Sleep Apnea?

[goofyernmost]

I am going for the sleep test Monday Night at our local hospital. I snore terribly, wake myself up, I have had someone I shared a room with tell me I had Sleep Apnea but never did anything about it until now. I am always tired, sleep sitting up - almost looks like I am awake but snoring - if it makes any sense. I was told I may need to go back a 2nd time, most cases it doesn't happen but I had to schedule twice. I will go in at 9 p.m. lights out by 11 and then they let you sleep until 6 a.m. I was told they need a good 6 hours of sleep - I normally do not sleep that long - I am lucky if I get 4-5 hours a night without waking up and unable to fall back asleep. I am writing this and yawning at 1:30 in the afternoon on a beautiful chilly Sunday afternoon. I wish I could just skip it and get the machine without the hassle of being hooked up but I know I need to go thru it.

There was a key phrase there..."without waking up". Even though you might not be conscious that you are waking up...you do. Apnea prevents you from entering REM sleep so all you get into is the first stage of sleep which can be one that you are not aware off, but isn't real sleep.

Not everyone has the same symptoms but snoring and feeling tired all the time are good indications that Apnea may be present.

 

[disneyfan67]

JUst had to clarify this in case anybody reads it incorrectly(as I originally did). This is not saying 68% of ALL men in this age group. It's saying 68% of men who have sleep apnea. Still a very big number. My DH has sleep apnea and uses a cpap machine.

I thought what I posted was clear and don't want to look like I'm misleading folks here. According to the article/study done, if you are a man and have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea this increases the risk of coronary heart disease or death by 68% in men under the age of 70. It wasn't my intent to imply that this referred to 68% of men total in our population, just how much the risk of death jumps up to those who already have it. I just want to make sure that this is clear for the OP and how serious this issue is. I hope her DH is able to get his apnea treated quickly and properly.

 

[JESW]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

For those of you with sleep apnea, do you or did you also have restless leg/arm syndrome? Dh also has that at times and he said they were checking him for that too. Today he is trying to get a referral to see an ENT dr. while he waits for the sleep study results.

Jill

 

[metalis4ever]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

For those of you with sleep apnea, do you or did you also have restless leg/arm syndrome? Dh also has that at times and he said they were checking him for that too. Today he is trying to get a referral to see an ENT dr. while he waits for the sleep study results.

Jill

I had what one could consider restless leg syndrome...My DR brushed it off as just a bad habit but now that you mention it I have noticed a decrease since being cured of Sleep Apnea...I still have it from time to time (probably from watching my grandfather do it my entire life ) but nowhere near as often as when I had Sleep Apnea....

The ENT will be well worth the co-pay especially if he/she is able to identify your DH's tonsils (if he still has them) as the root of the issue as mine was able to. Then like I said it becomes a simple day surgery to remove the tonsils and the sleep apnea will go away. Best decision I made was to go to an ENT after my Primary sent me for a sleep study, the ENT scheduled my surgery ASAP and I only had to go the CPAP route for 2 weeks. My understanding is one can also treat Sleep Apnea and even cure it with weight loss, which would have been my next step if having my tonsils removed did not work.

My case was horrible I stopped breathing on average of once every 60 seconds and my oxygen level would dive down to 38%. I was like a zombie during the day, I am lucky mine was an easy fix....

Good Luck

 

[HsvTeacher]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

For those of you with sleep apnea, do you or did you also have restless leg/arm syndrome? Dh also has that at times and he said they were checking him for that too. Today he is trying to get a referral to see an ENT dr. while he waits for the sleep study results.

Jill

My DH had restless leg syndrome before he began using the bi-pap. He has no problem with it since he began using his machine, though.

 

[bdcp]

DH has moderate sleep apnea. He doesn't have a c-pap. He's trying/using the mouth piece first. It pushes the lower jaw forward a little and it has helped. He's going in in a couple of weeks for his next sleep study to check how effective it is. My mom has more mile version but she is trying the mouth piece too. She was too claustrophobic in the mask. DH just didn't want to use the c-pap if he could use the mouth piece. A friend of ours uses the mouth piece too. A dentist who specializes in them did the mold and fitting.

 

[Sneezie]

I'm typing this post from my mom's hospital room.

She was diagnosed with sleep apnea over 5 years ago and was fitted for a cPap machine, she tried using it a few times but didn't like it. It made her claustrophobic. Three weeks ago she went into the hospital on something totally unrelated, but they check her blood oxygen level and it was horribly low. She had to be hooked to a ventilator to help her to breath and now she has to come home with a trach tube. It has been a long three weeks and we have another week in the hospital for rehab and to educate us on how to care for her.

So, I plead with you, if he is diagnosed with sleep apnea make sure he uses his machine.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I'm typing this post from my mom's hospital room.

She was diagnosed with sleep apnea over 5 years ago and was fitted for a cPap machine, she tried using it a few times but didn't like it. It made her claustrophobic. Three weeks ago she went into the hospital on something totally unrelated, but they check her blood oxygen level and it was horribly low. She had to be hooked to a ventilator to help her to breath and now she has to come home with a trach tube. It has been a long three weeks and we have another week in the hospital for rehab and to educate us on how to care for her.

So, I plead with you, if he is diagnosed with sleep apnea make sure he uses his machine.

Just wanted to send a . Sending prayers for your Mom.

 

[Sneezie]

Just wanted to send a . Sending prayers for your Mom.

Thank you.

 

[goofyernmost]

When people have told me about the claustrophobic problem, my response is...well, which one would you prefer...feeling claustrophobic or being dead. The choice is yours. Once one falls asleep the claustrophobic feeling no longer exists.

Yea, I know...not really sympathetic, but this is a serious situation and sometimes one must be direct to drive the point home.

 

[minkydog]

When people have told me about the claustrophobic problem, my response is...well, which one would you prefer...feeling claustrophobic or being dead. The choice is yours. Once one falls asleep the claustrophobic feeling no longer exists.

Yea, I know...not really sympathetic, but this is a serious situation and sometimes one must be direct to drive the point home.

I really do sympathize with people who have claustrophobia. It's a real thing and hard to overcome even when you know you need to bear with it. I have a lot of anxiety related to sleep. I'm mildly claustrophobic too. When I lie down at night my very first thoughts are "what if i can't go to sleep?" Every. single. night. So frustrating and the longer i'm awake the more anxious i get and the less i can tolerate the CPAP. Well, i simply HAVE to use the CPAP or i really don't sleep at all. So my doctor had to write a prescription for something to help me relax and go to sleep. It's not a traditional sleep aid and it's not addictive. I take the medicine and for about 20 min I will have some panicky feelings (OMG, I'm not asleep! what If i can't sleep! I have to sleep! What's wrong? I'm not asleep yet!...and this goes on until I conk out.) When I take my medication I fall asleep within 30 min(or less) and when i do wake up at night, which happens regularly, it helps me go right back to sleep so that i can wake up rested, without the anxiety that comes from NOT sleeping.

 

[kellydizfan]

Well I did my study Monday night and the nurse told me Tuesday that I had some hiccups and snored and that the doctor would need to watch my tape and review the scans, etc. I had a call on my answering machine tonight that I do have sleep apnea and I need to go back for another night 4/5 to try the cpap, etc. Not looking forward but hopefully I will sleep better.

 

[minkydog]

Well I did my study Monday night and the nurse told me Tuesday that I had some hiccups and snored and that the doctor would need to watch my tape and review the scans, etc. I had a call on my answering machine tonight that I do have sleep apnea and I need to go back for another night 4/5 to try the cpap, etc. Not looking forward but hopefully I will sleep better.

I tell you what, the best night's sleep I ever got what the first night they put me on CPAP. And every night after that.

 

[bdcp]

DH sleeps very well now with his mouthpiece. He dreams and just isn't as tired anymore. My mom's the same way. Neither is considered severe at all. Telling someone to just get over claustrophobia is not really fair or nice. What is your biggest fear? Well just get over it then.

BTW, they were both given the option of the mouthpiece by their doctors. It does work.

 

[goofyernmost]

DH sleeps very well now with his mouthpiece. He dreams and just isn't as tired anymore. My mom's the same way. Neither is considered severe at all. Telling someone to just get over claustrophobia is not really fair or nice. What is your biggest fear? Well just get over it then.

BTW, they were both given the option of the mouthpiece by their doctors. It does work.

If you are referring to my post...I apologize. It was not my intent to be mean. We all have our problems but, and this is just me and not a slam on those that do have the problem, I have a difficult time understanding how someone can be so anxious about a non real scenario (claustrophobic about a face mask) when there is no risk at all in reality and not be focused in on the Apnea problem which is a real and possibly deadly problem. I know it happens, I just don't understand it. Just seems like misplaced concerns to me or maybe an excuse to not use it because it is kinda weird to be so dependent on an air pump.

I mean here is the deal...if one is claustrophobic it usually means, in this case anyway, that the mask is confining and one imagines that they are not going to be able to breath. With Sleep Apnea one actually is having trouble breathing and the machine has the opposite effect. It pumps air into your passage ways. There is no rationalizing a phobia of any type, I know, but this one defies all logic and reality.

If I did offend anyone, sorry, that wasn't what I was trying to establish.

 

[CPT Tripss]

I tell you what, the best night's sleep I ever got what the first night they put me on CPAP. And every night after that.

Me too! Getting a cpap was the best decision I made in a long time.

There are options with the cpap - besides just the regular mask, there are also "pillows." I find them more comfortable and a necessity to get a good seal with a moustache. Also, there is a variety of headgear, some of the styles are less confining. Ask about that at your sleep study.

 

[dngnb8]

Anyone have any experience with this? Dh went in for a sleep study last Tuesday to check to see if he has this and we are waiting for test results. He has been having a very hard time lately and we are wondering if it is because of that. He is very tired during the day, can fall asleep sitting up, forgets about things he did during the day, etc.

Would love to hear anyone's experience - thanks!

Jill

Sleep apnea is serious. It prevents rest, and the side effects of not enough rest are a cascade health avalanche.