Can you have insomia and sleep apnea?

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

5 Responses to “Can you have insomia and sleep apnea?”

  • sherockstn:

    You can but they are entirely different disorders. See link below:
    References :
    http://sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/sleepdeprivation/a/NSFmansleep_2.htm

  • Dr. Robert Rice:

    yes … a person who believes they might be suffering insomnia due to sleep apnea should be evaluated. sleep apnea could ruin your life essentially. take action my friend.
    References :
    sfe

  • Great Grandma:

    Yes to both questions. You can have insomnia without having apnea, although insomnia is a symptom of having a sleep disorder. So you can have one without the other, but with sleep apnea (the diagnosis) you stop breathing during sleep. You don’t stop breathing while you are lieing awake. Lack of sleep won’t kill you, stopping breathing can. Other big warning signs for sleep apnea is very loud snoring and tiredness all day.
    References :

  • Grand pa:

    If you suspect sleep apnea see a doctor soon It can be serious. Do you snore? over weight? I used to fall asleep at stop lites. Without a cpap machine i stop breathing several times an hour > woke up with my wife doing CPR on me…My cockatiel calls my wife when i stop breathing when sleeping near her. Ask for an oximeter test.. check web md.
    References :

  • Terry S:

    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
    References :
    WebMD – Insomnia
    http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/insomnia

    WebMD – Sleep Apnea
    http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-apnea

    WebMD – Sleep Disorders – Scrolling down this page you will see a list of common sleep disorders.
    http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/default.htm

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