Sleep Apnea Blog

Archive for the ‘Central Sleep Apnea’ Category

Is a few episodes of central apnea and hypoapnea bad? I had a few episodes during a sleep study and only was able to sleep supine for 6 minutes, but during, had 1 episode of that, and 4 of the hypoapnea. I had NO obstructive apneas, yet was diagnosed with Mild Obstructive sleep apnea.

Apneas are never good, but a mild case is the least concerning case for you to have.
As long as you’re maintaining your oxygen levels to some degree and are getting moderate amounts of restful sleep every night, you may want to explore secondary options such as diet and exercise, Breathe right nasal strips or ambulatory surgery in order to fix your apneic case.
Talk to your doctor for more personalized information.

Hi. I am trying to figure what kind of illness that I am having and the doctors doesn’t seem to help. I’ve done many test and haven’t gotten to the point of what it is. So far the symptoms I am having is really low energy and not able to do things that I normally do, and always sleeping more than 8 hours sometimes it can be 13 hours straight. When I spoke to my doctors they thought I had problems with my thyroid and when I took the test it proved negative. Then I saw a sleep specialist and did 2 type of test a multiple latency test and a test where u have to sleep overnight all they found was sleep apnea one is obtrusive and the other is central and also periodic limb movement disorder. I also had to do the cpap test and that didnt help either. Nonetheless even with the medication they gave hasn’t worked…Someone tell me if they know what type of illness I have. Then I thought I had the chornica fatique syndrome or the Epstein-Barr virus , but I am unsure of it. What should I do?
I also did an Iron level test, and found that I am not anemic, but rather have too much Iron in my blood so far I’ve seen a total of 3 doctors. Also did a blood test for my blood sugar and saw that I was still in the safe zone and am not diabetic.
I’ve tried to do many things even changing my diet. I once weighed 180lbs and now weigh at 150lbs took me long enough I even did exercise but it was so hard to do them because I would give out too quick. I would feel so weak that I can’t even do a 10 min exercise. It’s like my muscles dont have any strength in them to lift something up .
No I dont get any arm pains when I comb my hair, but I just feel weak when I lift it its like my arm feels very weak I dont know any other way to explain it.
You know that is an interesting disease that is possible that I may have it cause all the symptoms do match for the muscle weakness. I dont know if it had anything to do with creatine I once took creatine to get bulkier.
These are all wonderful responses I will keep them in mind and make sure to do them. Also yes I have seen a psychologist and psychiatrist regarding depression and anxiety disorders just wanted to add this to my details to get a better idea of the situation.

Get your liver checked. The doctor can do a cbc and see if your liver enzymes are elevated. However, 40% of the people with hepatitis C have liver enzymes in the normal range, so you should have a hepatitis panel done. The first complaint people have with hepatitis C is they are fatigued. Next comes joint pain, headaches, etc. Best wishes, hope the doctors figure out what it is.

for about 4 years i have felt like someone was sitting on me or choking me and i would be like gasping for air i went to the doctors but they tell me everything is just fine and all the test came back normal
i have Central Sleep Apnea and ive been told that it could effect u when ur awake too but its kinda getting annoying cuz now by time i get half way up a flight of stairs im out of breath and get dizzy and all and im starting to get realyl worried becuz i was at skool and almost passed out becuz of it
i just feel like no one belives me that i can’t breath and ive been called a hypocondrac alot so everyone thinks its all in my head and im just making it up to get attention HELP ME PLEASE!!
all i drink is water all day so i kno for sure im not dehydrated and i can;t excersize cuz the breathing problems

Do you drink enough water??

Dehydration is a possibility ~ some of the symptoms of dehydration are puffy bags under your eyes, dark circles under your eyes,constant yawning, dizzy spells and loss of balance, headaches and migraines and constipation and bloating and cramping and foggy thinking, irritability and moodiness….. :0)

Are you sure you aren’t just dehydrated buddy?? Expecting your digestive system to digest food and transport essential vitamins and nutrients with no water in your system is an extremely huge ask ………… actually puffiness anywhere in your body is a signal that your body is hanging on to the little bit of water that you have and are getting very dehydrated …… Water is imperative to life. Without water your body will have a terrible time breathing, digesting food, transporting nutrients, lubricating your joint sockets etc.etc.etc.etc……… nothing substitutes for water. your body needs at least 2 – 3 litres of water daily to function efficiently Geez, we need at least 2 litres daily just to maintain aspiration (to breathe)!! so drink up buddy ?

Increase your intake of fresh filtered water 20 minutes before or after meals so as to enhance digestion rather than interfere with it …………… if you drink fluids during your meals it will only serve to dilute your digestive juices and hinder digestion ?

also, try to cut back on drinks such as coffee, tea, alcohol, sodas and soft drinks (if you drink any of them) which will all do great job of dehydrating you. ie: just 1 can of soda or soft drink will make your body peesh out up to 12 cups of water !!! 1 cup of coffee will make your body peesh out about 2 cups of water ……….. read the book by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D…. "Your body’s many cries for water"…… an astounding and scary and very true read.

hope this helps?

CHEERS
?

I have other health problems and I was searching for answers so I did a couple of sleep studies. When I wore the CPAP it caused "centrals" to occur so they did not recommend I use a CPAP for treatment. Is an AHI of 6 really that bad? It seems to me that sleep disorders are becoming an easy business and everyone and their brothers are getting into it to supplement income. I know a 6 on the AHI scale is "mild" but what is mild. Define mild because one word alone does not really mean much. I wonder, statistically speaking, if most everyone has a low rating and they are just trying to make a buck.

You are correct-sleep medicine has become a big industry.
First, I would like to say that the CPAP per se did not cause the centrals-they are apneas caused by a failure of the brain to tell your diaphragm to move vs. the airway closing so attempts to breathe are blocked. An improperly titrated CPAP is what causes centrals. The thing to do for that would be go to a different sleep lab.
That said, an AHI of 6 indicates an EXTREMELY mild sleep breathing disorder-I can’t tell you what to do but if it were me I think I’d just let it slide unless you are having a lot of trouble staying awake during the day. Good luck to you.

I stop breathing during the beginning stages of sleep and wake up ia a panic, often jumping out of bed gasping for air. It started 28 years ago and only happened about once every couple of months. Now, it happens daily, even when I try to nap. The only was I can drift off to sleep peacefully is with either, Ambien, Lunesta or a BENZO (like Valium or Lorazepam). The last week it is getting even worse. I get a throbbing small pain near either my right temple area, sometimes either temple area or on the top/side middle of my head. I have been to two sleep studies, but the last one was 2 years ago and that night I didn’t have an event. However, I was diagnosed with having mild OSA. The sleep doctor put me on a CPAP machine (which I bought) and it only made the condition worse. He tried every titration and still was bad. I don’t know if I have mixed sleep apnea. I had a neurological study done and it turned up negative. I have read about Central or Mixed Sleep Apnea and in my opinion, I might be suffering from it. It seems that my brain-control center for going to sleep have gone haywire. I have read about taking Medroxyprogestorne (Provera, Cycrin, Amen), Acetazolamide (Diamox). Theophylline (Theo-Dur, Respbid, Slo-Bid, Theo-24, Theolair, Uniphyl, Slo-Phyllin), traicyclic antidepressants and selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). I am currently taking Surmontil 100 mg. per day and and Lamictal 125 mg. Please help me if you have any ideas or suggestions. I feel that my body can’t handle the stress of this much longer.

You’re obviously on meds from the doctor. Talk to him and let him know how you feel. Ask him to recommend a Specialist that you can see for a second opinion. There is a chance the combination of drugs could be causing the problems. Make sure the doctor knows all of the over the counter medications and supplements you are taking too.

Hope things get better for you.

Ok.. So I went to have a sleep study and I was very very uncomfortable and hated the enviorment but managed to fall asleep half azz asleep. I moved a lot due to discomfort in the bed. However I slept about 5.49 hours. Out of those 5.49 hours I have 2 obstructed apneas 2 Central apneas and 66 partial apneas. Now the 66 partials from what I was told are not a 100% cessation in breathing. My oxgyen levels never fell below 88%. Now I have been diagnosed just about a month ago with High Blood pressure but it was with a new doc that had no medical history on me and I have a long long history of low blood pressure. So I have lost 27 pounds since the sleep study and since being put on BP meds 29 days ago. I went back to to my CPAP Titration study and the tech had to come in and ask me to lay on my back because she was not getting any negative readings. Then when I moved to my back which was hard to stay on since I DON"T sleep on my back the highest level of setting the CPAP machine ended up on was 6 and she said that was pushing it. She said I dreamt alot and didn’t move as much as last time. ( This time I brought my own pillows)….. Along with all this my BP meds 5mg of Amlodipine 1 time a day is dropping my BP down to like 104/68 maybe 107/70 during the day and down to 90/64 with heart rate of 54 at night. Now this Doc seems to keep telling me ITS OK).. I don’t feel ok.. I am only 38 and I weight now 223 was 248 29 days ago. I am eating healthy quit smoking and drinking and no caffeine. This docs major patient base is geriatric I am thinking that he is over reacting to my symptoms and treating me by the book instead of by symptoms and as an individual. Maybe even more like if I were an elderly patient…. What is everyones opinons???? I just think he maybe has over reacted a bit and hasn’t allowed me to try and fix myself without meds.. Which I think is the most healthy way to do it as long as I am not placing myself in stroke or heart attack situations.. I mean this doc did an ekg and I have very large breasts and the EKG he said may have shown left ventrical hytrophy or something like that but anyway sent me for an echo and my heart was AWESOME they said and ejection rate was 67%. What do you guys think????? Sorry so long winded…. LOL!!!

Sounds like you are on your way. Seems to me you got to keep losing weight – great job so far, though. The only med I see you on is Amlodipine ? You just have to keep dropping weight. If you have the discipline to keep on your diet (and exercise !!) I would probably quit your doctor and your meds right now.

I made an exam (polysonomgram) where I slept in a clinic with loads of wires on my body and head. I got the results but havent gone to dcotor yet only next week. the exam says i had loads of apneas during the night. it says i had 5 central apneas, 47 mistas (mixed?) apneas. the longest was 39 seconds. i really feel asleep during the day and have fatigue. i wanted to know if that result is just a little apnea or if its a high level of it, which can cause damage(as it seems to do).

Your test results seem to indicate a fairly severe apnoea. Your doctor will give you whatever advice you need but from my nursing experience he is going to tell you to lose weight. Sleep apnoea is very rare in normal weight or underweight people.
Check out this link for more info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnoea

my parents said that when i was little i would gag trying to grasp for air, and then i would get it but then it would happen again, don’t if in the same hour. now i don’t know if i have it because i can’t tell, i’m asleep, how can i tell on my own if i have sleep apnea. and how can i tell if its mild, modedrate or severe? help please. and if i do have it what kind central or the other one.

The only way to tell for sure is to have someone in attendance while you are sleeping. If you stop breathing for some seconds, and then resume with a gasp, you’ve got it. There are two common ways of dealing with it:
- A CPAP machine. This is an air pump that pushes air into a face mask that you wear while sleeping.
- Surgery. An operation called a UPPP removes some tissue from the throat to improve the airway. It is unpleasant and painful, but can cure the problem once and for all.

for the epilepsy he’s on meds but for everything else he not. the sleep apnea can not be corrected cause he has central and obstructive.the adhd and odd i have not put him on anything cause i don’t want him all doped up. he is 4 yrs old out of control and we don’t know what to do anymore. we have tried timeout ect. now mind u i have 3 other boys that had the adhd they r older then he his and the adhd was a breeze compared 2 the combination of the the stuff my 4 yr old has. they also did’nt have any other heath issues. help we don’t know what 2 do. and the doctors don’t help u all know how that is u go in to c them ur lucky if u get 5 min with them every 6 months. keep in mind i’m also in the nursing field myself so i do know some stuff but this one is all new. please help i hope………

I have no solution, all I can say is it will pass, the boys will grow up and you will get your life back.
You are having such a tough time and problems probably seem endless and unsurmountable. You certainly have your hands full and I sympathise.
Could you maybe see a different doctor? A second opinion might help.
There is quite a lot of stuff online, Google ADHD treatment.

I’ve recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea; the full diagnosis was "obstructive, central, and mixed " I’ve been prescribed a CPAP, w/ full mask (CFlex). Guess my question is.. how soon can I expect to feel better, and just what will ‘feel better’ feel like? evidently i’ve had this for quite some time, and would appreciate hearing from someone with personal experience of treatment for same.
Thanx~

It takes time. Your body is used to running on empty so to speak and it has to readjust to being normal. Use the CPAP nightly as prescribed and hopefully you’ll see effects soon. If after a month you see no change in how you feel (less tired, etc) call your home care company for a follow up (which they should be calling you regularly anyway, be honest when you talk to them) Sometimes the pressure isn’t right the mask isnt right for the person and alot of patients hate c-flex from my experience. Sometimes turning that off helps.