I have OSA, I was diagnosed ~5 years ago. I have attempted didgeridoo a couple of times now, but due to life events and the difficulty of the instrument I have been wildly inconsistent. I was a...
I have OSA, I was diagnosed ~5 years ago. I have attempted didgeridoo a couple of times now, but due to life events and the difficulty of the instrument I have been wildly inconsistent. I was a former trumpet player, and the didgeridoo is much more difficult to get a noise out of. All of that said, I find the headlines that call for didgeridoo as an alternative treatment to OSA wildly misleading. In every study I have skimmed, very few patients have had their AHI lowered below 5, which is considered the "treated" threshold for CPAP. What it does seem to be is promising as an adjunctive therapy, which can lower CPAP pressure requirements, or help lower AHI for patients who are resistant to CPAP for whatever reason.
I just like to clarify, because there are a number of people who will use this as a reason to forgo diagnosis or treatment, which is a bad thing. The stigma around sleep apnea and CPAP use is already very high, and something difficult to overcome.
It’s been over 20 years since I graduated college, but one of my fondest memories from that time was making PVC didgeridoos with my dorm mate and teaching ourselves how to play them. It was absurd...
It’s been over 20 years since I graduated college, but one of my fondest memories from that time was making PVC didgeridoos with my dorm mate and teaching ourselves how to play them. It was absurd in so many ways. Campus security gave us some scrutiny because they thought we were carrying around enormous bongs.
Now I’m an old man who snores. Haven’t touched a didge since I left school. Now I’m wondering if I should pick one up and give it another go.
I have OSA, I was diagnosed ~5 years ago. I have attempted didgeridoo a couple of times now, but due to life events and the difficulty of the instrument I have been wildly inconsistent. I was a former trumpet player, and the didgeridoo is much more difficult to get a noise out of. All of that said, I find the headlines that call for didgeridoo as an alternative treatment to OSA wildly misleading. In every study I have skimmed, very few patients have had their AHI lowered below 5, which is considered the "treated" threshold for CPAP. What it does seem to be is promising as an adjunctive therapy, which can lower CPAP pressure requirements, or help lower AHI for patients who are resistant to CPAP for whatever reason.
I just like to clarify, because there are a number of people who will use this as a reason to forgo diagnosis or treatment, which is a bad thing. The stigma around sleep apnea and CPAP use is already very high, and something difficult to overcome.
It’s been over 20 years since I graduated college, but one of my fondest memories from that time was making PVC didgeridoos with my dorm mate and teaching ourselves how to play them. It was absurd in so many ways. Campus security gave us some scrutiny because they thought we were carrying around enormous bongs.
Now I’m an old man who snores. Haven’t touched a didge since I left school. Now I’m wondering if I should pick one up and give it another go.