Sleep Apnea

[Adri]

It seems like a surprising number of people I know have gotten a sleep study done and found out they had sleep apnea. I guess sleep apnea is more than just snoring but an actual stopping of breathing from time to time during sleep. So I was curious ~ how many of you have done sleep studies and how many have sleep apnea? Do you think it's one of those things where we are actually having more cases of it or we're just recognizing it more. Or maybe it's just that people who had it in the past wouldn't have gotten diagnosed/treated for it?

[tutusue]

Re: Sleep Apnea

I've been thru a sleep study and do not have apnea. But, then, I knew that!!! I have PLMD (periodic limb movement disorder) characterized by an average of 17 wake-ups per hour...the majority I wasn't aware of. PLMD runs in my family.

My ex had apnea...bad. I got used to the endless snoring. It was the silence that woke me up. It eventually caused him some medical problems. I believe apnea, of late, is receiving more attention, as is sleep deprivation. That, in turn, is alerting people to the problem. And, that's a good thing.

I'm a huge proponent of sleep studies as I've learned the hard way what sleep deprivation can do to the mind and body.

[Adri]

Re: Sleep Apnea

tutusue: Wow, if you don't mind my asking, how did they treat your condition? or did they? I hope you're not still waking up 17 times an hour!

[Palama Kid]

Re: Sleep Apnea

I have sleep apnea & have had a C-Pap machine since 1995. I snored terribly & would wake with a start numerous times. "Out of breath" nightmares dominated my sleep.

My sleep study showed that I stopped breathing eight times an hour. My oxygen level dropped to 65%, then of course, I woke up (not completely) to continue breathing. All that meant that I was never getting any deep sleep.

Initially, the pressure through my nostrils was set around seven psi; now, it's over nine psi.

Sleep apnea is nothing to fool with.

[tutusue]

Re: Sleep Apnea

tutusue: Wow, if you don't mind my asking, how did they treat your condition? or did they? I hope you're not still waking up 17 times an hour!

PLMD is treated with medication. Since I'm unable to take the best med for it I have to settle for a less effective med. I wasn't aware I was waking up so many times per hour but the result was zero stage 3 and stage 4 sleep. Hence, sleep deprivation to da max! I'm sleeping better, for sure, but know I still don't get enough of the deeper, more refreshing sleep. But I am getting some, thank goodness!

[...]Sleep apnea is nothing to fool with.

You're absolutely right. It caused my ex some heart problems.

[Likeke]

Re: Sleep Apnea

Yup, yup!.. I'm going in for sleep study in about 3 weeks and good thing, my health insurance will cover for the cost but, I don't know about the equipment (if I have to get'um, yah) but, yah.. it's nothing to fool around wit. So, I'm going in!

[tutusue]

Re: Sleep Apnea

Likeke, whether or not your ins. pays for a cpap will be based on the type of coverage you have. My ins. paid for only 50% of the sleep study. Still, it was the best 50% I ever spent! I do have drug coverage so the generic meds are cheap. It's those brand names that have no generic equivalent that get me!

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Sleep Apnea

I wouldn't be surprised if many people have sleep apnea. It's not well known, and it doesn't have acute symptoms. It doesn't have to wake you up to lower your quality of life; it just has to prevent you from getting deep sleep. The person you sleep with is the one who usually notices your sleep apnea first.

If you snore and you don't feel rested after a full night's sleep, you should ask your doc about it. I rarely feel rested in the morning. In fact, the one time I did feel rested, it was such a shock I still remember the occasion. I had gone to bed that night, closed my eyes, and "instantly" opened them to sunlight. It felt like no time had passed, yet I felt so recharged. Alas, I haven't had an experience like that since.

If anyone knows: when you're in the dreaming phase of sleep, does that mean you're not in the deepest part of sleep? If so, maybe sleep apnea is why I dream A LOT. Then again, your sense of time is warped when you dream. *shrug*

[alohacandy]

Re: Sleep Apnea

I didn't realize that I stopped breathing in the middle of the night until my husband told me that he would actually notice me stop. I have been sleeping with a CPAP machine for about 3 years now. I HATED it at first because I felt like I looked like a space alien, but the ability to sleep through the night is a huge PLUS. Hubby doesn't wake up to my snoring any more either (however, he DOES snore but refuses to get a sleep study done).

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Sleep Apnea

I have been sleeping with a CPAP machine for about 3 years now.

Congrats, AlohaCandy. I keep trying, but I have a difficult time falling asleep with the mask on. I always feel smothered. My machine has a gradual startup mode, but it doesn't help. Do you have any tricks for making it work?

he DOES snore but refuses to get a sleep study done

DOH! Maybe he doesn't like the idea of using a CPAP machine...or the idea of some nurse watching him while he sleeps.

[Adri]

Re: Sleep Apnea

If anyone knows: when you're in the dreaming phase of sleep, does that mean you're not in the deepest part of sleep? If so, maybe sleep apnea is why I dream A LOT. Then again, your sense of time is warped when you dream. *shrug*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REM_sleep

I think you dream during REM sleep. A friend was having trouble sleeping (or, more accurately, trouble staying asleep) and his doctor asked him if he had dreams and he did so the doctor said then he's getting *some* deep sleep (not just dozing off).

If the machine doesn't let you sleep, I hope there are other alternatives for you.

[Palama Kid]

Re: Sleep Apnea

Congrats, AlohaCandy. I keep trying, but I have a difficult time falling asleep with the mask on. I always feel smothered. My machine has a gradual startup mode, but it doesn't help. Do you have any tricks for making it work?.

I was 50 yrs old when I started using a C-Pap machine - probably saved my life.

The smothered feeling hasn't quite disappeared; I'm juss more comfortable with the mask. I've had several models of masks & they've manufactured much more flexible masks thru the years. The first masks were one ply and had a tendency to loosen on my face during the night; my present model has a two-level very-flexible contact mask. Remember, if you lose that sealed feeling, the machine's not heppin ya.

I take several deep, really deep, breaths, thru my nostrils; blow out thru my mouth; then force myself to breathe normally. Initially, I was taking much too shallow breaths. I usually go right to sleep. I don't need to tell you that you have to sleep on your back, do I?

The first machine was lunky and loud, but the "white noise" may have helped me go to sleep. My second model, now six years old, is much, much quieter and less heavy. After the first model, I initially found the quiet quite disquieting.

Hear me, MJ. I do know that some can have a lot of difficulty. I feel for them because, I repeat, I believe it saved my life. My chest pains (you should see my thick EKG files at Kaiser) have almost totally disappeared.

Comment on dreams: I feel I dream more when my mask loses its seal on my face. That happens, of course, when I wake and find myself sleeping on my side.

MJ, I don't expect that you'll have an identical experience, but I hope this eases your concerns about the unknown. PM me if you want.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Sleep Apnea

If the machine doesn't let you sleep, I hope there are other alternatives for you.

That's very kind of you to say, Adri. Thanks!

I had my tonsils removed the other year (because of chronic tonsillitis). I think that helped a bit, since one of my tonsils had been rather large. It's difficult to say.

On a side note, reading information on the internet about having your tonsils removed (as an adult) is horrible. it went something like this:

"For the first few days after surgery, expect moderate pain. This will then subside to mild pain and discomfort. Then expect the worst pain in your life, when the scabs start to come off."

Gee...thanks! LOL

The doctor recommended putting a tennis ball in a sock, and attaching it to the back of a t-shirt, with a clothes pin. This is suppose to prevent you from sleeping on your back (which for some people makes their airway collapse, if they're not using a CPAP machine). This didn't work for me either.

I think right now the best solution is for me to lose a bit of weight. It'd be nice to get back to my college weight of 160. I sit behind a desk most of the day, which is an occupational hazard. Buns of steel, though!

I taken to walking around the block a few times during the work day. It makes for good photo taking opportunities, especially when I reverse my usual route, which makes me see things differently.

I was 50 yrs old when I started using a C-Pap machine - probably saved my life.

Yay! I'm glad it has allowed you to be with us here on HT

MJ, I don't expect that you'll have an identical experience, but I hope this eases your concerns about the unknown. PM me if you want.

Thank you too, for your kind words. I'll have to give your breathing tips a try. I've been tempted to take sleeping pills, but I think taking sedatives with a CPAP machine would be a bad idea.

My machine came with a very small nasal mask. You needed to keep your mouth shut with the aid of a strap. That didn't work out too well for me, so I bought the full face mask. That helped, but I still had the smothering feeling.

[Palama Kid]

Re: Sleep Apnea

My machine came with a very small nasal mask. You needed to keep your mouth shut with the aid of a strap. That didn't work out too well for me, so I bought the full face mask. That helped, but I still had the smothering feeling.

I've never heard of a "full face mask" associated with the use of a C-Pap machine. May juss be me, but I'd really feel smothered.

I have a mask (size Medium) that fits over my nose. With positive-pressure, filtered air being forced down my nostrils, I've not needed any sort of restraint for my mouth. With my mask properly installed and C-Pap operating, I cannot open my mouth. When and if I do, air rushes out thru my mouth undoing effectivity of the machine.

Good luck on losing that smothering feeling. Hey, using a C-Pap machine with a mask over your face / nose is not a natural thing.


BTW my allergy attacks have lessened . . . I'm attributing that to breathing filtered air at night.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Sleep Apnea

It's not really "full faced". It just covers both the nose and mouth.

Glad to hear your allergies have subsided.