MAD (in all caps)

[TooNice]

...not as in 'crazy', nor 'mutually assured destruction', but as in 'mandibular advancement device'. Has anyone got any experience with them?

I am a snorer, I've had some people say that it's not too bad, and others say it's terrible, so I am looking into one of those devices. Problem is, I can't seem to find any proper review / comparison sites. The few I've Googled really feel like the reviewer is being paid to vouch for a particular product, and it doesn't help that some of the sites selling the devices have a slightly amateurish feel, not unlike some of the sites promising to improve your sexual prowess instantly, or increase the size of your dong or.. well, you get the idea.

Ideally I'd like to get it properly checked out to make sure that I do not have any more serious underlying conditions, and perhaps have a custom one made/fitted by a dentist, but since I am finding myself once again moving countries, I am just looking for a temporary fix as I may have to spend a bit of time in a shared-room accommodation for one to three months, and would like to stay on good terms of any future roommates.

[Spud1]

I have one..but i've not been through the process of "teaching"myself to use it yet although I have tried to wear it for a few nights. I picked one up on prime day as I too snore and was looking for ways to help, and had a similar problem too in that most of the reading on these devices feels very much like its all paid advertising.

There are a few forums out there where they are discussed in more "honest" ways and the general consensus seems to be that these devices work for some people, but that they are quite hard to adjust to and are really a short term fix rather than a permanent solution. It also depends on the cause of your snoring. For me personally, I know that I am slightly overweight and that fat around my neck is the biggest contributor, with persistent rhinitis/PND being a contributing factor. So I have resolved that I need to do more exercise and eat better as my actual solution rather than training my self to use a MAD.

If you want to try one they are pretty much all equivalent from what i have read and shouldn't cost more than £20 or so. They are so uncomfortable though and don't work for everyone. The one I have (SnoreLabsMD) is fully adjustable and moldable to your mouth so I don't think a custom one is worth the expense unless it really does solve your problem. My advice would be to pop in and see your GP - sleep issues/snoring are the most common issues they deal with and my GP was surprisingly knowledgeable/helpful (even if the ultimate best advice was "exercise more" - but he was right).

[TooNice]

Thanks. Yikes, I was thinking, in the spirit of this thread, of getting a pretty fancy one for £130 plus shipping.

I only found out about those devices after a dentist friend of mine mentioned it (though he was referring something custom made / fitted by dentists - note that he was not trying to sell me his services given that we do not even live on the same continent). He said that it really helped one of his relative with sleep apnoea.

I've spoken to my GP who (who admitted not having any first hand experience with MAD, but thought that it should be a low cost/low risk thing to try given that it's offered in some trusted sleep clinic) and two of my GP friends and there seem to be a consensus that I do not really fall into the typical profile of someone with sleep apnoea. I do not drink, smoke, in healthy weight range, fairly active on average (the complaint I got for my snoring was during a period where I was snowboarding 3-6 hours per day, 5+ times per week). Not sure about my neck though - I always felt that it was a bit wider for someone my height (something I note when I buy shirts for my suits), but it's still well within the red flag for people with sleep apnoea. My biggest concern though is that my dad is an epic snorer, and in the last few years he has a knack of falling a sleep really quickly in various places during day time. Until now, I've simply attributed it to his age, but now I thinking that he should really get it checked out. And if it is hereditary, then I guess that I will need to find a fix for myself too at some point.

[TooNice]

Well, a almost a year later I got a sleep test done, and sleep apnoea it is

Just wonder, does anyone have a CPAP through the NHS? I heard that the device is "not yours" but I am not sure what that really mean in practice. Obviously it's an expensive device and they obviously don't want people to take it and eBay it, or perhaps muck with it, and they probably want to make sure you are using yours. But how do they verify that? Would they require me to take the device in for maintenance or whatnot at regular interval?

[MrJim]

I also have sleep apnoea, and I've been using a CPAP machine through the NHS for a little over four years. The CPAP machine is supplied by my local respiratory centre, and they service & maintain it. I have a 'check-up' every six months, and I take the machine with me so they can service it. The CPAP machine keeps a record of its usage, so they know how much it's being used.

[TheAnimus]

The leading causes of OSA are environmental and lifestyle. I'd really recommend looking at those, a guy I knew at uni had to get a CPAP machine in his twenties, he didn't make his thirties, whilst it's an extreme outlier example, he never bothered to address his diet even if he did eventually his alcoholism.

[peterb]

A friend of mine has sleep apnoea and has a CPAP machine. She lives in Switzerland, but the machine is -like the NHS - on long term loan with regular check ups. I believe sleep apnoea can be linked to restless leg syndrome as well.

[TooNice]

I also have sleep apnoea, and I've been using a CPAP machine through the NHS for a little over four years. The CPAP machine is supplied by my local respiratory centre, and they service & maintain it. I have a 'check-up' every six months, and I take the machine with me so they can service it. The CPAP machine keeps a record of its usage, so they know how much it's being used.

What was the process? Did you see a GP, who referred you to a specialist, got a sleep test, then the specialist prescribed you the CPAP machine?

I heard that it could take as much as 12 weeks to see a specialist, so I had the sleep test done privately while I was in Hong Kong (cheaper than going private in the UK, but pretty expensive nevertheless). I was hoping this might speed up things up a bit, but if a CPAP machine can only be prescribed by a specialist, then I guess that I would still need the long way for a specialist?

The leading causes of OSA are environmental and lifestyle.

Based on that my GP and two of my GP friends were doubtful I had it at all when I asked last year. I don't drink, don't smoke, exercise, aren't overweight (though I note that my weight is creeping up). I think it has gotten somehow worse in the sense that while I am fine when exercising / doing something that requires focus, as soon as I have a bit of idle time, I fall asleep. The other day I sunburnt because I fell asleep for a few hours when I sat on the bench under the sun (I only intended to take a short rest after a jog).

The specialist I met noted that I might have narrow air passage or something. I suspect that I got it from my dad who has a lot of those symptoms, yet "Doesn't believe in it", meaning that he doesn't want nor intend to get a sleep test.

[TheAnimus]

Ah that sucks to hear, but at least it sounds like you are doing everything the Dr and specialist would ask of you, so hopefully they are able to find some solution.

[MrJim]

What was the process? Did you see a GP, who referred you to a specialist, got a sleep test, then the specialist prescribed you the CPAP machine?

I went through my GP, who referred me to my local respiratory centre at Harefield hospital. It was the respiratory centre that gave me the CPAP machine to use, & it's they who monitor me. I suspect that despite having your sleep test in Hong Kong, you would still need to go through having a sleep study over here before they'd give you the CPAP machine.

Although weight is certainly a factor, there are physiological causes of sleep apnoea.