Sleep Apnea Blog

Posts Tagged ‘apnea’

sleep apnea cpap machine with face mask can’t breathe nose has deveated septum
been to ENT dr hence the diagnosis of the septum. sleep study confirmed OSA
(husband) throat closes and deveated septum can’t breathe with or without mask, what to do? sleep dr not helpful.

First off, you really need to see an ear,nose throat doctor. it could be the cause of your sleep apnea. Fixing a deviated septum may help to open the nasal passages. A crooked septum can make breathing difficult. The condition also can lead to snoring and sleep apnea. The cpap is not going to help much.

Yes, it can. Your nose/throat may have a problem that cause blockage even when awake.

i have recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea and i sleep a lot each day. my husband doesn’t understand and thinks i just don’t ‘do’ anything all day. i haven’t got my CPAP machine yet. if you have sleep apnea and don’t yet have a CPAP or remember what it was like before you had yours, how long did you sleep each day, assuming you were able to sleep as long as you wanted?

thanks.

My uncle had sleep apnea and slept an average of 6-7 hours, however he woke frequently. Excessive daytime sleepiness is a symptom of sleep apnea. Other associated symptoms may include:
- loud snoring
- morning headaches
- unrefreshing sleep
- a dry mouth upon awakening
- chest retraction during sleep in young children (chest pulls in)
- high blood pressure
- overweight
- irritability
- change in personality
- depression
- difficulty concentrating
- excessive perspiring during sleep
- heartburn
- reduced libido
- insomnia
- frequent nocturnal urination (nocturia)
- restless sleep
- nocturnal snorting, gasping, choking (may wake self up)
– rapid weight gain
- confusion upon awakening
I would gather more info on apnea and let your husband read up on this and understand exactly what it is as this is a real sleeping disorder. I do know that the CPAP machine has helped my uncle immensly. I do hope that the machine will help you as well.

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 husband has sleep apnea and he just will not wear the CPAP mask. Over the past couple of weeks he has begun waking up during the night because he is vomitting.
I am wondering if this is related to the sleep apnea, maybe the vomitting is caused from the loss of breathing? I know he stops breathing during the night because I hear him gasping for breath.
Just wondering if I should call is PCP or his specialist for this one.

My question would be…does your husband have GERD aka acid reflux? This can sometimes cause the symptoms you are describing. He should try sleeping with his head a little more elevated and talk to his sleep physician about it. My other question would be is he on his optimal pressure or is he going through the trial period before his titration for optimal pressure? The combination of the two could definately cause some issues. I would seek some help from his sleep physician. Im not sure by your question if he is using the cpap with these symptoms or if hes not. Good luck

I retired Oct 2008 from the Navy. I had a brain anurysm in the past while i was in the navy. I was diagnose with sleep apnea w/ cpap machine 2 yrs ago. do any one know what percent i will be looking at, or a ruff estimate. thanks for reading.

talk to your SSDI counselor.

just wondering?

You are not too familiar with the health field, are you?

And let me guess- You also probably consider yourself to be a small, skinny, preppy-type, cute girl…
Or if you’re a guy, that’s the type of girl you like…

Either way, I’ll bet you’re judgmental of others and superficial.
But believe me, you ain’t perfect.
You might even…. snore! You just don’t know it because you’re sleeping when it happens.

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.

He did not like the idea about using a CPAP mask. Is this the ONLY treatment for sleep apnea? If it is, will he have to use it for the rest of his life?

Any body that uses something different? Thank you

i’ve done the research for you and i hope this will help..=)

Treatment
For milder cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes such as losing weight or quitting smoking. If these measures don’t improve your signs and symptoms or if your apnea is moderate to severe, a number of other treatments are available. Certain devices can help open up a blocked airway. In other cases, surgery may be necessary.

Treatments for obstructive sleep apnea may include:

Therapies

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, you may benefit from a machine that delivers air pressure through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep. With CPAP (SEE-pap), the air pressure is somewhat greater than that of the surrounding air, and is just enough to keep your upper airway passages open, preventing apnea and snoring.

Although CPAP is a preferred method of treating sleep apnea, some people find it cumbersome or uncomfortable. With some practice, most people learn to adjust the tension of the straps to obtain a comfortable and secure fit. You may need to try more than one type of mask to find one that’s comfortable. Some people also benefit from using a humidifier along with their CPAP system.

Don’t just stop using the CPAP machine if you experience problems. Check with your doctor to see what modifications can be made to make you more comfortable. Additionally, contact your doctor if you are still snoring despite treatment or begin snoring again. If your weight changes, the pressure settings may need to be adjusted.

Oral appliances. Another option is wearing an oral appliance designed to keep your throat open. CPAP is more effective than oral appliances, but oral appliances may be easier for you to use.Some are designed to open your throat by bringing your jaw forward, which can sometimes relieve snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea.

A number of devices are available from your dentist. You may need to try different devices before finding one that works for you. Once you find the right fit, you’ll still need to follow up with your dentist at least every six months during the first year and then at least once a year after that to ensure that the fit is still good and to reassess your signs and symptoms.

Surgery or other proceduresThe goal of surgery for sleep apnea is to remove excess tissue from your nose or throat that may be vibrating and causing you to snore, or that may be blocking your upper air passages and causing sleep apnea. Surgical options may include:
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). During this procedure, your doctor removes tissue from the rear of your mouth and top of your throat. Your tonsils and adenoids usually are removed as well. This type of surgery may be successful in stopping throat structures from vibrating and causing snoring. However, it may be less successful in treating sleep apnea because tissue farther down your throat may still block your air passage. UPPP usually is performed in a hospital and requires a general anesthetic.
Maxillomandibular advancement. In this procedure, the upper and lower part of your jaw is moved forward from the remainder of your face bones. This enlarges the space behind the tongue and soft palate, making obstruction less likely. This procedure may require the cooperation of an oral surgeon and an orthodontist, and at times may be combined with another procedure to improve the likelihood of success.
Tracheostomy. You may need this form of surgery if other treatments have failed and you have severe, life-threatening sleep apnea. In this procedure, your surgeon makes an opening in your neck and inserts a metal or plastic tube through which you breathe. You keep the opening covered during the day. But at night you uncover it to allow air to pass in and out of your lungs, bypassing the blocked air passage in your throat.

Removing tissues in the back of your throat with a laser (laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty) or with radiofrequency energy (radiofrequency ablation) are procedures that doctors sometimes use to treat snoring. However, these procedures aren’t recommended for treating obstructive sleep apnea.

Other types of surgery may help reduce snoring and sleep apnea by clearing or enlarging air passages:
Nasal surgery to remove polyps or straighten a crooked partition between your nostrils (deviated nasal septum)
Surgery to remove enlarged tonsils or adenoids

Treatments for central sleep apnea are more limited and may include:
Treatment for associated medical problems. Possible causes of central sleep apnea include heart or neuromuscular disorders, and treating those conditions may help. For example, optimizing therapy for heart failure may eliminate central sleep apnea.
Supplemental oxygen. Using supplemental oxygen while you sleep may help if you have central sleep apnea. Various forms of oxygen are available as well as different devices to deliver oxygen to your lungs.
Continuous positive airway pressure. This method, also used in obstructive sleep apnea, involves wearing a pressurized mask over your nose while you sleep. The mask is attached to a small pump that forces air through your airway to keep it from collapsing. CPAP may eliminate snoring and prevent sleep apnea. As with obstructive sleep apnea, it’s important that you use the device as directed. If your mask is uncomfortable or the pressure feels too strong, talk with your doctor so that adjustments can be made.
Bilevel positive airway pressure (bilevel PAP). Unlike CPAP, which supplies steady, constant pressure to your upper airway as you breathe in and out, bilevel PAP builds to a higher pressure when you inhale and decreases to a lower pressure when you exhale. The goal of this treatment is to boost the weak breathing pattern of central sleep apnea. Some bilevel PAP devices can be set to automatically deliver a breath if the device detects you haven’t taken a breath after so many seconds.
Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV). This more recently approved airflow device is designed to treat central sleep apnea and complex sleep apnea. The device learns your normal breathing pattern and stores the information into a built-in computer. After you fall asleep, the machine uses pressure to normalize your breathing pattern and prevent pauses in your breathing.

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