How do you keep sleeping on your side?

CROWPAT · Post by **CROWPAT** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:10 pm

My last two sleep studies both showed a huge increase in apneas when I slept on my back and a resultant need for a major pressure increase. I always go to sleep on my left side and try to stay there.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep sleeping on your side instead of ending up sleeping on your back? Tennis balls, heavy pillow near my back, big flashlight to hit if I roll onto my back - none of them worked for me.

Pat

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:40 pm

You are supposed to sew the tennis ball in the back of a T-Shirt, or maybe a sock with the balls inside, then sewed to the back of shirt. If that doesn't sew the racket on the back too. Maybe put a bike kickstand on the back of the shirt. Jim

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:45 pm

Let us not forget the wonders of velcro. I figure a foot wide strip running from armpit to ankle should just about do it. Be fun for the kids ripping you out of bed in the morning too.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:50 pm

Why not sleep on your back?

According to your profile, you're using a selfadjusting machine which should take care of higher and lower pressure needs, as they arise.

O.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:01 pm

If you just need awareness to turn back over, maybe lay a couple big uncomfortable doggie squeak toys where you would turn over. Hopefully you'll soon become conditioned to avoid the rude awakening noise. But if you have a sleeping partner, that might not go over well - then you'd have to choose something painful rather than noisy.

track · Post by **track** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:05 pm

I am like you..makes a big difference whether I am on my back or or my side as far as AHI...being on my back doubles my AHI and I would have to take the pressure to God knows what to do any good. I have been very successful taking a wedge pillow I bought at bed bath and beyond and locating with the thick side about 18 inches from the edge of the bed and placing it under the blankets. I sleep in that 18 inches with my back to the 8 inch wedge. No way in hell I am going to up my pressure to what it would take to deal with back AHIs. I can hardly stand the pressure now because of air in the stomach issues. I can run from 10-13 on my side and get half the AHI as I can with 12-16 while being on my back.

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:17 pm

Many moons before CPAP I was a stomach sleeper. This was fine for a while, but then my back started to hurt. NOW there was a dilemma: Keep sleeping comfortably at night and be in pain during the day OR change my sleeping position.

Since changing the sleeping position was pretty much a foregone conclusion, I had to accept advice from the experts who recommended sleeping on the back or sides was best for the back.

You are at this same point, from what I have seen. As somewhere I'd read that one could influence one's remembrance of dreams by making a conscious decision to do so, I figured the same thing might work with sleeping position. So, I kept reminding myself to sleep on a side, as the back wasn't as comfortable. Now, I seem to be a side sleeper. Of course, I did have some pain as a motivating factor.

What works for one may not work for another. However, I was able to change my sleeping habits--but cannot sleep on my back, even in a recliner.

Best wishes to you.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:21 pm

track wrote:I am like you..makes a big difference whether I am on my back or or my side as far as AHI...being on my back doubles my AHI and I would have to take the pressure to God knows what to do any good. I have been very successful taking a wedge pillow I bought at bed bath and beyond and locating with the thick side about 18 inches from the edge of the bed and placing it under the blankets. I sleep in that 18 inches with my back to the 8 inch wedge. No way in hell I am going to up my pressure to what it would take to deal with back AHIs. I can hardly stand the pressure now because of air in the stomach issues. I can run from 10-13 on my side and get half the AHI as I can with 12-16 while being on my back.

I get your point about the pressure, track a good one.,

And I think that your solution is excellent by being one that is comfortable, and not one that attempts to wake you up when you turn over.

O.

MLefholtz · Post by **MLefholtz** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:42 pm

Hi Pat. This is a little off the wall, but my son recently injured his shoulder. For awhile he had to wear a brace like thing that went around his chest and had some sort of velcro straps or band that wrapped his arm tight to his side.

Something like that, with some sort of semi rigid and padded substitute for an arm, that could go behind you and prevent you from rolling onto your back, might work. I dunno. Might be worth looking into.

My sense of things like this is that one basically needs to break old habits and replace with new. My idea sure doesn't sound like a long term solution.

Mike

track · Post by **track** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:30 pm

I get your point about the pressure, track a good one.,

And I think that your solution is excellent by being one that is comfortable, and not one that attempts to wake you up when you turn over.

O.

In an ideal world the stomach air issue would happen while sleeping on the back so I would be killing two birds with one stone by not sleeping on the back. Unfortunately as others have testified, side sleeping increases stomach air issues while back sleeping decreases them. For now I have chosen to sleep on my side with less AHI and more stomach air. Who knows about tomorrow...I might choose sleeping on the back with more AHI but a lot less stomach air.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): AHI

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:43 pm

mmm....

Get yourself one of those adjustable beds like a craftmatic. Sleep crossways on the bet and strap yourself in the supine position. Then use the remote to tilt you up on your side

If a tennis ball didn't work, maybe you need to try a soccer ball?

Patrick A · Post by **Patrick A** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:53 pm

CROWPAT wrote:My last two sleep studies both showed a huge increase in apneas when I slept on my back and a resultant need for a major pressure increase. I always go to sleep on my left side and try to stay there.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep sleeping on your side instead of ending up sleeping on your back? Tennis balls, heavy pillow near my back, big flashlight to hit if I roll onto my back - none of them worked for me.

Pat

Since I injured my lowerback I can no longer sleep on my side. I have to lay flat on my back. I have a heck of a time. Wehn I sleep on my side I get cramps in my lowerback and legs. i guess it's from the nerve damage in my spinal colum and lowerback and legs.

whatrdreamsmadeof · Post by **whatrdreamsmadeof** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:51 am

On the same note as Kteague, forget the squeak toys, get a dog. Even a small one will cuddle up and believe me they are like boulders you can't move them. Just make sure you get one you can't roll over on top of.............my mini schnauer does the trick for me!.good luck........Ellen

Patrick A · Post by **Patrick A** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:15 am

whatrdreamsmadeof wrote:On the same note as Kteague, forget the squeak toys, get a dog. Even a small one will cuddle up and believe me they are like boulders you can't move them. Just make sure you get one you can't roll over on top of.............my mini schnauer does the trick for me!.good luck........Ellen

Okay what about a Newfoundland hound?

oceanpearl · Post by **oceanpearl** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:44 am

After my last sleep study the doctor said maybe I need to put you on oxygen because your levels dropped below 90%. Being a student of this forum I looked at the print out and pointed out that the only time my oxygen dropped below 90% was whhen I was on my back. He asked what my point was. MY POINT IS THAT THE ONLY REASON THAT I WAS ON MY BACK IS THAT THE TECH WOKE ME UP AND TOLD ME TO SLEEP ON MY BACK FOR A WHILE.
My wifes elbow taught me many years ago not to sleep on my back!

How do you keep sleeping on your side?

How do you keep sleeping on your side?

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