I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea five years ago. Shortly after I was diagnosed I obtained the full mask CPAP and tried it for a week. Unfortunately it did not work. My mouth kept opening and I was unable to sleep at all both because I was constantly gasping for air and the mask was extremely uncomfortable. I searched for other solutions from then until earlier this year when I found out from a co-worker who also has sleep apnea that the nasal pillow CPAP worked for him. I obtained the nasal pillow CPAP and tried it out for a week, only to have the exact same thing happen that happened with the full mask CPAP- my mouth kept opening/I kept gasping for air and it was too uncomfortable.

Rather than pursue another CPAP or wear something that will keep my mouth shut (which I'm afraid could potentially kill me), I would like to know what are all of the common causes of sleep apnea. My primary care physician immediately suggested that mine was caused by my weight. However, I have a friend who is shorter than me and heavier than me and he has never had sleep apnea. That and I weighed the exact same amount as I do now (I'm over 260 lbs. currently) back in 2007 and did not have sleep problems at all.

When the first CPAP didn't work I initially theorized that my sleep apnea could be due to my back posture/rolled shoulders. My friend backed my theory, but I wasn't sure, so I contacted my primary care physician again. He dismissed the notion and simply recommended working with the sleep department on a solution. The sleep department keeps pushing the CPAP as a solution, but- again- it will only cause my mouth to open and be incredibly uncomfortable, rendering sleep an impossibility. I just don't see the point in wasting my time with the CPAP if it won't work on any level whatsoever. And I doubt that I will ever be able to tolerate it because having anything on my face while I sleep feels very awkward.

I searched for validation of my poor back posture theory on Google using the query "can bad posture cause sleep apnea?" and this was the very first thing that popped up in the search results:

In addition to being uncomfortable, poor posture can cause sleep apnea. When your face, jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles are misaligned, it will decrease your body's ability to breathe efficiently. You will start breathing through your mouth instead of your nose, causing sleep apnea.

So if it's not my poor posture that's causing this and my current primary care physician dismissed the possibility of a deviated septum months ago, then what else can it be? I'm at my wit's end. I keep going to sleep and allowing myself anywhere from 8-10 hours to sleep, only to end up waking up within two-four hours, if not earlier (on a bad day)- OR- I wake up at my alarm (on a good day). In both situations I still wake up completely exhausted, as though I didn't sleep at all.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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