Know anything firsthand about sleep apnea? Having test and a little scared.?

Question

I'm a big guy and I know that affects it. I want to die peacefully in my sleep, but I'd prefer it happened in my 90's. Any ideas on treatments? I want to get back on an excercise routine (I used to be an athlete), but that's hard when you are dead tired all the time. Anyone else know the feeling?

Answer 1

From the clinical perspective, you will feel soooooo much better once you are treated that you will be able to exercise, eat sensibly and have the energy to feel alert and revived when you wake up in the morning. Weight loss will be so much easier for you once you have started treatment and working with a good sleep physician.

I have a few good stories to tell you regarding that. A medical student had extremely severe sleep apnea, he lost over 180 lbs after being on CPAP.He was napping during his examinations and well on his way to being a Cardiologist. When retested he had absolutely no sleep apnea! He changed his lifestyle and started eating more chicken and fish, cut out smoking, started a walking exercise routine and played gulf once a week.

A long time mechanic was so sleep deprved from apnea he was falling asleep under cars he was fixing and weighed in over 300 lbs. He was about 5' 5. He started his Bilevel treatment and lost 150 lbs. When retested, he had NO sleep apnea and also had changed his lifestyle by stopping smoking, eating less junk food and more veggies, exercising 4 times a week by brisk neighborhood walks and a treadmill he bought at a local thrift store.

I have been lucky enough to have participated in their care so I know it can happen.

The sleep study (Polysomnogram) is totally painless. But have someone take a picture cause you will want to be able to see the numerous wires all over you (and family members love seeing it).
I personally had one and it really isn't bad. It takes about fifteen minutes to get used to all the gadgets on you then its smooth sailing the rest of the night. Don't drink coffee or caffeine the day or your test so you can fall asleep quickly. If somethings uncomfortable, simply tell the technologist and they will assure its comfortable for sleeping.

CPAP is continuous positive airway pressure. It's a small machine with a small mask that fits over you nose that forces regular room air into your throat creating an airway split. You wear it everytime you sleep, even when taking cat naps or when on vacation (and sleeping). If prescribed, remember to wear it when you sleep all the time. If you get nasal stuffiness, your physician can prescribe nasal steriods (sprays) and a humidifer that hooks to the CPAP unit. Just be sure to communicate with your physician during the first nights of treatment if you have any symptoms of nasal stuffiness so he can prescribe appropriate sprays and humidifiers.

Wishing you many nights of refreshing sleep!

Introduction to Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to stop during sleep for anywhere from ten seconds up to several minutes. These pauses in breathing, called apneas, can occur hundreds of times a night and are more likely to occur in certain positions, particularly when sleeping on the back. If apnea is severe enough, the sleeper wakes up gasping for breath and may never get more than five minutes of uninterrupted sleep all night. Sleep apnea is more prevalent in older individuals, men, and overweight people.

When apnea occurs, the cessation in breathing causes a drop in blood oxygen levels, forcing the heart to labor harder to keep the blood oxygenated. The brain sends strong signals to the body to make an all-out effort to start breathing again. The chest muscles heave and the lungs work hard to draw in air, usually accompanied by gasps and loud snorts. The sleeper rouses just enough to shift position. While normal people might experience four or five of these breathing-related arousals during the night, people with apnea have dozens, even hundreds, of apnea episodes every night.
"Apnea is an unrecognized killer, but it is hiding in plain sight. Every night more than 50 million Americans stop breathing. In a stunning evolutionary failure, nature endowed us with throats that tend to collapse during sleep and stop air flow but did not endow our sleeping brains with the ability to start breathing again calmly. At this breathless moment, the immediate future holds only two possibilities: death or waking up to breathe. In the worst cases, no air enters the lungs for 40, 50, 60 seconds, or longer. The muscles of the diaphragm struggle harder and harder against the blocked throat, without success. Carbon dioxide builds up in the bloodstream and the level of life-giving oxygen falls precipitously. After a minute or more the brain is panicking, suffocating, screaming out for oxygen. The skin and lips turn blue. Just when death seems imminent, the sleeper suddenly struggles awake and the tongue and throat muscles tighten, allowing oxygen to flood into the lungs in a series of gasping, snorting breaths. Oxygen is restored to the blood, and the fatal course is reversed. Instead of being alarmed and staying awake, the victim is immediately asleep again. After a few seconds, snoring begins-and the cycle starts again, repeating hundreds and hundreds a time a night."

William C. Dement. MD: The Promise of Sleep

People who suffer from sleep apnea have a high risk of contracting hypertension, strokes, and heart disease. In severe cases, a sleep apnea victim may actually spend more time not breathing than breathing and may be at risk for death.

Sleep Apnea vs. Snoring

When you snore, the air you inhale is being forced to pass through partially blocked passages {such as the nostrils or the back of the throat). In other words, the air still flows when you are snoring. In contrast, during sleep apnea, the air flow stops completely.

How Does Apnea Interferes with Your Sleep?

Apnea severely interferes with sleep. During the sleep apnea episode, the victim is aroused just long enough to start breathing again, but not long enough to remember being awake. The chronic sleep disruption caused by sleep apnea may leave the victim feeling exhausted and sleepy during the day. In the morning, they will feel extremely groggy and unrested. They go through the day feeling sleepy and fatigued. The longer the condition persists, the more sleep-deprived they become.
This daytime sleepiness can be severe enough to cause automobile accidents. In a recent study, people who have sleep apnea are found to be seven times more likely to get into a car accident than the rest of the population.

See Your Medical Doctor When...

� Your spouse notices that your loud snoring is interrupted by pauses in breathing of ten seconds or more, perhaps followed by gruff snorts or gasps for air.
� You snore and also have high blood pressure, leg swelling, memory lapses, trouble concentrating or problems getting or maintaining erections.
You also complain of frequent daytime sleepiness or fall asleep during the day.
http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Sleep/sleep_apnea_introduction.htm

Answer 2

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 3 years ago. I had some minor surgery and the nurse told me I needed to be checked. My husband had suspected it for years. I went to the place, got tested. They said it was very serious, prescribed a mask and machine. I've worn it ever since. My husband doesn't mind. It is a little noisy, but he got used to it quickly. So did I. I have heard some people say they couldn't get used to wearing the mask but I think I'd get used to the mask rather than risk dying way early!

Don't worry. The testing is simple-you sleep through most of it! No needles or any kind of physical things. Just sleep. Where something comfortable that you don't mind strangers seeing you in. It was winter and I wore sweats. They do put electrodes in your hair as well as your chest and the goop they use is really yucky so when they tell you you can bring things and shower before you leave- I'd take them up on the offer!

Answer 3

Honey, sleep apnea is really a disease that affects many people over the world. The doctors still do not know what causes it for sure. Nowadays there is a simple surgery procedure that is supposed to solve the problem. You said you are in trouble with money, but I think that it is not so expensive. Another thing that might help is to lose a little of weight in case you are over your normal one, because according to some doctors it influences sleep apnea, once that when you are lie down, the excess of fat tends to obstruct your throat. But you'd better go to the doctor, because only him is able to say for sure whether what you have is sleep apnea indeed. Luck!

Answer 4

I have manic-sleep apnea, it takes me litterally 139 seconds to fall fast asleep, and the manic part is in there because i litterally don't breath when i sleep. My Doctors are baffled on that, why i'm not dead, why my blood doesn't quagulate in my sleep. And I'm still an athlete as well, i just get hyper right before exersize and don't stop unless your hurt so bad; like you got hit by a car.
But i also sleep during school, and i also used to be obease, I've weighed my same weight since i was 10. 154, excluding those times in the hospital, where they refused to let me have sweets because they were testing that effect on my sleep apnea.

Anyway, don't be scared, i go in for monthly testing. My first time, i knew i was scared, but i have forgotten all about it, i've done it so many times. Nothing! has gone wrong for me, i won't say "nothing can go wrong", because that'll just jynx you

(I appologize for my lack of speeling ability)

Answer 5

I have sleep apnea, and I used to be tired all the time - had high blood pressure and the works.

So I got tested and was told that there are two options:
1. go for surgery (they insert some kind of stiffening agents in the back of your throat to stop it from collapsing), or
2. Get a CPAP (Continuous positive air pressure) machine -- which essentially blows air through your nose/mouth to keep your wind pipe open.

I decided to go for the CPAP, and it is worth its weight in gold. It was a bit hard getting used to it initially. I would take it off in my sleep. but after around 1 month of using it -- I could feel the difference I was more active, more awake, and need to sleep a lot less. ( i have stopped snoring too)

So i would say go for a test it is easy, and painless. get a CPAP machine -- it is the best way to go in the long term.

In the big picture, you increased weight (in most cases) causes sleep apnea -- because you dont have enough sleep your body compensates by eating more -- becasue you eat more your apnea worsens and you add weight -- it may lead to high blood pressure and diabetes. this is a downward spiral.

If you get treated for apnea -- you have more sleep --- you feel less tired -- your body doesnt need to eat as much -- you are more active, exersize more -- you loose weight -- you control your blood pressure and reduce risk of diabetes. My goal is to loose enough weight so I can get off the CPAP machine (I have been told that this is possible).

you do the math :-). best of luck

Answer 6

I've taken a great PHYSIOLOGY course and found that when we sleep, the uvula *thing that hangs in the back of our throats can block the air passage way when we breathe.

In addition, with poor dieting or with aging we have more fatty tissue in the back our throat near that air way.

When we prop our heads back, or lay back, this excess fat/flesh will sit and block the airway with the *things that hangs in the back of our throat.

There really is nothing to be fearful about. My friends husband had sleep apnea all is life. and right really had no good rest without knowing. UNTIL he had the procedure done, he is well rested and realized he never had rested well in his entire life.

ONCE you get it done, the benefits will outway the downfalls. THE downfall? you may get food or liquid down the wrong pipe every so often. THE purpose of the *thing hanging in the back our thoat is to preven food/liquid going down the air pipe. IF you go through the procedure...they'll mostlikely take it out. If so, you'll get some food down the air pipe if you eat in a rush.

*****some people do not get rid of sleep apnea. some do. it's not guaranteed. but, consider the benefits. If it does work? hey, you'll get a lot more rest.

Answer 7

You're tired because your sleep is not restful...due to the apnea. The test isn't frightening, and there are simple treatments. (Mouthpieces, breathing aids.) Nothing but good can come of getting evaluated for this. Once a treatment plan has been established, and you start sleeping normally, you'll find you have the energy to get back to an exercise routine; you'll lose weight, and have even more energy. Good luck!

Answer 8

My boyfriend has sleep apnea. The sleep tests aren't a really big deal and there are treatments available to you. I wouldn't be nervous. There are several options depending on your severity. Some people with apnea can be treat with an oral appliance that looks like a retainer or even the external nasal strips.

Answer 9

Please do not be scared Anthony.My dad has sleep Apnea as well as a good friend of mine.I can sure understand your tiredness just from listening to my dad a few years back.Actually he was diagnosed while being really sick in the hospital.There is a machine you will sleep withso,that when you are not taking enough air,this machine forces some into your lungs.It works fantastic and in no time honest you will start feeling better and having healthy and well rested sleeps.All my best to you!P.s it just days a few times to get used to the machine!

Answer 10

Yeah, I've been on CPAP for over 4 years and it changed my life for the better. The sleep test is a lot less of a hassle than it sounds, I've had 3 of them. I do know that when I lost weight, I was able to have my machine set at a lower pressure, and had I kept losing, I might have been able to go off it totally.

Just use the machine every night. You'll be around a long time.

Answer 11

You are going to have a sleep over is all. they will hook up monitors to you to tell them how many times you wake yourself up at night. My girlfriend has sleep apnea. Her blood presure was way out of control and she was getting real sick fell asleep all the time. She sleeps up-right in her recliner now with a cpap machine and her blood presure is back to normal. her legs aren't allways swollen and she can stay awake through a movie. :) It's not a test to worry about. It's not like you have to study for it.

the cpap machine is hard to get used to, but the benifits are unbelievable. Your other half, if there be one, will thank you. It's so nice for me to know she's ok.