the pressure i needed when i had an apnea event, any thoughts on this.Would i be right in saying that there is a link between the nose and the ears and this air rushing into my nose is causing my T to spike up.I do realise this is a T forum and not a sleep apnea forum but any help on my issue would be really helpful. N

[swindonian in reply to soul64]

Hi, this is not the right forum to deal with Sleep Apnea but I think I can help you a lot if you contact me through either britishsnoring.co.uk/forum/ (Swindonian) or hope2sleepguide.co.uk/ (Eric Swindon). I will explain how to dispense with that chin strap and the benefits of using an auto machine. It is obviously going to cost you because the NHS will not provide a second machine but there are contacts that I have used where it will not cost a fortune. Please contact me by posting or private messaging through either site above. Eric

[NicBTA Partner in reply to swindonian]

Thanks for this Swindonian - my knowledge of sleep apnoea is a bit limited so I was wondering how to answer!

Best wishes

Nic

[soul64 in reply to swindonian]

Thank you for your help really appreciate it, and will contact you shortly. N