Anyone with sleep apnea?

I'm always tired, and a couple of friends have just done sleep studies and have sleep apnea, which made me wonder if that was the cause of my problems.

I went along to see the doctor this morning for a consultation, and he said I have a small lower jaw - side on, my lower jaw sits back than my upper jaw, which is often a cause of sleep apnea.

They ask a couple of questions about whether you're likely to sleep under different circumstances, and he said given how high my number was and that I had a small jaw, that I most probably did have sleep apnea. So I'm going tonight to do a sleep study, where I sleep at the clinic, and they hook me up to machines to see what's going on. It should be interesting!

I'm so excited though - I always thought I was just a sleepy person, I didn't realise this wasn't "normal", and there may be a fix for it! I get a full 8 hours of sleep, yet every afternoon I struggle to stay awake - and I don't work or do anything to wear me out. I'll be studying, and I have my head on my desk, and I have to make myself go for a walk, otherwise I'll fall asleep for a couple of hours.

Anyone else got sleep apnea? Have you had treatment? If so, which one? I really don't want more surgery, so if it's mild I'll try and get the thing that holds your jaw forward, otherwise I'll get a CPAP machine.

I have apnea, as well as rls and narcolepsy
The cpap helps me, but not as much as I was hoping it would.
However, I cant really tell what helps what since I have other problems.
I cant function with all treatment at once.
When I first saw the cpap I was like "No way" but now I cant live without it and wake up dozens of times all night (and know it) if I dont have it.

At least sleepy ppl like us rarely have insomnia! that's the good part

My father had it but would not accept treatment; my brother has it, but stopped using his CPAP machine years ago because he just didn't like it. I suspect that part of his problem with rage control is due to extreme sleep deprivation.

I've never been diagnosed or treated (no insurance), but I know I have it, too. The only thing I know to do about it is sleep on my side, with the pillow supporting my jaw and chin -- if I try to sleep on my back, I wake myself up immediately, gasping for air. My problem seems to be a little less severe now that I've lost about a quarter of my excess weight -- with any luck, it will disappear altogether when I reach a normal weight.

Good luck with this study. I imagine they already know you're not hypoglycemic or diabetic, right? I hope it turns out simple and easy to solve.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Good luck with this study. I imagine they already know you're not hypoglycemic or diabetic, right? I hope it turns out simple and easy to solve.

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No diabetes showed up while I was pregnant when they tested then, so I assume not.

Yes, I do. I had a sleep study done a year ago and found out that I stop breathing for up to 2 minutes at a time when I sleep. I use a CPAP machine now when I sleep. My case is so severe that they fast tracked me into their CPAP program. From the time I had my study to the time I had a CPAP machine was about 1 week I think.

Here is a post I made about it. It gives more information about it and various sleep disorders.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...56&postcount=8

And has it made a difference? Do you have more energy now?

Originally Posted by sarahp

And has it made a difference? Do you have more energy now?

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During the sleep study I was "on my own" for the first 1/2 of the night. Around 2am they woke me up to put me on a CPAP machine because I was showing severe apnea.

The study ended at 6am. Usually when I wake up I am soooo tired and feel like I need a nap! When they woke me up at 6am I felt refreshed. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so awake after sleeping.

I remember telling the girl that I was having "hallucinations". She told me that they weren't hallucinations, that I had reached REM sleep and stayed there, and that I was dreaming for probably the first time in years!

When I got a CPAP for home, I noticed right away that there was a signifant difference.

I fell asleep faster and I actually slept in one position all night long! I've never done that before.

I felt refreshed when I woke up, but I was still a little tired, but not like I was before. My residual sleepiness was the result of years of sleep deprivation. Sleep is something that your body requires you to make up for the losses. So I have a ways to go before I catch up on all of the sleep that I've lost over the years.

It was a few weeks before I noticed a difference in my cognition. Before the CPAP machine I had very poor short term memory (this wasn't always the case), and I had a definite decline in my cognative abilities. I had a hard time articulating my thoughts. My thoughts were jumbled and I felt like a walking zombie. I would start to talk to someone and after a few words I lost my train of thought. It was awful!

I have noticed a huge change in my cognition since getting the CPAP. I also dream! And the best part is that while I still need an afternoon nap, I don't feel like I need to go right back to bed when I wake up from sleeping. And I feel like I have more energy too, which stands to reason. If you are tired and falling asleep on your feet, you do have less energy.

I think it's great you are having a sleep study.

If it turns out that you do have sleep apnea, I highly recommend a CPAP machine. They are so quiet now compared to what they used to be. That was my biggest worry: having a loud machine in the room while I was trying to sleep. It doen't make a sound. I also recommend the "nasal pillow" type mask if your mmol pressure is within the range to allow it. It's much more comfortable than the standard mask that has a rubber cup that fits over your nose area. Plus with the nasal pillow your vision isn't obscured by the mask parts, so if you like to read while in bed before falling sleep, definitely see if the nasal pillow is an option for you.

Wow, I didn't realize it was this common. Whenever someone talks about sleep apnea all i can think about is this poor poor family in my school community who lost their father tragically in a hot tub accident - he was a doctor that specialized in sleep apnea.

hmmmm- i don't like to think oo I have this or oo I might have this - but this CPAP machine sounds awesome - I wanna get a good night's sleep.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

It was a few weeks before I noticed a difference in my cognition. Before the CPAP machine I had very poor short term memory (this wasn't always the case), and I had a definite decline in my cognative abilities. I had a hard time articulating my thoughts. My thoughts were jumbled and I felt like a walking zombie. I would start to talk to someone and after a few words I lost my train of thought. It was awful!

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Ohhhh that ALWAYS happens to me!!!!!! I really hope it IS sleep apnea - it might solve so many of my problems!

Thanks for the recommendations about the CPAP machine!

I suspect my husband has mild sleep apnea, it actually causes me to wake up several times some nights because his breathing will suddenly change or he'll gasp. So we both end up feeling like we barely had any sleep at all. He won't talk to his doctor about it

I don't have sleep apnea, but I can sure relate to not getting enough sleep. Since last July, I've only been able to sleep in half hour to hour increments, before my back pain wakes me up. I've been a walking zombie for months. I SO want to sleep through the night! I've been up since 2 am, and my alarm is going to go off in about 45 minutes. Today I work 10 hours, and then I'm on call 'til 7 am Wednesday morning. Sucks to be me today.

Someone mentioned dreams - which reminds me:

Before the cpap, I had horrific nightmares most nights. (my apnea episodes are most severe while in REM sleep). IMO, my brain was trying to save itself - would send a nightmare that would wake me up, and hence, breath again.

Only after I started on the CPAP did I notice my nightmares ended, except for the occasional one.

I can live w/o my cpap. I am so miserable w/o it.

We think my husband has it. We have to wait, though, until he gets his nose surgery to see if that clears it up.

I did my sleep study last night. Went to bed about 9:30ish, took about 20 minutes to go to sleep, was awake again around 12:30am, and was stressing myself about how I should REALLY go back to sleep, because it's no use doing a sleep study if you're awake. About 3 hours later, I finally fell asleep again

They have a sleep questionnaire to fill in before you leave in the morning, and it said to write down any dreams you had in as much detail as you can remember. I filled an entire page of my dreams from the night.

I hope they find something useful.

Was your study done in a hospital or a private clinic?

When I had mine it was in a hospital. The room was anything but soothing. To get to the sleep study rooms, you had to practically walk a mile from the front doors of the hospital. Then when you go to the area to get to the actual sleep rooms you had to pass through what was supposed to be an office, but it doubled as a storage room. Old filing cabinets, boxes, excess chairs stacked up, miscellaneous equipment like wheel chairs etc.

The sleep rooms were actually just plain hospital rooms. A hospital bed and hospital end table were the only 2 pieces of furniture in the room. The windows were covered with plywood painted black with yellow stars

To get to the bathroom you had to walk through the office/storage area. The bathroom was standard hospital issue. A toilet and small sink.

I've seen some websites for some private sleep clinics in the US: elegant, soothing rooms more along the lines of actual bedrooms or fancy hotel rooms, with actual real beds and not plastic mattresses on a hospital bed with plastic pillows. I think an actual sleep clinic would have been more soothing.

oh no Natalie!

I had ;mine in a hotel looking one - but the mattress was horrible!
It pretty much was like this: \\/ - with me in the middle.
And the mask smelled terrible!

They woke me up a bunch of times and I'm..um...a tad bit irritable when I'm not sleeping well. I was quite angry that $2,000 a night and a sucky mattress and foul smelling air. Really ruined it for me.

Oh - and no water! I was in a hospital and they said it wasnt their job to provide water to pts! geesh.

OP - hope you had good accomodations

A guy who works for me has sleep apnea. His symptoms went away when he lost a lot of weight. He's a bean pole now and claims he has so much more energy that he will never gain weight again in his life.