Is it a Steel player malady?

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

How many (if ANY!) rely on a CPAP machine at night during your sleep time?

Just wondering if this is common among steel players.

john buffington · From: Owasso OK - USA

Been using one for 4 years, best sleep ever! In fact, I never leave home wiithout it when doing overnight jobs.

Mike Neer · From: NJ

I thought you were going to say drooling out the side of our mouths when looking down.... Laughing

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Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

One friend of mine with apnea hated the damn mask, and just put a fan blowing on her face as she slept.
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chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

had a fiddle player in one band who had it bad. you couldn't sleep in the same room with him cause of the monster snoring.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

There's definitely an association between sleep apnea and being overweight, and between being sedentary and being overweight. I'm not saying that most steel players are overweight, but a lot do seem to be, and it's an occupational hazard of spending thousands of hours over years and years sitting down practicing and then sitting down to play gigs. (Of course, pianists are in the same boat; would be interesting to compare the weight and sleep apnea statistics between pianists vs steelers. We exclude drummers from this discussion because they obviously get a lot of exercise while sitting down. But, come to think of it, most orchestral players practice and perform sitting down too [clarinet, French horn, cello, violin/viola, etc. I wonder about their statistics.] Maybe too many cultural, individual and genetic factors in play to ever sort this out properly...)

I read one article in which the incidence of sleep apnea in "morbidly obese" people was 78%.

I'm not obese and I don't have sleep apnea that I know of but, FWIW, my wife says I stopped snoring after I lost about 25 lbs.
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chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

that fits the friend i was mentioning. he's also a classically trained (big time) violinist and quite overweight!

James Sission · From: Sugar Land,Texas USA

I was told I had sleep apnea last year. The doctor sent me for a sleep test and I went home instead. The following day, April 8, 2013, I started a diet combined with brisk walking each day. I walked a little longer each week until I got to 45 minutes a day. By thanksgiving, I was 80 pounds lighter. Problem solved.

Ben Greene · From: San Antonio, Tx.

I've had a CPAP for about a year. Would never go back. I don't love the mask, but I love the sleep.
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David Shepack · From: New Jersey, USA

I seriously doubt that there is a correlation between sleep apnea and playing pedal steel guitar, although late night gigs might make the problem worse, it wouldn't be because of what instrument you are playing. ( I never know what to expect from your subject lines )
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john widgren · From: Wilton CT

Before the solo, stick to the malady.
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Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Quite a few years back here on the Forum, my old friend Harry Hess asked if anyone knew anything about sleep apnea.

About a week later he died in his sleep.

Get your attention, anyone?

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=72287&highlight=

I'm about 25lbs overweight, and at age 66 it's a struggle to lose it. Add to that my lifelong history of sinus problems and it's a recipe for apnea.

Apparently, sometimes I snore and sometimes I'm quiet. I've investigated and tried to analyze why or what does or doesn't cause my snoring, but what Jimbeaux and James Sission say is correct. When I was slimmer and more active the snoring was much improved. Upper body weight causes stress on the lungs and trachea, making breathing more difficult.

Matter of fact, just today I decided I'd go on a vegetarian diet for awhile to see if my weight can come down some. Foot injuries in both feet the last couple years has made exercising somewhat problematic, but their condition is improving some and I'm determined to lose some excess avoirdupois.
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Bill McCloskey · Posted 16 Jan 2014 6:31 am

Herb, the best thing I've found for losing weight is a little app called Loseit. It is basically a calorie counter with all the hard work done for you. You enter everything you are eating and it calculates the calories (along with your distribution of protein, fat, etc). It evens connects directly to a scale, so when you stand on the scale, it automatically records and tracks your weight. I found that keeping my calories under 1,600 a day (and it didn't matter what I eat, you can eat twinkles all day if you want ) was guaranteed to drop the weight. Calories in < Calories out works every time

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

Lowering carbs from such items as bread,pasta, and sugar helps a lot too.

Rick Schacter · From: Portland, Or.

Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Craig Stock · From: Westfield, NJ USA

I find portion control, and cutting out fat, cheese and salt , and sugar really helps.

Most cravings subside after 2 weeks. It's. Basically a lifestyle change.
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Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

I've been a registered sleep disorders technologist and clinical sleep educator for 23 years.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA)occurs when gravity plus the loss of muscle tone that happens during sleep are combined with specific physical charactaristics in the throat, neck and/or jaw .

The 3 phyisical charactaristics that can cause obstructive sleep apnea are:
1. Large neck size (collar size) which weighs more than a thinner neck.
2.) Small lower jaw (mandible). Sometimes an overbite or smaller than average mandible will drift back and put pressure on the upper airway.
3.) Oversized soft tissue in the upper airway, such as the uvula and soft palate, tongue and if still present, tonsils and adenoids.
Any one of these anatomical charactaristics can cause obstructive sleep breathing. Some people have all of the above.

Just being overweight is not necessarily going to cause apnea. However, many people who are overweight will have a bigger collar size and that's enough. I've seen people who are thin have severe sleep apnea, and I've seen morbidly obese people test out just fine.
The CPAP simply creates air pressure and inflates the back of the throat like a balloon to prevent it from collapsing under the weight of the specific charactaristic responsible. A fan blowing in the face will not have any effect because the throat will remain locked. Untreated OSA puts a person at significant risk for developing all types of heart disease including stroke and chronic high blood pressure. Type 2 diabetes is another huge risk. Over half of all people who have type 2 diabetes have also been diagnose with sleep apnea. Apnea can be mild, moderate or severe. With mild cases sometimes an alternative treatment can be considered. Bottom line is get used to your CPAP or risk the consequences. Smile

I'll add that if you are overweight it may or may not cure your sleep apnea to lose the weight.
Either way. losing excessive weight is a good thing to do and will be a benefit to your heart never the less.
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Bill Moore · From: Manchester, Michigan

I've not had any problems with sleep apnea, but a friend of mine did. He died in his sleep, he was in his early forties. He was a healthy looking guy, but slightly overweight.

About losing weight; I've lost 80+ lbs since 2006. Most of it lost in the first couple of years. I have a mostly vegetarian diet, and that helps a lot. I have meat once or twice a week, usually chicken. I went from 250+ to, today's weight, 166. I certainly feel better and I think I'm healthier. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, cut down on meat, sugar, fats, try to eliminate salt. Avoid eating in restaurants, certainly avoid fast food of all kinds. All that will help. Take it one day, or maybe one week at a time. It can be done, if you approach it as a long range plan.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about twenty years ago and given one of those machines, but I gave up using it after a few days. It was like trying to sleep whilst connected up to a vacuum cleaner. All that cold air and noise. I couldn't sleep with it so I put it into storage, where it's been ever since. The threat of fungus infections through the machine doesn't exactly encourage one to use it, either.

My solution to sleep apnea is to sleep in a separate bed downstairs where my snoring doesn't disturb anyone. Oh Well

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Alan, I trust you are very well aware that your snoring is not the greatest concern with sleep apnea (though it may be the greatest nuisance to your mate). If there's any one good thing to come out of Harry Hess's passing, as related by Herb Steiner above, it is that we can remind others of the mortal risks of not addressing this problem in a timely manner.

Perhaps Fred Glave could address your concern about potential fungal infections which are also nothing to sneeze at, I agree.
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Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

Alan, CPAP therapy has come a long way in 20 years. Adustable heated humidity comes standard on CPAP machines now. There is no risk of fungal or mold infections if a quick daily cleaning is done. A clean air filter that is changed at the proper interval with the combination of humidity provides the cleanest air you could possibly breathe. Typically people with seasonal and environmental allergies get tremendous relief while using CPAP. CPAP masks come in many varieties as well and are far more comfortable than they used to be.

Sleeping downstairs away from other people is about as effective as only smoking cigarettes on the porch outside. It doesn't disturb other people but it will still harm you very much.
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