Question for those with sleep apnea

[rosarugosa]

I know that there are a few folks on the forum who have mentioned having this condition, so I'm hoping you'll share from your experiences. What were the symptoms that lead to your diagnostic workup and eventual diagnosis?
DH is very exhausted all the time. He says he is actually having trouble staying awake when he is driving, which is pretty scary. I'm worried that it could be something ominous of course, but I also wonder if he might have sleep apnea. Sometimes he snores very loudly, and then will kind of snort himself awake if that makes sense, so it seems like his breathing is perhaps obstructed. Then he will breathe normally for a bit, start snoring again, and do the snort/start thing, etc. etc. He doesn't wake up completely, so he is unaware of this, but I've observed it pretty clearly. He's also gained a bit of weight which we attribute to the period of post-surgical inactivity and smoking cessation (I did nicotine replacement therapy, but he did cold turkey), and I know extra weight can be a factor for sleep apnea. He frequently doesn't get enough sleep, so I'm sure that doesn't help matters, so we're trying to work on that.
I would be grateful for any wisdom you can share.

[CathyA]

Being overweight can definitely cause it, but many times its just a relaxation of the tissues in the back of our throats that causes the problems.
The only way to find out for sure is to have a sleep study. I hate those things. Some people can sleep right through them, but I really had trouble getting to sleep.
I found a doc who let me use a cpap without another sleepstudy ("titration study"). Another option is to see if you can get a doc to order a recording oximeter that your DH could wear during the night. If his saturation drops, then he could have a sleep study.

My life improved ALOT after I started using one. Whenever I might fall asleep during the day, while resting, I always get awakened by my own snorting to breath.
Is there a sleep doctor in your area? Sleep apnea can cause alot of medical problems.......heart attacks, strokes, etc.
Sounds like he could have it.

[bae]

You are describing many of the classic symptoms.

In my case, the sleep apnea was contributing to weight gain - people who have apnea have a tendency to snack in the afternoon/evening in an attempt to stay awake.

My symptoms were fatigue, falling asleep at the drop of a hat while watching movies or sitting in a car while someone else was driving, morning headaches, difficulty concentrating or working on complex problems, frequent need to wake up and use the restroom during the night, snoring/snorting. I was "waking" from apnea episodes about 85 times/hour during "sleep", indicating I almost never slept.

Get him checked out, I felt 20 years younger after my first night on the CPAP machine.

[Simpler at Fifty]

It is definitely worth getting checked out. I believe all major insurance covers sleep studies. My DH stopped breathing over 100 times an hour. He had a heart attack from his apnea and did not know it. He put the mask on the first night and felt great the next day. Said he felt rested for the first time in years. He wears it if he takes a nap too. I have sleep apnea also. Not as many apneas but my oxgen dropped pretty low during my study. I wear mine every night but sometimes take it off sometimes in the night (I don't remember doing it) and wake myself up snoring. I am in full onset of menopause so I am awake and flipping the covers off every hour it seems. I feel I get better sleep with the mask on though. Everyone that is overweight does not have sleep apnea. Our Dr said 50 of his patients are overweight. Anyone can have it and in DHs case, 2 of his siblings have it too. It is not something to take lightly.

[sweetana3]

Just a thought but hubby had the same issues and our doctor believes in starting with the simple solutions first. She put him on a nightly dose of Advair the ashtma medication and it was like a miracle. His snoring stopped and now both of us get a restful nights sleep. Sometimes it is best to do the steps first. His next step would be to try a sleep study.

[catherine]

My DH has sleep apnea and has many of the symptoms you described. He was diagnosed by going to a sleep center. He now sleeps with a CPAP (or BPAP, don't know which). It is like NIGHT and DAY. I can barely sleep in the same room with him when he isn't "hooked up." When he's using his machine, he sleeps like a baby. He is overweight, BTW.

His cardiologist said that sleep apnea is actually a BIGGER risk factor for cardiac issues than smoking, so it's definitely worth it to check it out.

[rosarugosa]

Thanks for the info folks! I think there's a really good chance that my DH has this condition, and we're right near Boston, so there are definitely sleep disorder specialists nearby. I did some internet research today and found a couple more things I hadn't even considered (no dreams, irritability) that relate to DH and can be symptoms of sleep apnea.
DH is scheduled for a physical on 8/27 and I'll be going with him, so this is definitely something we'll discuss with our MD.

[redfox]

My father's undiagnosed OSA led to his heart attacks. Untreated sleep apnea DOUBLES the risk of heart attack & stroke. Get him in ASAP.

[Tussiemussies]

Agree that your husband has the classic symptoms. My husband was snoring and then gasping for air. Always tired and had gained weight and he gains it around his throat area. I agree with the other poster, he should see Dr. Right away and get a sleep study done ASAP.

[rosarugosa]

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to share information with me. You are a generous bunch! We've got an appointment to see one of our MD's associates on Friday (he is on vacation) so we can hopefully get the ball rolling for an evaluation. I have Fri off from work and wanted to go to the MD with him, because he isn't too good about articulating concerns or advocating for himself with the medical profession.

[Tussiemussies]

Great roseugosa that he is going right away. Glad to hear it.

[Maxamillion]

I got tested for sleep apnea a couple of years ago and turned out I had it. I haven't been using the cpap machine though in awhile, I hate it, I can't get to sleep while wearing it and just end up even sleepier the next day than if I don't use it. After four or five hours of tossing and turning I was usually ready to toss the thing in a bonfire. But I do wish I could get used to it, for the health reasons everyone's mentioned.

[Tussiemussies]

Maxa, maybe you could try a different toe of mask?

[fidgiegirl]

I got tested for sleep apnea a couple of years ago and turned out I had it. I haven't been using the cpap machine though in awhile, I hate it, I can't get to sleep while wearing it and just end up even sleepier the next day than if I don't use it. After four or five hours of tossing and turning I was usually ready to toss the thing in a bonfire. But I do wish I could get used to it, for the health reasons everyone's mentioned.

Maxamillion, I second Tussiemussies, there are tons and tons of different machines and masks. Keep at it. My FiL and my mother both use CPAP and can't say enough good things about it. But it took my FiL a LOT of masks before he found one he likes.

[redfox]

Compliance is very challenging. I solved it this way: I took prescription sleep drugs for 3 months to habituate myself to the feeling of the mask on my face. I also sleep with a fan to mask the noise of the machine.

The first 10 days, I went away on vacation to a cabin in the woods. I took the meds, and slept well immediately. I gave myself 3 months to slowly taper off the meds, and never have had a problem since. It is SO worth it.

[CathyA]

For about the first week, I just used it sitting up in a chair, watching TV with it on during the day.
Then at night, I just did the best I could. If that meant just a couple hours, then that was okay. I slowly worked up to the entire night.
I started dreaming again.

[Maxamillion]

I may try giving it another shot.

[CathyA]

I know this might sound a little wacky...........but at the beginning when I was having real problems adjusting to it, I decided to stop seeing the machine as an enemy. I started looking at it (yes, and talking to it) as a friend. I knew it was going to help me. I just needed to not see it as the enemy. Please give it another try Max. Just take it real slow.

[rosarugosa]

Wow, is sleep apnea a requirement for forum membership? If so, thanks for letting me slip in the back door these last couple of years :) Seriously, thanks for preparing me for the fact that if DH is diagnosed with sleep apnea, there will be some adjustments in our future. But it sounds like it will be worth it. Hey, we're down a kidney, quit smoking butts, but still trucking along and going strong, turns out we're more resilient than I thought.

[redfox]

Sleep apnea is very common. In post-menopausal women, the same hormone loss that contributes to muscle loss also is thought to be a factor in loss of muscle tone in the involuntary throat muscles that help keep our soft palate from collapsing to the back of our throat during sleep.

Also, I have an overbite, which now would be corrected for by orthodontia, but that was not considered common when I was a teen. Having an overbite corrected aligns the jaw for a larger opening. I gained about 40 pounds over 20 years, from late 30's to now, and I believe that was also a result of OSA. Weigh gain is common, as someone who is chronically exhausted craves carbs to fuel a brain that is in desperate need of deep sleep.

Both my parents have OSA (obstructve sleep apnea, as distinct from Central Sleep Apnea), and my brother likely has it but was refusing treatment last time I checked. I am not crazy about the APAP (adjustable positive airway pressure) machine & mask, but it sure is better than being so toasted I could not think. For years.

[LilyB]

I have sleep apnea also. As Redfox says, it is more common in women after menopause. I have a CPAP and will soon be using a BiPaP. I did have a little problem adjusting to my first mask, but several trips to the supplier's nurse helped me find the one that worked for me.

It's been 7 years now, and I find that I can't sleep without it. I feel so much better than I did before it. I lost a lot of weight because I was not too tired to take walks and I didn't seem to crave carbs as much.

Good Luck to your husband, Rosa.

[Simpler at Fifty]

@rosa- maybe you should get tested too. If you both have it you can be 'hose heads' together. That is what Dh and I call it.

[Simplemind]

Another CPAPer here. My mask covers only my nose so it is pretty comfortable. I am by nature a stomach sleeper and that is all but impossible to do with a CPAP. I also have an oral appliance that I wear that seems to work pretty well and allows me to sleep in any position that I want. It does cost me a bit in jaw discomfort the next day due to the way it holds my jaw out.
I was waking up gasping for air as if somebody had their hand over my mouth. That would put me in panic mode which made it hard to get back to sleep. I have never woke up like that with the CPAP or appliance. I look at them both as my friend knowing that although I never get 8 hours of sleep, I never wake up in a panic. I feel much better during the day.

[rosarugosa]

S@F: I did wonder about this briefly, but I only seem to have trouble staying awake in meetings, which is pretty understandable, if you ask me :)
Seriously, I feel so much better and I have a lot more stamina since we stopped smoking, and DH really doesn't seem to be experiencing the same benefits. Since I'm feeling quite well, I'm not sure I need to get tested for this.
I've also been an extremely good doobie about medical stuff this year. I promised myself that once DH got out of the woods I would do every single thing that had been recommended, some of which I've procrastinated about for a while. So far I've had a second mammogram, ultrasound, & consult with breast surgeon; colonoscopy, endoscopy, & abdominal CT scan, and I just booked an appointment with my dermatologist to check out the tip of my nose for possible pre-cancerous skin thing. We've had quite a year in terms of interaction with the health care profession. Everything with me has checked out OK, but due to family history and personal history of bad habits, I've gone ahead with all the preventative screenings my MD recommended.
Thanks again to everyone for sharing info and experiences. This has been very enlightening. We saw MD yesterday about DH, and she referred us to the pulmonologist who would be the one to order the sleep study. Pulmonologist's office said they are booking for Sept but don't have their Sept schedule yet (???), so they are supposed to call us back with an appointment. They also said that they will wait list us for if they get a cancellation, and they might be doing a group session in August with a powerpoint presentation and the 1-on-1 appointments with the MD. I said we would go with that if they decide to proceed, since that would get DH seen sooner instead of later.

[redfox]

September! That's appalling. I had a home sleep test. I hope it can be moved up. No one should wait for this important diagnostic.