nmevan

Hello
I have severe sleep apnea and sleep with a CPAP machine...actually a BIPAP machine, which is similar.
I want to ride the GDMBR.
Has anyone ridden a multi day, camping, bike tour with sleep apnea while using their CPAP machine.
Pl.ease fill me in.
Thank you!

Polaris OBark

This isn't just any old bike tour. You will be at 9000 ft at times and in general, no electricity.

BikeLite

May get more good replies in touring forum..up to 35 threads on this subject.

indyfabz

I’ll bite…

Unless you are God-like, you’ll need several days in a row of battery life.

shelbyfv

RVing is another hobby. This comes up often (old folks) and the answer is that even with a big 12V battery you'll need a way to recharge. So no, it's not something you can do unless you hire a sherpa to carry a generator.

indyfabz

Indiana Pass in CO, at nearly 12,000', is the highest point on the route. Hell. The Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, which is (now) a paved portion in MT that I have ridden twice, tops out at close to 8,000' itself.

Interestingly, the highest point on ACA's famed Tram Am road route is Hoosier Pass, above Breckenridge, CO, at 11,500' and change, is not that much lower than Indiana Pass. I rode that BITD. Started in Breckenridge, so the climb was only about 2,000', but it was still tough. The town of Breckenridge sits at 9,600". Despite having been up that high (Togwotee Pass in WY) earlier in my tour, I could feel the altitude during my two days in Breckenridge. It's one thing to ride a high pass, spend a little time up there to rest, and then descend. It's quite another to spend two days at altitude. After descending from Hoosier and grabbing a second breakfast, I did Trout Creek, which is 9,346'. The following day I did Monarch Pass, at 11,300' and change. That really killed me. Fun fact: Monarch Pass, at the time, was the site of the highest Subway restaurant in the world. I got a sandwich, It was the first time I had ever eaten from Subway.

Polaris OBark

Sorry. I should have said > 9000'. I lived in Colorado for a year, and even at 5200 ft, it significantly disturbed my sleep.

indyfabz

No one is saying CPAP machines ae evil. The issue is whether or not it is possible to take on a ride where you will likely go days without electricity several times during the trip.

Seems like the OP has lost interest in the issue.

grantelmwood

Probably nodding off after a bad night's sleep after his solar powered CPAP failed at night ?

indyfabz

Another consideration besides power is the durability of the machines. I’ve done some unpaved roads while touring. Rough ones can take a toll on gear. If your life depends on a relatively fragile piece of equipment, you don’t want it falling 2 or 3 days away from “civilization.”

Calsun

A CPAP is not like a pacemaker that needs to be used every day. You may not sleep as well without it but you will not damage your health and your doctor can probably confirm this.

I had very severe sleep apnea for years and when tested at a sleep lab they found my breathing would stop more than 90 times each hour during the night. My ENT doctor told me that there was a procedure that could help, a uvuloplastopharyngoplasty or UPPP. The only downside was 7-8 days of severe pain when swallowing following the surgery. I had the procedure performed in June of 1999 and for the past two decades have slept great without a CPAP machine.

indyfabz

After reading your medical advice in the prostate cancer thread, I think we should wait for the OP to provide details on his particular condition. Ok, doc?

nmevan

lol...funny, but mean

Calsun

If you disagree then provide relevant facts based on your own personal experience or science journals and not based on your brain farts.

I had sleep apnea for decades before it was diagnosed with first a mobile monitor over a 24 hour period and then with a full night in a Stanford Medical sleep lab. I survived for 50 years without a CPAP machine. I had SEVERE sleep apnea where I would stop breathing 90 times each hour while "sleeping". Sleep apnea is diagnosed when an individual stops breathing 5 times per hour (mild OSA), 15 times per hour (Moderate OSA), or more than 30 times per hour is considered SEVERE. I would stop breathing 90 times each hour prior to the surgical procedure.

My throat surgeon had me use a CPAP machine for the week leading up to the operation so I would be fully rested. So I know first hand what it is like to not use one for 30 years as an adult and what it is like to use one. This is not speculation but my own experience.

After the operation I had no need for a CPAP machine to be able to have a restful night sleep. I no longer snored was my wife can attest. I also woke up and was able for the first time in my life to remember my dreams. It is believed that sleep apnea interrupts REM sleep and dreaming.

The point is that I lived for 30 years without a CPAP machine and I did not die or experience a stroke or have any other injury to my health as a result. The CPAP is a sleep aid and not a medical necessity except for the morbidly obese who are most likely not taking long rides on bicycles and probably carrying around an oxgen pony bottle.

If you cannot provide facts then it would be helpful to keep your opinions to yourself.

indyfabz

I got my first mechanical heart valve installed over 32 years ago. (I now have two,) I’ve never had a blood clot despite neglecting my blood thinner regimen for long periods, including the time I spent nearly 4 months on the road cycling. What’s your point, doc?

nmevan

Nope...just watching the **** show erupt.

Germany_chris

I have sleep apnea and a CPAP and after 4 years with the machine I can't really sleep without it. The machine (at least mine) is particularly delicate so I put it in it's carrying case and drop it in a pannier.

I don't know if the OP's ride is a race if it is I'd probably stop and nap for a couple hours on and off vs. stopping to sleep for the night napping is how I get through times when I can't use my machine.

shelbyfv

I just checked that out!

indyfabz

How about responding to the posts of substance? Or were you simply hoping for a ****show?

livedarklions

All I can tell you is that I used to ride long distances with sleep deprivation. I stopped after getting hit by a van under circumstances I can't remember. And if you can't figure out that riding at 12,000 feet is a circumstance where otherwise fit people might be more vulnerable to the effects of oxygen deprivation, why are you commenting on anything involving health issues?

indyfabz

+1. I spent much of the late spring and summer touring from Seattle to Cortez, CO. Started out with passes in the 4000'-5,000' range and slowly worked my way through the 6, 7s, 8 and 9s. Did two 11,000'+ passes. When I finally got to Cortez, I spend the first week sleeping at nearly 8,000'. When I rode into town, this was my ride home:

Bike Route Planner - Ride with GPS

Despite all that, when I was staying outside of Aspen later in the summer and rode up to Independence Pass (12,100' and change) with only minimal gear, I could clearly feel the effects of the altitude.

nmevan

How did you power your CPAP?
I'm not racing.

nmevan

this is a valid point that I have considered...thanks

Darth Lefty 

I can see how it would be a reasonable thing, if you were really dedicated to it. The battery packs I'm finding with a quick google are good for one night and you will often be without AC so you'd probably want as many packs as you expect consecutive nights without AC. And then you need stops long enough to charge all your stuff and enough outlets too. The batteries cost like $400 apiece (because medical device pricing is stupid). They weigh ~ half a pound each.

I saw a note on one of the APAP product pages about compensating for altitude. Dunno if that will mean it runs through the battery quicker.

If you have apnea as a side effect of obesity - not a dig, it's common - then it's at least possible your time on the tour will cure you of it. If you have COPD then maybe riding a bike uphill to 12,000 ft is not a good plan?

Germany_chris

I wouldn't use it in a bike race.
IME sleep apnea effects you the longer you sleep hence my sleep two hours or so when you need it if you're racing.