Fsleepapnea

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Hello all, I have been diagnosed with snoring without apnea. I have had two take home kits now. First one, AHI 14.4. My most recent one, AHI of 16.1. When I did the overnight study, my AHI was 3... I have hypersomnia and am always tired, poor concentration, I can sleep for 15 hours and wake up feeling tired. I take naps almost everyday. Close my eyes at work, etc. I also use an oral appliance daily. I will be taking another in lab study, but will I not get the 50% VA because i'm not technically "dignosed" with sleep apnea? I have all the symptoms and I have the sleep studys to prove that something is for sure messed up.... AND they have me using a breathing assistance device. Thanks to all who reply. Edit -Oral device hasn't done much to help.
 
Polysomnography is a monitored test and the definitive test for sleep disorders. But like all test it is a snapshot of health (six to eight hours). You may want to consider would talking to your provider about continued symptoms and ask him/her what is next.
 
Polysomnography is a monitored test and the definitive test for sleep disorders. But like all test it is a snapshot of health (six to eight hours). You may want to consider would talking to your provider about continued symptoms and ask him/her what is next.
So, would the VA give me anything at all regarding this? Cause a sleep assistance device with my symptoms is 50%.
 
I got my rating SPECIFICALLY for sleep apnea, with all other conditions you describe as "symptoms" of sleep apnea.

I had an AHI of 21.4 and slight oxygen desaturation for comparison. Moderate Sleep Apnea can be diagnosed with an AHI of 15-30


We have assigned a 50 percent evaluation for your obstructive sleep apnea based on:
• Requires use of breathing assistance device such as continuous airway pressure (CPAP)machine
Additional symptom(s) include:
• Persistent day-time hypersomnolence
A higher evaluation of 100 percent is not warranted for sleep apnea syndromes unless theevidence shows:
• Carbon dioxide retention; or,
• Chronic respiratory failure; or,
• Cor pulmonale; or,
• Tracheostomy required. (38 CFR 4.97)
 
I got my rating SPECIFICALLY for sleep apnea, with all other conditions you describe as "symptoms" of sleep apnea.

I had an AHI of 21.4 and slight oxygen desaturation for comparison. Moderate Sleep Apnea can be diagnosed with an AHI of 15-30


We have assigned a 50 percent evaluation for your obstructive sleep apnea based on:
• Requires use of breathing assistance device such as continuous airway pressure (CPAP)machine
Additional symptom(s) include:
• Persistent day-time hypersomnolence
A higher evaluation of 100 percent is not warranted for sleep apnea syndromes unless theevidence shows:
• Carbon dioxide retention; or,
• Chronic respiratory failure; or,
• Cor pulmonale; or,
• Tracheostomy required. (38 CFR 4.97)
Okay but i'm not diagnosed with sleep apnea. I just have all the symptoms. So I wouldn't get anything basically?
 
Unfortunately, unless you have the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), you will not get the rating. The rating alone is 30%, with the extra 20% coming if you require the positive pressure breathing aparatus.

Based on your symptoms, it sounds like you could contend for a potential chronis adjustment disorder for how your symptoms are affecting your ability to work and relate to people always being tired. Have you seen a mental health provider yet?
 
Unfortunately, unless you have the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), you will not get the rating. The rating alone is 30%, with the extra 20% coming if you require the positive pressure breathing aparatus.

Based on your symptoms, it sounds like you could contend for a potential chronis adjustment disorder for how your symptoms are affecting your ability to work and relate to people always being tired. Have you seen a mental health provider yet?
Yeah, Just had all my C&P exams yesterday. That really sucks. Suffering and i get nothing for it, when my symptoms are the same ifnot worse than OSA. It just sucks that I classified for OSA twice now, but the in lab said 3. Such a joke. Thanks all for replies.
 
Get another sleep study done. An AHI in the teens indicates sleep apnea, mild to moderate. Also do the sleep study sleeping on your back or whatever position makes your breathing/snoring the worst.
 
I have the same symptoms but was diagnosed with loud snoring and hypersomnia. Haven’t had my C&P exams yet!
 
So, would the VA give me anything at all regarding this? Cause a sleep assistance device with my symptoms is 50%.
With no diagnosis there is no compensation. But your subjective report of symptoms shoould not be ignored by a provider. See your provider again or another provider and press towards a diagnosis.
 
I think the jist of all the help we are trying to support you with is that you should be able to be diagnosed with OSA.... if everything you are reporting is accurate the AHI is one of the major supporting factors for OSA. Get a second opinion from a specialist. There may be some under lying cause you are not being diagnosed with OSA, ask that question - "If everything points to OSA why am I not being diagnosed with OSA?" - that is probably going to help you more right now than here on this forum can, until you know why your aren't being diagnosed. If you secure a OSA diagnosis then the forums here will have the right info to develop a plan of action for you.
 
I think the jist of all the help we are trying to support you with is that you should be able to be diagnosed with OSA.... if everything you are reporting is accurate the AHI is one of the major supporting factors for OSA. Get a second opinion from a specialist. There may be some under lying cause you are not being diagnosed with OSA, ask that question - "If everything points to OSA why am I not being diagnosed with OSA?" - that is probably going to help you more right now than here on this forum can, until you know why your aren't being diagnosed. If you secure a OSA diagnosis then the forums here will have the right info to develop a plan of action for you.
Yeah exactly, I'm hoping when I do the next inlab It shows an average night. Thank you for your words :)
 
With no diagnosis there is no compensation. But your subjective report of symptoms shoould not be ignored by a provider. See your provider again or another provider and press towards a diagnosis.
Yeah that's what I feel happend. I got 14.4, then 3. They completley disregarded that. AD air force won't even consider a CPAP until 5 AHI + i think. So hopefully my next inlab shows an actual average night. Not some weird one where it basically says I have nothing wrong lmao, when I clearly do.
 
I never want to tell someone how to "game" the system, but I will tell you what makes my symptoms worse, and that is how I set my self up for my test (it was done at home with monitoring gear from a specialist). I made sure to sleep on my back which makes it worse for me, the monitoring devices didn't help any either as I had problems sleeping with all the wires coming off my body. I also, contrary to what you might think, sleep worse when I am over tired. I made sure the night before to also get little sleep and worked a good hard shift - when I have to pull an early shift or an over nighter my wife says my snoring and breathing is worse that night. Just like getting your C&Ps with the VA, you want your sleep test to be a snapshot of you at your worst, so try to set yourself up to represent that during the test.
 
I never want to tell someone how to "game" the system, but I will tell you what makes my symptoms worse, and that is how I set my self up for my test (it was done at home with monitoring gear from a specialist). I made sure to sleep on my back which makes it worse for me, the monitoring devices didn't help any either as I had problems sleeping with all the wires coming off my body. I also, contrary to what you might think, sleep worse when I am over tired. I made sure the night before to also get little sleep and worked a good hard shift - when I have to pull an early shift or an over nighter my wife says my snoring and breathing is worse that night. Just like getting your C&Ps with the VA, you want your sleep test to be a snapshot of you at your worst, so try to set yourself up to represent that during the test.
Means a lot. You're a 100% right. I'm gonna do exactly what you said. Question, do you know why little sleep makes it worse? I thought you would sleep better.
 
My guess is I sleep "harder", therefore I relax more - when your airway relaxes is when your tongue and throat can relax and collapse into your airways. It sounds ironic but I personally believe that when I am so relaxed my body does not maintain an unrestricted airway. But it is also a sign that I truly have sleep apnea, that my body is restricting my airway and that it isn't just hard snoring.

I think it is similar to when my wife has a few drinks before bed she also snores and is a horrid sleeper on her back, she wakes me up and I try to roll her on her side, furthering my hypothesis that the alcohol relaxes her and her airways. I don't drink anymore due to all the medications I am on, everything I take has an alcohol warning and when I take my meds I damn near pass out dead cold with in about 30 minutes.

Just my two cents on how being over tired can exacerbate OSA, hypersomnolence would have a similar affect - as you are fighting being tired all day, when you do finally get to sleep you body just relaxes too much.
 
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