How much do you know about Sleep Apnea?

Question

Did you know that Sleep Apnea is a serious and deadly disease which affects many Americans who aren't even aware of it? The symptoms include snoring, daytime drowsiness/sleepiness, cessation of breathing during sleep, night sweats, morning headaches, loss of concentration and many others. I have lost two friends in the past two years to Sleep Apnea. Both were diagnosed and refused to use their CPAP machines. I was diagnosed in 2000 and use a CPAP every time I sleep.

Answer 1

Dear 70's ,

Thanks for the post. I applaud your effort to education and enlightenment of the Yahoo community about the serious consequences of sleep apnea. I really applaud your effort to stay on your treatment and educate others about the profound effects sleep apnea has physiologically and psychologically.

Many people are not aware of the psychological consequences of the disease and remain untreated, grouchy, sleep-deprived and progress into depression secondary to the disease itself.

With the improvement in equipment (CPAP/BI-LEVEL), Masks and humidifiers, I only hope that patients are taking advantage of their insurance benefits and getting replacements regularly. I always found the better fit and benefits of the equipment, the greater success a patient had to continue. Insurance companies generally will replace such items every six months with a prescription from a physician. Support groups are also a Hugh success and continue to help people through the difficult transition of learning about the disease.

Humidifiers increase the comfort level of the CPAP/Bi-level and many patients who swore they could NEVER use CPAP have became faithful Bi-level users.
Communication with the physician over problems is critical to using any medication or device successfully.
In my profession, we were taught the more informed a patient is, the more likely they will comply with treatment options. We developed the first non-profit school in the world to train physicians and technologists how to give patent's options, education and participation in their treatment of sleep-related disorders.

As in every profession, not all physician's are great sleep physicians nor all sleep centers "good centers". Many times that can attribute to failure for patients. The ASDA "American Sleep Disorder Association" has lists of all credentialed physician's, technologists and centers in the world. It is in anyone's best interest to make sure the people who are caring for them have the proper credentials and the center has met full accreditation standards.

I have enclosed some links for you and anyone else interested in sleep related disorders as well as a patient conference coming up soon for patients with sleep disorders.

Thanks for taking the time to talk about a subject so dear to my heart and profession.

Regards!

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sleepapnea.html
http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/apnea.html
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/sleepapne1/a/sleepapnea.htm
http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeptionary/index.php?id=10
http://www.americansleepassociation.org/
http://www.healthfinder.gov/orgs/HR2093.htm
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/archives/Snoring
_apnea_AASM.htm
Dr. William C. Dement Joins in the National Patient Sleep ConferenceTalk About Sleep Founder and President Dr. James C. O'Brien announced today that the world renowned sleep authority, Dr. William C. Dement, will be the honored keynote speaker at the inaugural National Patient Sleep Conference on October 27-29th in Minneapolis.

Answer 2

Dear:
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
The most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults are:

Loud snoring. Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea.
Excessive daytime sleepiness, which is falling asleep when you normally should not, such as while you are eating, talking, or driving. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include:

Episodes of not breathing (apnea), which may occur as few as 5 times an hour (mild apnea) to more than 50 times an hour (severe apnea). How many episodes you have determines how severe your sleep apnea is. When you stop breathing or have slowed breathing during your sleep, it may result in less oxygen in your blood.
Restless tossing and turning during sleep. Nighttime choking spells, gasping, sweating, and chest pain. Waking with an unrefreshed feeling after sleep, having problems with memory and concentration, feeling irritable and tired, and experiencing personality changes. Morning or night headaches. About half of all people with sleep apnea report headaches.2 Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night. In obese adults, swelling of the legs. Getting up during the night to urinate (nocturia).

have a nice day

Answer 3

I am not certain, but Apnea can get worse. So perhaps you had it in a milder form till now. I have never had problems till a couple years ago after surgery I was told that I had a sleep disorder. It turns out that my shallow breathing wakes me up about 26 times an hour (not all the way, just keeps me out of REM sleep). I'm also a Heroic snorer.

Answer 4

Yes, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in 20 years. And no, sleeping with some hissing thing on your face does not count as a 'decent' night's sleep. It would be nice if MDs were actually serious about resolving the condition; but why should they be? CPAP is easy - for them - it's cheap, one-size-fits-all so it requires no thinking, and there's no liability risk like you would have if you were, oh I don't know, trying to effect an actual cure. And we all know that a permanent impingement on the patient's quality of life is a small price to pay so your Dr. can sleep easier.

Can you tell I'm a little bitter?

Answer 5

MY husband and neice both have sleep apnea! It sucks. My neice was born with it and died 3 times the first week of her life. My husband wont go to the doctor and get a CPAP machine so not only does he lose sleep so do i cause when he stops breathing i wake up and knock the crap out of him so hell start breathing again. I Know That sleep apnea really sucks.

Answer 6

Actually I am aware of these facts, and I try to explain to people every time I hear about those symptoms you mentioned. Coronary Artery Disease/ Heart Disease has been strongly linked in reasearch along with Hypertension in those with sleep apnea.

Please know, that alot of people can not tolerate a mask over their faces when they sleep. That is by far the biggest complaint of my patients about the Cpap. So instead, we recommend weight loss, and sometimes take out their uvula in the back of their throat to alleviate the problem. It is a serious condition, and anyone who snores should get evaluated especially if you are at risk for heart disease.

Answer 7

great book out there called Sleep Thieves - does a great job in identifying the role that sleep apnea probably has in many maladies out there - also states that many many people die prematurely from diseases they are experiencing (i.e.: cancer, heart disease, kidney disfunctions, etc.) because of sleep issues - the body is too tired to fight, and therefore gives up - bottom line, sleep is not something we should take for granted - rather, we need to make sure we are sleeping in a healthy way, and not having our sleep disturbed - there could be serious repercussions if it is

Answer 8

My mother has it and uses a CPAP machine. I'm pretty sure my husband has it and refuses to see a doctor about it. He snores like a thousand drills going all night long and I hear him gasp during his sleep and frequently, he awakens himself. None of the other symptoms apply, though.

Good for you for going in to get diagnosed and for using the CPAP. I know it's not comfortable to use, but it will save your life.

Answer 9

i know a great deal about it.

Generally, it is treated with surgery, or the use of a breathing (CPAP) machine while asleep.

ANYBODY who snores loudly or wakes up tireder than they went to sleep should go to a sleep clinic, since this disease is potentially a killer.


it also leads to high blood pressure if not treated, which impacts heart health.

Answer 10

I have a serious case of it and have no knowledge of it, except from those around me....and yes, I may not awaken in the morning...but the best part of this is...I won't know it.