Bed wedge pillow

I would like to hear about bed wedge pillows as a "Plan B" treatment for sleep apnea.

What angle of elevation of the head is needed to prevent apneas? Have any apnea patients successfully used upright/angular sleep as their single treatment for the sleep apnea?

What are the long term side effects (organs, circulatory) of sleeping at such an angle?

DH bought one, hoping it would help.
Mostly, he only uses it when he has chest congestion.
It had little if any effect on his apnea, angle only affected comfort.
Otherwise, it has caused back pain.
He has not used it since his surgery for herniated disc.
Bed, Bath, and Beyond had the best price; the DME had the worst.

A bed wedge is great for treatment of GERD. I don't see much benefit to SA. There are pillows that are designed for use with Cpap.

davep700 wrote:I would like to hear about bed wedge pillows as a "Plan B" treatment for sleep apnea.

What angle of elevation of the head is needed to prevent apneas? Have any apnea patients successfully used upright/angular sleep as their single treatment for the sleep apnea?

What are the long term side effects (organs, circulatory) of sleeping at such an angle?

Hi Dave,

Have you pursued exchanging your "brick" for a data capable machine?
I wonder if your "need to get fresh air" is in any way related to your current machine settings and choice of mask???

Have you given Plan A a fair trial???

Have you met your insurance compliance requirement or are you at risk of losing your machine?

Sleeping upright may lessen a few apneas in some people for a short time while e.g. they wait for their machine to arrive, but it does NOT act as a legitimate treatment for apnea! We'd all be buying recliners to sleep in if that was the case.

will address the brick issue with sleep doctor next week.
I'm Obviously not meeting the insurance company requirement.

I am alternating between the resperonics amaraview FFM and the dreamwear nasal mask. Not sure which one is better.

Sonnyboy I have made note of your previous recommendations.

I use a big removable wedge pillow in conjunction with my CPAP because I like to sleep on my back (supine) from time to time. That gets the upper half of my body elevated which I find useful... this position helps relieve some occasional hip pain that results from sleeping too long on either my right or left side. I don't think it makes apnea any better, at least from what I see my Sleepyhead reports.

I don't know the history of the "brick" conversation or if an exchange is likely to happen. Just want to point out a possible short term option. I started with a brick and months later ended up in an ugly confrontation with my former sleep doc once I arrived here and realized there were better options and that he had watched me suffer for months without even knowing if my treatment was working for me. In the end he still refused to back me getting another machine, but he did finally break down and order a 2 week trial on an autopap to collect data. At the end of 3 weeks his office called to tell me to bring in my old machine to have the pressure increased. I'd already done it. And already bought a used data capable machine from a forum member. But a trial period can be a steppingstone in some circumstances.

As to the wedge, I tried to use one but found it too uncomfortable and that it didn't provide proper support for side sleeping. Really messed with my back. When I still had reflux issues I did better by folding a comforter and placing it across the head of the bed between the mattress and box springs. This allowed me to be inclined just a bit without unnatural sleep positions. As far as my apnea, even in a recliner I must be fully upright with my neck supported to prevent either a forward or backward tilt for me to have any relief from the apneas. I consider myself fortunate because others here still have apneas even with these precautions. Good luck in making things work for you.

From personal experience, using a wedge pillow won't help. When I had my sleep study, I used a regular hospital bed because I sleep on an adjustable bed due to other medical problems. With my head elevated, my AHI was 49 and my blood oxygen desaturated to 63% before they put me on supplemental oxygen.

I got a 4 piece set that zips together for my husband after his first surgery so I wouldn't be as likely to hurt him in my sleep. It is now gathering dust in the back bedroom. It is nice in a way buy not really practical for full time use.

I have apneas and reflux no matter what the angle. Elevating my head makes me more comfortable but does NOT help either issue.

For the spleep apnea, the wedge pillow did not nothing and was uncomfortable for the lower back and even for the knees if I elevated my feet with a bend at the knees. It did notice some relief from the acid reflux.

Now I am on a double dose GERDS Rx regimen to help clear up some throat issues the ENT says are solely caused by the acid reflux and that won't clear up unless I "hit it hard" for 30 days.

Found a used bed frame elevator for cheap online with local pickup, so that puts the whole box spring and mattress at an angle. Elevating the upper torso and back sleeping seems to complicate sleep apnea treatment because the chin seems to drop resulting in open mouth and the head is more likely to fall forward. So, with the elevation and supine position I am back to taping and I have to get the pillow adjusted to keep my head tilted back. At least with the bed frame elevator I can sleep comfortably on my side if I want to.

Taping -- eeesshhh. I guess all tape has chemicals. Been using gorilla tape from Walmart, must be coated with imported pollution from some unregulated country. What else stays on with for awhile despite some perspiration and a chin strap?

I have both sleep apnea and GERD, my doctor suggested putting a brick or 2 under both legs of the bedhead, which ever was most comfortable, currently find the 2 bricks under each bedhead leg set up works great. Hint: Duct tape the 2 bricks together if you use that option.

You can use a soft cervical collar to keep your head up (plus jaw closed and airway more open).

Thanks for the collar advice. Been practicing with the $20 soft collar from Walgreens, just gotta set aside a date to try it at night.