Sleep Apnea Blog

Archive for the ‘Sleep Apnea Symptoms’ Category

Havinng his condiion myself I can tell you it is an airway blockage.

Morning issues such as dry throat, headaches, being very tired uppon waking, excessive daytime drowsiness which may also be narcolepsy.

Surgery cures most snoring but rarely apnea which is further back in the throat. There are treatments out there but the only one thhat works for me is a CPAP.

It is a continuous positive airway pressure system designed to keep the airway open.

I have been having health problems since October. Symptoms im having are…muscle pain, weakness, sudden loss of strength, burning pain in joints, muscle spasms and cramps, fatigue,clumsiness like dropping things alot, unsteadiness, tingling in my legs and arms…my family doctor did blood work which came back normal, at first he thought i had fibromyalgia until i started having muscle weakness, he ruled out sleep apnea as I dont snore much and sleep fairly well nor do i have very many of the symptoms. He sent me to a neurologist as he thinks i have a neurological disorder…the neurologist says he thinks i have sleep apnea and scheduled a sleep study test, ive talked with others who have sleep apnea and they say I need to see a different neurologist and get a second opinion…has anyone else had these problems with sleep apnea???

The doctor is simply checking out the possibilities. A sleep study is routinely done with many fibromyalgia patients. He is correct that sleep apnea can cause many of the symptoms you are having.

A diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made inpart by excluding other things that couldbe the cause of the symptoms you are having. In addition it is not unusal for fibromyalgia patients to have several health problems in addition to the fibromyalgia.
Your doctor is covering all the bases and you should be happy that he is being thorough. I wish everyone got as good of help as you are getting.

Every person is different and each fibro patient has different symptoms and problems. The thing about fibro once you get the diagnosis , doctors tend to stop looking for other problems that could be causing your symptoms.

My daughter wakes up every morning at 4am she is 1 and a half someone has suggested to me that it could be sleep apnea. What are the symptoms of this and what is it? Thanks

Sleep apnea is any period of time where ther is no breathing while asleep. Usuly the time period is a minimum 10 seconds.

The most common kind of sleep apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. It is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation.

symptoms:
excessive daytime sleepiness
frequent episodes of obstructed breathing during sleep. (The patient may be unaware of this symptom — usually the parents are extremely aware of this).

Associated features may include:
snoring – loud, squeaky, raspy
nocturnal snorting, gasping, choking (may wake self up)
restless sleep
heavy irregular breathing
excessive perspiring during sleep
severe bedwetting
bad dreams (nightmares)
night terrors
sleeps with mouth open, causing a dry mouth upon awakening
chest retraction during sleep in young children (chest pulls in)
sleeps in strange positions
confusion upon awakening
morning headaches
unrefreshing sleep
excessive daytime sleepiness
may develop high blood pressure
may be overweight or underweight
learning problems
excessive irritability
change in personality
depression
difficulty concentrating
Developmental problems
failure to thrive or grow
frequent upper respiratory infections
hyperactive behavior

How serious is sleep apnea?
It is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. The risks of undiagnosed obstructive in children with sleep apnea include learning problems, developmental problems, behavior problems and in some cases, failure to grow, heart problems and high blood pressure. In addition, obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness that can result in personality changes, lost productivity in school and interpersonal relationship problems. A child with sleep apnea may lag behind in many areas of development. The child may become frustrated and depressed. The severity of the symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe.

How does the doctor determine if my child has Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

A sleep test, called polysomnography is usually done to diagnose sleep apnea. There are two kinds of polysomnograms. An overnight polysomnography test involves monitoring brain waves, muscle tension, eye movement, respiration, oxygen level in the blood and audio monitoring. (for snoring, gasping, etc.) The second kind of polysomnography test is a home monitoring test. A Sleep Technologist hooks your child up to all the electrodes and instructs you on how to record your child’s sleep with a computerized polysomnograph that you take home and return in the morning. They are painless tests that are usually covered by insurance.

How is Sleep Apnea treated?

In children, simply removing the tonsils or adenoids may take care of the problem.

Sleep Apnea in children where removing the tonsils or adenoids does not take care of the problem is usually treated with a C-PAP (continous positive airway pressure) or Bi-Level positive airway pressure. C-PAP is a machine that blows air into your nose via a nose mask, keeping the airway open and unobstructed. Bi-Level has an inspiratory pressure that is higher than the expiratory pressure. The sleep doctor will "prescribe" the pressure and a home healthcare company will set it up and provide training in its use and maintenance.

When your child needs a machine, it can be quite intimidating. A C-PAP machine requires some care and a period of adjustment, but the benefits of C-PAP therapy are worth the inconvenience. C-PAP is NOT a venilator, it merely keeps the airway open so your child can breathe easily. It is not a complicated machine like some mentioned in the above link to kidshealth organization, nor do you have to worry about 24-hour nursing care or your child being in intensive care unless there are more complicated problems. A one night stay in a sleep clinic to monitor the child’s breathing is generally all that is required. Here are some tips if your child comes home on a machine. A C-PAP machine may be "prescribed" for your child. A home healthcare company that contracts with your insurance will provide the machine and show you how it works and how to clean and maintain it.

Find out about the different manufacturers who provide respiratory equipment for obstructive sleep apnea.

Some children have facial deformities that may cause the sleep apnea. It simply may be that their jaw is smaller than it should be or they could have a smaller opening at the back of the throat. Some children have enlarged tonsils, a large tongue or some other tissues partially blocking the airway. Fixing a deviated septum may help to open the nasal passages. Removing the tonsils and adenoids or polyps may help also. Children are much more likely to have their tonsils and adenoids removed to solve the problem.

The only available treatment for severe apnea until the early 1980′s was a tracheostomy. A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure where a small hole is cut in the neck and a tube with a valve is inserted into the hole. During the day the valve is closed so the person can speak. At night, the valve is opened, thus avoiding the obstructions. This procedure is only used today as a last resort or to avoid respiratory distress, or other serious medical complications (Your child would have to be extremely sick to require this).

My 8 year old son stops breathing on and off all through the night and he snores loudly. He gasps for air through out the night and wets to bed. He is also on medication for ADHD. I have heard there is a link between sleep apnea and ADHD symptoms. Does anyone else know anything about this?

Yes, a friend of my daughter’s was diagnosed with ADHD but then turned out to have sleep apnea. His ADHD symptoms were severe enough that he ended up repeating a grade … but when they removed his tonsils and the sleep apnea cleared up, so did the ADHD symptoms.

It’s very hard to concentrate if you haven’t actually had a good night’s sleep. Definitely get the sleep apnea treated; it may make a substantial difference.

Or is insomia a symptom of sleep apnea?

These two sleep disorders are different and can occur at the same time. Basically insomnia is when a person has difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or wakes up too early. It can be primary insomnia where a person is having sleep problems without any other associated health condition or problem. In secondary insomnia a person is having sleep problems because of something else. A person with insomnia may feel tired in the mornings.

Sleep Apnea is when a person stops breathing durring sleep. This most often happens when you relax and the pallet in the back of your throat falls and blocks the airway. It can also occur as a result of brains failure to signal the muscles to breathe. Sleep Apnea wakes the sufferer durring the night, even if they dont remember it. This can occur a few times per night to more than 100 times in a single hour. People who are over weight are the most common victems of Sleep Apnea. It can leave you feeling tired in the morning even after a full nights "sleep".

I know some about this because I suffer from both. My insomnia is caused because I am bipolar. My mind races and I have depression that makes going to sleep a long process and wakes me often in the night. Thank God for antidepressants and mood stabilizers. My Sleep Apnea is due to a weight problem, I am bordering on obese but loosing weight.

Check the liks below to learn more on each condition.

Hope I helped,
Terry

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea recently; I was told that my oxygen level drops to around 67% while I’m sleeping. Then was told how dangerous it was and told I needed to start using the C-PAP machine. Right now, I’m in waiting mode for the machine. In the meantime, my feet keep falling asleep and my fingers have gone numb. Some days are worse than others…. And sometimes my fingers really hurt. This is probably from the lack of oxygen, I’m sure. I’m also having the heart palpitations…..and other symptoms. Waiting on the red tape is getting on my last nerve. Especially after being told that it was urgent that I get on the machine right away.
Is anyone else going through this? It’s so hard to take care of things —including and especially the medical stuff—-when I’m so tired and sleepy all of the time. I just want to sleep!!
BTW, it’s been 2 weeks today, since I saw the Dr and she told me how URGENT things were. I am STILL WAITING. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t go to the hospital ER.
Well, I contacted the folks that do the sleep studies and they’ve scheduled me for a second sleep study….for this coming Sunday. So, at least SOMETHING is happening. It’s hard being sick all of the time and then having to act as your own advocate. I hope I get this oxygen machine soon.

don’t know why you’d need a second study if the first one already revealed the apnea. Usually you don’t get the machine from you’re doctor. You get it from a medical supplier (DME). You’re doctor (or your insurance company) should recommend one. It shouldn’t take two weeks to set you up. They just show you how to use the machine (it’s not complicated) and you take it home. Or you could just buy one yourself from someplace like cpap.com but the good one’s aren’t cheap.

Periods of no respiration followed by a snort and resumation of respiration. The patient usuall complains of sleepiness and chronic fatigue, because the bouts cause poor sleep.Snoring is common, too.

Go here: http://noteworthynewscasts.blogspot.com/2006/07/what-is-sleep-apnea.html and read my article. Tell me what you think!

Abstract:
What is sleep apnea? It is a disease that affects a small number of the population (only about 4% of men & 2% of women), but the chances of developing this disorder gets progressively worse as one grows older and leaving the symptoms untreated could be fatal. Many who have sleep apnea do not even know they have this affliction. This report will educate the reader about the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, such as snoring and constant feelings of drowsiness. It will also review what one would expect when being tested for apnea, as well as popular and less-traditional treatment methods. It then discusses the long-term effects of not treating sleep apnea, which could include heart failure. By the time the reader has completed this report, they will have a full understanding of sleep apnea and how it affects one’s life.

It made me fall asleep

Twenty percent of all adults are chronic snorers, and 45% of normal adults snore occasionally. As people grow older, their chance of snoring increases. Approximately half of all individuals over 60 snore regularly.

http://hubpages.com/_jzccc9vgz55/hub/What-is-the-easy-and-effective-remedy-to-stop-snoring

Excessive daytime sleepiness,
Waking with an unrefreshed feeling after sleep, having problems with memory and concentration, feeling tired, and experiencing personality changes
Morning or night headaches
Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night.
Swelling of the legs if you are obese.
Getting up during the night to urinate
Sweating and chest pain while you are sleeping.
Episodes of not breathing and Loud snoring