Long ago, I suspected it and was able to adjust by just sleeping on my side.
Then years later, I was having more trouble. I took the test and found I had mild sleep apnea and they gave me a machine to try.
I hated it and gave it back (looking back they gave me a terrible default setup and a huge facemask that most people immediately switch out)
My solution was to get a mouthguard. The way it works is it keeps your jaw aligned at night, so airway+tongue are less likely to obstruct your breathing. Just search for "boil and bite" type mouthguards on amazon, they're inexpensive and pretty easy to use.
What I found interesting during the mouthguard stage is that I probably have had bruxism all along. I have one part of the bone structure in my mouth that grew bigger possibly from clenching over the years.
In the end, that only worked well for maybe 6 months before I started noticing the trouble again, so I went for the cpap. I had to make it work and ended up working with a heated hose and the nasal pillow style nosepiece. I'm pretty good now. (one more piece of advice, keep it clean with alcohol and you'll be much better off)
I had trouble for years with both sleep apnoea and bruxing in my sleep.
I tried all sorts, from mouthguards to oximeter alarms, and nothing really helped, if anything, they generally worsened my sleep - I'm a light sleeper at the best of times.
A visit to the doctor revealed that I was pre-diabetic, and he advised that I shed some weight - I was 250lbs, and I brought myself down to 180lbs over about six months.
The sleep apnoea and bruxism both went away with the weight, and a decade on, haven't returned. I suspect that the additional weight was making my airway collapse in the night, and that would then result in me bruxing as I quietly asphyxiated in my sleep, before I'd wake up gasping in a puddle of sweat.
I had thought for the longest time that the root cause was stress, and that it was therefore untreatable without major lifestyle changes which weren't tenable at the time - but the stress went on for years after I lost the weight, without bruxing or apnoea. I suppose, at root, the stress was the cause, as I sure as hell comfort ate my way out of my misery and into size 40 jeans.
I do, once in a blue moon, still do the choke and grind routine, but it's usually only if I've gone to bed really quite drunk.
Obviously this isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, as sleep apnoea and bruxism can be brought about by any number of causes, but this was a solution for me, and might be for others who are in the same situation I was in.
Congratulations on the dedication to lose the weight and maintain the loss.
I’m a grinder myself and my weight yo-yos between 200-250LB. My grinding is definitely related to weight. If my BMI is below 25%, the grinding stops. Pop back up and it starts again.
Stress plays a role in daytime clenching but it is far less when I’m in better shape.
These can work but feel pretty horrible to sleep with. If you can afford it, your dentist can make you a slim fit top guard that is far more comfortable. I wear one and it's 100% fixed my jaw tension and tooth grind damage problems.
There is also a new type of fitted double guard which holds your jaw slightly open to alleviate apnea. They're expensive but depending on your country's healthcare you may get a rebate if prescribed one after a sleep study.
If your finances/healthcare don't permit the above, I recommend trimming down the boil and bite guard with scissors, you don't need most of that plastic. It will still suck compared a proper dental guard.
Do you use water in your CPAP? I never felt it added any benefit and I just leave the chamber empty..Consequently, the CPAP pump and hoses remain dry, and I haven't needed to clean them often at all.
I just did the recommendations, and use distilled water in the water tank.
I was lots more successful with humidified air. If you have a raw throat, or if you have a stuffed up nose, humidity will take care of it. Another way to help is to drink enough fluids.
Note that I turned down the default temperature and humidity.
As to the cleaning - you need to clean it anyway. Your exhalations do go down the tube backwards. When I first started using it I would get tired of cleaning and put it off and got a really bad head cold.
Long ago, I suspected it and was able to adjust by just sleeping on my side.
Then years later, I was having more trouble. I took the test and found I had mild sleep apnea and they gave me a machine to try.
I hated it and gave it back (looking back they gave me a terrible default setup and a huge facemask that most people immediately switch out)
My solution was to get a mouthguard. The way it works is it keeps your jaw aligned at night, so airway+tongue are less likely to obstruct your breathing. Just search for "boil and bite" type mouthguards on amazon, they're inexpensive and pretty easy to use.
What I found interesting during the mouthguard stage is that I probably have had bruxism all along. I have one part of the bone structure in my mouth that grew bigger possibly from clenching over the years.
In the end, that only worked well for maybe 6 months before I started noticing the trouble again, so I went for the cpap. I had to make it work and ended up working with a heated hose and the nasal pillow style nosepiece. I'm pretty good now. (one more piece of advice, keep it clean with alcohol and you'll be much better off)