What do you do if you think you have sleep apnea but know you have no insurance?

[Zsofia]

My boyfriend has no insurance and no money. (He owns three businesses and he's really lucky I have a "real" job.) He snores like a bastard and I'm almost certain he has a problem with sleep apnea. At least once a night, usually, I'll hear him stop breathing and then do this choke/snort thing. He isn't overweight, he doesn't drink often, and the "tennis ball in t-shirt" snoring cures don't help because whatever causes his snoring causes it in any position. The nose strips don't work, either - we haven't tried any of the sprays I've seen at the drugstore, or that chin strap thing. (I'm going to Walgreens after work and buying every damned thing that says "snoring" on it, I don't care if it's snake oil, I'll milk the damned snake myself if it'll get me a good night's sleep.) His snoring has been much, much worse these past few weeks. Obviously what he needs is a sleep study, but he surely can't afford it self-pay and, like I said, no insurance. There are free and reduced price clinics in town, but I don't think they're for this sort of thing, are they? He went to one once when he had a non-emergency room thing, some sort of stomach bug that wouldn't go away, but I don't think they'll reduced-price you into a sleep clinic, will they?

So are there any ways for him to get professional help besides moving to France or winning the lottery? And if not, is there something we could try that we haven't tried?

[OneCentStamp]

There's a snoring thigamajigger sold on infomercials that's basically a mouthpiece that holds your lower jaw slightly farther out than it normally would be (think Jimmy Durante or Benito Mussolini). They claim it makes it harder for your airway to clap shut while you sleep, thus reducing snoring and apnea.

Here it is, one of them anyway.

[Eleanor of Aquitaine]

He could learn to play a didgeridoo.

Besides keeping you awake, sleep apnea can cause your boyfriend some serious health problems. He might be able to get a used CPAP machine from a free clinic (insurance will pay for a new one every few years so people donate their old ones).

My husband has sleep apnea (he's not overweight, either). He was warned away from those cheap mouthpieces because they might cause jaw problems. The expensive mouthpieces are supposed to be better, but they aren't even covered by insurance. I think $1500 was the starting price for one.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

Yeah, sleep apnea is no joke. My wife has a bad case, and the sleep specialist was really upfront about how much danger she would be in if she didn't use her Bipap. I've got no idea now the American medical system works (we weren't a nickel out of pocket thanks to socialized Canadian medicine and my work insurance), but I'd suggest going to the free clinic, explaining the situation, and seeing if they have any suggestions. You never know.

[Zsofia]

I just came across the didgeridoo thing on the Mayo Clinic website. I texted him to tell him that the Mayo Clinic thinks he should learn to play the didgeridoo to stop snoring, but that I may prefer the snoring, heart disease and all.

[McNutty]

I have very mild sleep apnea, and my family doctor referred me to a sleep clinic to diagnose it. The friggin sleep study cost four thousand dollars, of which my insurance paid $3200. They explained that I have mild sleep apnea, that it's not a threat to my health unless it gets worse, but if it would help me sleep, they would prescribe me a CPAP machine, which the insurance would mostly cover, and which also cost a ridiculous amount of money. It doesn't cause me trouble sleeping (the only reason I mentioned it to the doctor was that my wife wanted to know I wasn't going to die in my sleep because of it), so I said no thanks.

So long story short, $800 out of pocket to be told I'm fine.

[MsRobyn]

He should definitely go to the free clinic and talk to the doctor about it. The clinic may have an arrangement with various specialists to provide services at a discount. In any event, it doesn't hurt to ask.

[eventually...]

The doctor I used to work for (she is a specialist) was "contracted" (not really contracted, but had agreed to see referral patients) with the local free clinic. Our agreement with them was to see the referrals at no cost and if any treatment/surgery was necessary, the most we could collect from the patient was $100. The clinic is run through our local hospital, so any studies, treatment, etc. would be done there, also at minimal cost to the patient. So definitely, worth a shot to go to the clinic and see if he can be referred out on a sliding scale system.

[criminey.jicket]

Webmd suggests putting a 4" foam wedge under the mattress to raise his head:

Snoring occurs when the soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils and/or muscles in the back of the throat rub against each other and generate a vibrating sound during sleep.

So, at first, snoring "occurs only when you are lying on your back [and] your tongue falls back and increases airway resistance," Mahowald explains. That's why some folk remedies called for sewing tennis balls on the back of pajamas, he says.

"If you are one of these snorers, sleeping on your sides will usually help" you stop snoring, Mahowald tells WebMD.

You may also want to try raising the head of your bed 4 inches, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology. To do this, place blocks or a wedge under the head of the mattress.

I snore less when I fall asleep on the couch. I stay on my side, and my head is slightly more elevated with the pillow against the armrest.

[Eleanor of Aquitaine]

The OP says her boyfriend snores in any position. My husband breathes best if he sleeps on his right side (I've trained him to automatically turn on that side if I [del:4lhnue92]kick[/del:4lhnue92] gently nudge him in the middle of the night) but he can't stay in that position 100% of the time.

[criminey.jicket]

Yes, EoA. I was wondering if the OP's husband had tried elevating his head by using a wedge under the mattress.

[Zsofia]

Actually, you know, he doesn't snore when he falls asleep on the couch.

I couldn't bring myself to buy the homeopathic snake oil, but I bought all the rest of the snake oil Walgreens had to sell. I do have to say, he was better last night - he still snored like a house on fire, but not the earthshattering scary noises he makes sometimes. He was wearing the things that go inside your nose, and used the spray.

Wouldn't that ruin the mattress?

[criminey.jicket]

Wouldn't that ruin the mattress?

Good point! *glares at webmd*

The sleep clinic appointment that I've been waiting for is this Friday, finally! I was going to pop by the foam factory here in town to see if they have some foam wedges that would be comfortable to sleep directly on top of, but I'll wait to see what happens with the clinic.