Originally Posted by high_jinx

here's the backround...

i'm 36 and between an ankle injury,several years of unchecked sleep apnea, and yes, negligence my health's become rather dicey.

last spring i finally got a cpap machine, which is basically a fan going through a tube that attaches to my nose and lets me get the deep sleep i need.

unfortunately, a couple months into using it and ever since, i've been waking up with a steady stream of back ache. i'm normal after about a half hour, but it sucks to go through it. and on top of that, now i'm starting to notice slight twinges of the same back pain later throughout the day. i never had a problem with my back before this.

i'm pretty sure it started because i had to get used to securing the straps and mask correctly so it didn't slip or leak air sideways while i slept. also, i've always slept kind of like a horizontal mountain climber, with both of either my left or right arm and leg raised and i'm somewhere between my side and my stomach. unfortunately the mask gets in the way of sleeping like that and i think the pain stems from me tilting my head back and the resulting strain on my neck.

i tried sleeping on my back, but i'd wake up with a numb hip. i read about this and it sounds like "sciatica" which i don't want to pick up as a bonus condition.

anyway, long story short, i'm already on the path to eating healthier and decent excersize, but in the meantime i would like some info or tips on any kind of stretching or positioning strategy with a goal of waking up both refreshed and pain free, not one or the other. thanks.