My Life and Sleep Apnea

If you have done any research on sleep apnea and what causes it then you know the connection between it and being overweight. In fact most folks realize that being overweight increases your chances of developing sleep apnea.   Excess fat around the neck and face area contribute to the blockage of your air way which in turn causes the apnea. While there are other reasons for sleep apnea such as an enlarged tongue and a round face, being overweight is one of the main reasons why folks have sleep apnea. Will weight loss cure your sleep apnea? Not all the time, but it will decrease the severity of it.   According to Webmd.com “ Researchers found that people with severe obstructive sleep apnea who lost the recommended amount of weight were three times more likely to experience a complete remission of sleep apnea symptoms compared with people who didn’t lose weight.” That is certainly good news and a definite reason to try to lose some weight. Unfortunately as we all know losing we...

It sometimes seems that sleep apnea can be connected to just about any kind of health problem that you can imagine, and that is certainly understandable, considering how it affects the body. Not getting enough or any rest makes you susceptible to injuries because of your lack of concentration.  It is well known about all the things that can happen to your body when you don’t get enough oxygen (caused by an obstruction in the back of the throat), such as heart disease, diabetes, and blood pressure problems.   I just found out that there might be a connection between hearing loss and sleep apnea. A study done in Taiwan suggests that there could be a link between OSA and hearing loss, according to Rueters.com. Sudden hearing loss was also found in people who had sleep apnea, although the percentage wasn’t that high. A Doctor is quoted in the article as saying that the problem of sudden hearing loss may be due to plaque in the blood vessels, which can occur with sleep apnea. ...

As most folks with sleep apnea have found out, this disorder can cause more problems than just a lack of sleep. In previous posts, I have written about the major danger of sleep apnea, which is the blockage of air in the back of the throat, which means that oxygen is cut off, which in turn forces your body to wake up. There are other major health issues that can also be associated with sleep apnea, such as Diabetes, GERD, and high blood pressure. Sleep deprivation due to this illness can also cause memory and concentration problems as well.   Something that I didn’t realize, though, was that there is a connection between sleep apnea and pneumonia . According to the National Library of Medicine pneumonia is “a breathing (respiratory) condition in which there is an infection of the lung. It is also a common illness affecting millions of people yearly in the United States. Germs called bacteria, viruses, and fungi may cause pneumonia.” Connection between pneumonia ...

Before I went to my first sleep study I had no idea if I had sleep apnea or not. My wife thought that something was wrong because my snoring was very loud and strange sounding, more like a grunt than the typical sound of someone snoring. At the time I knew little about sleep apnea other than the fact that it keep you up most of night, and making you feel exhausted during the day. One of the first things that I found out about this sleeping disorder was that the number of times that you wake up from it is a good indicator of how bad your sleep apnea is. At the sleep study you are attached to many wires that record many things regarding your sleep. One of the main issues is how many times that you will awake in a given hour. This is referred to as apneic episodes, which happen after your breathing stops and you gasp for air which triggers you awake. If you have had 5 to 15 apneic episodes than your sleep apnea is considered in the mild range, if the number of episodes 15 to 30 then ...

Sleep apnea can be a trigger for many ailments, such as h eart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes , and other illnesses. It can also have an adverse effect on your cholesterol level . First, there are 2 types of cholesterol, the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol. It used to be that you would be given just one number to tell where your cholesterol level was. Not now, you also have to take in consideration that some cholesterol is good. LDL is the bad cholesterol. It clogs up the arteries with plaque, which could eventually lead to complete blockage, which could kill you. HDL is the good cholesterol. It helps send cholesterol and fats back to the liver for recycling. Sleep apnea can reduce the level of good cholesterol . Apnea affects lipid metabolism, which has a direct effect on good and bad cholesterol, according to a German study done in 2006. The same study found that CPAP helped raise HDL cholesterol. Of course, being tired all the time can lead to poor eating habi...

While there are many harmful side effects to sleep apnea such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, depression and many more, the most immediate problem is being tired or being sleep deprived.  This is one side effect that you see constantly from early in the morning to late at night. What is sleep deprivation ? Sleep deprivation is simply receiving a lack of sleep regularly or even occasionally. The causes of sleep deprivation are many besides sleep apnea . It could be emotional issues that aren’t dealt with or medications or something simple like eating too late at night. But the consequence of lack of sleep can be very dangerous or even fatal in the case of sleep apnea. One of the things that I have written about is adrenal fatigue which can also be caused by other sleep disorders such insomnia.   Brain damage is also a concern if you don’t have the right amount of rest. But the most damaging and serious side effect of lack of sleep is heart diseas...

It sounds inevitable that cpap users would swallow air, especially those with full face masks. But one of the problems of swallowing too much air is a condition called Aerophagia . Aerophagia occurs when a person swallows too much air causing bloating, belching, stomach pain and gas. What causes this condition? Chewing gum Drinking soda drinks Smoking Eating too fast Hysteria And for some wearing a cpap mask Potential reasons for the cpap causing Aerophagia is the air pressure is too great on the machine, if the air doesn’t go to the lungs it goes into the stomach. Of course, that can be fixed by having the setting changed on your machine. Another possible problem is air leaks. Make sure that your mask fits snuggly enough so no air escapes. (I know that isn’t easy)

If you had a bad night and couldn’t sleep at all, then a bad day when you were drowsy would follow. It is a miserable feeling when you don’t get enough sleep. Every little thing that you do during the day seems to take all of your energy (what little you have left!). This happens to most folks at one time or another, but if you have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, it probably occurs every day. It is challenging to be productive if your energy is sapped, and that is exactly what happens after a night of waking every few minutes because the apnea is choking you. It can also cause emotional problems such as depression and physical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.   Sleep apnea is caused by blockage in the back of the throat due to loose tissue or an enlarged tongue. Another type of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea causes you to wake every few minutes but isn’t due to blockage in the throat. This type of apnea doesn’t occur as much as obstructive sleep...

Passing out   If you have ever fainted or felt extremely light-headed you know how helpless that feeling is. You may black out which can be dangerous depending on where you are at or what you are doing (especially if you are driving). Falling can also be a result of fainting which may lead to serious injuries.  It seems that sleep apnea and fainting do have a connection considering the causes of  fainting and what sleep apnea does to your heart  and general health. What is fainting? According to Wikipedia, fainting (syncope) is “a sudden, usually temporary, loss of consciousness generally caused by insufficient oxygen in the brain either through cerebral hypoxia or through hypotension, but possibly for other reasons.” So there is a lack of oxygen in the brain that causes fainting (although that isn’t the only cause of fainting), which certainly makes it understandable that sleep apnea could be connected to fainting because the obstruction of the airway in the ba...

I remember having episodes of sleepwalking as a child. It really didn’t seem to bother me much until I woke up during a walk in the middle of the night in another room in the house. It was very disorienting to slowly realize that you don’t know where you are. My parents didn’t seem concerned, assuming that I would just outgrow it, and I did. I wondered whether my other sleep problem, sleep apnea, might have something to do with that. According to Science Daily “ Nearly 1 in 10 patients with obstructive sleep apnea also experience "parasomnia" symptoms such as sleepwalking, hallucinations and acting out their dreams,” which seems strange to me considering how little sleep folks with apnea get, but there is a study from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine to back it up. Sleepwalking occurs during the “deep sleep” stage of sleep. The cause is unknown, but it might be caused by mental disorders, medications, fatigue, or alcohol. The majority of cases ha...

A deviated septum can be a factor in developing sleep apnea. The septum is the area between the nostrils that separates the nasal passages. Any blockage can cause disruption of your breathing. What causes a deviated septum? You could be born with a deviated septum or you could have one as a result of an injury to the nose. Old age can also be a factor causing the septum to be crooked. What is done to treat a deviated septum? The surgery is usually done as an outpatient procedure. It takes between 60 and 90 minutes. Working through the nose, the surgeon bends the cartilage to eliminate the blockage. After the surgery there may be packing inside the nose, it will stay there for up to 3 days allowing the nose to heal. Unfortunately, just having the surgery doesn’t correct sleep apnea for those who have severe OSA . One ENT that I saw suggested that I have the surgery. He told me that although it wouldn’t cure my sleep apnea, it would certainly help. I declined, and I’m glad I...

I slept on my stomach till I was in my late twenties. Until then, sleep wasn’t really an issue with me, and it didn’t seem to matter what position I slept in. Then, I had an injury to one of the discs in my back. The b ack pain was extremely sharp, and it seemed worse when I was on my stomach. After I had a nerve block done, the pain in my back left I also found that sleeping on my stomach was uncomfortable. Sleeping on my back seemed the only way that I could get any rest. Of course, that’s pretty much when the sleep apnea started. As I have written in the past, there are some things to consider when sleeping on your stomach… You will find that many folks who have sleep apnea also have acid reflux or GERD. I do. Besides not eating before you go to bed, sleeping with your head propped is also a good idea.  Pick a good pillow if you have sleep apnea. I use a wedge pillow, and it seems to help my sleep apnea and my acid reflux.  Consider sleeping on yo...

Do you eat while you are asleep? I don’t but it appears that some folks do. Sleep eating is apparently just another sleep disorder that affects people. According to about.com , “ Sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) is characterized by repeated involuntary episodic eating that occurs during nighttime sleep. It is more than a midnight snack, and individuals with this disorder remain largely asleep while eating.” And if eating while you are asleep is strange, it seems that what some folks are eating at night is even weirder. They eat odd combinations of foods such as salt, sugar, flour, and even—this is disgusting—cat litter. Foods that are high in calories (I don’t know what the calorie content is for cat litter) are also prevalent. What makes this happen? This usually occurs in people who have other sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and periodic limb movements. There also seems to be a link between Confusional arousal and SRED. The demographic for this ...

Before I went to my first sleep study, as a matter of fact, way before I went to a sleep study, I had a problem with my teeth grinding. I don’t remember for sure but I believe it was a dentist that told me that I was grinding my teeth at night. I believe they call that bruxism . I didn’t think that was the case, but I tried and tried to keep my mouth open while I sleep and it must have worked because I no longer grinded my teeth at night. Instead, I slept with my mouth wide open , breathing through my big mouth. I suppose that isn’t bad if you don’t have sleep apnea. Although I think it is recommended that breathing through your nose is better. Why? For a number of reasons, such as air leaving the nostril taking longer and giving the lungs a better chance to extract oxygen. The nose filters the air going into the lungs, which is a good thing that doesn’t happen when you are breathing through your mouth. The only problem that I ever had sleeping with my mouth open was that my mo...

Besides sleep apnea, there are other sleep disorders. Like sleep apnea, they can be dangerous if left untreated. Insomnia is a pervasive sleep disorder that affects millions of people. The inability to fall asleep even when you are tired is emotionally draining as well as hazardous to your health. Narcolepsy can cause immense daytime drowsiness to the point of falling asleep at any point of the day and anywhere. Besides being embarrassing, it could be life-threatening if the narcolepsy patient is driving or operating heavy machinery. Night terror, unlike nightmares, usually can’t be recalled after waking up. Nightmares are dreams of frightening events, whereas night terror is the feeling of fear. Restless legs syndrome is the need to move your legs to stop uncomfortable feelings from happening while trying to sleep. Sleepwalking is walking or engaging in wake-time activities while one is still asleep. Stress, fever, and alcoholism are known triggers of sleepwalking.

One of the biggest signs of sleep apnea is snoring , but not just any kind of snoring. The snoring that sleep apnea sufferers experience is a kind of grunting and gasping for air.   This is exactly what happens because your airway is blocked, and when you grunt, you wake yourself up to breathe; if your sleep apnea is pretty bad, then this occurs frequently through the night. That is why a sleep study is so important: the results of the tests will tell you whether you have sleep apnea or not. Lots of folk's snore, but not everyone has obstructive sleep apnea. But can you have sleep apnea without snoring? I guess that would depend on what you consider snoring, whether it is the regular rhythmic snoring that goes without stopping or the grunting that I had earlier described. While I have read that it is possible to have sleep apnea with snoring, I think that it would be very rare and very dangerous. The loud grunting noise of sleep apnea is a great warning to you or your partner th...

One problem with the CPAP mask that I haven’t heard much about is claustrophobia. The mask can be cumbersome for most at the beginning because it is so unnatural to have a mask on your face while you are sleeping. I wrote about my experiences in an earlier post, but for some, the problems might be a little more frightening. Claustrophobia is a panic disorder that causes anxiety from the fear of enclosed places. Most sufferers fear the lack of movement that a tightly enclosed place puts them in or they fear a lack of oxygen. Training the patients to identify their fears and change their behaviors is the most common treatments. Sleep Apnea patients who are claustrophobic due to their CPAP mask can find relief by wearing it during the day for a few hours to adjust to the feel and the sound of the machine. They can also try out nasal pillows where tubes are inserted into the nostrils without having any straps on their face. Relaxation exercises might also be tried to control t...

There are some things that we just can’t do without, such as air, water, and food (especially air!), but there is something else we have to have: sleep. Our bodies need to rest to recover our energy, and sleep also helps with our nervous system. Too little sleep leaves us drowsy and unable to concentrate the next day. It also leads to impaired memory and physical performance and reduced ability to carry out math calculations. If sleep deprivation continues, hallucinations and mood swings may develop. Some experts believe sleep gives neurons used while we are awake a chance to shut down and repair themselves. Sleep deprivation can also affect our immune system, which protects us from getting ill. While we sleep, our bodies not only grow cells but also repair them . Sleep disruption affects the immune system much like stress does. A study in the Netherlands and Britain compared the blood counts of 15 young men in normal and sleep-deprived situations. Sleep deprivation affects the...

Ten  things I know about the CPAP mask... My initial encounter with the CPAP machine at a sleep study. It wasn’t a good experience. One of the best devices that now comes with the CPAP machine is a humidifier. The air that blows through the hose tends to become dry,  which in turn dries out your mouth. The humidifier helps with that. Having a  beard  and trying to use the CPAP machine isn’t a good idea. The beard can cause leakage, which is definitely something you don’t want. Make sure to  clean your CPAP machine  if you are able to use it. Germs can build up without proper cleaning. You lose a lot by not being able to sleep. Can you  regain any of it by using a CPAP ? Wearing a mask at night can be uncomfortable, especially during the summer when it is  hot . Learning as much as possible about the CPAP machine before buying it is wise . There are  other things  that can help with your sleep apnea besides using a CPAP. With some folks,...

The most common treatment for sleep apnea is using a CPAP machine where air is pushed through a tube into your throat to keep your airway open. While it sounds rather simple there are quite a few issues that are involved with this process with the biggest being the comfort of wearing a mask at night and having air forced into your throat. Not everyone can get used to the mask but many do. What does get a little tricky is how much air pressure is taken through the mask. This is called titration. If you think that you have sleep apnea your first step should be to your general practitioner who will send you on to a sleep specialist, who are typically ENTs or pulmonologists (respiratory doctors). If the sleep specialist thinks that you may have sleep apnea then they will set up a sleep study which will determine whether you have sleep apnea or not. In my case the first sleep study was just to determine if I had sleep apnea whereas some folks have a split study where the second half...