Central Sleep Apnea

[firewatcher]

Always searching for ways/reasons to be LESS tired; anyway, does anyone here have Central sleep apnea caused by the autonomic dysfunction?

I know that obstructive sleep apnea will show up on a holter monitor as sudden increases in HR during sleep in between bradycardia. How does Central apnea present? I don't snore and my husband can't stay awake long enough to tell if I stop breathing, but my holter monitor showed regular, periodic bradycardia in the 40 bpm range without sudden spikes of tachycardia. I've never had a sleep study done, my sleep doc chalked it up to the delayed circadian rhythm thing.

Do y'all think there is any merit in looking into it, or am I always going to be tired?

[flop]

I guess without a sleep study there is no way of knowing for sure. I'm surprised that you see a sleep doc but haven't had a sleep study - can you ask the doc to order one for you?

Flop

[Guest Sandy Sims]

I guess without a sleep study there is no way of knowing for sure. I'm surprised that you see a sleep doc but haven't had a sleep study - can you ask the doc to order one for you?

Flop

I have had the study and did have apnea--the cpap helps adrenal surges at night. I didn't snore either.

I'd say go for it!

Sandy

[mkoven]

I'd definitely get the sleep study. I am a mild snorer and have apnea-- never noticed by my spouse. Cpap makes a huge difference in my life. Untreated apnea wreaks havoc on your system, even if it's mild. Sleep studies are a little annoying, but not a big deal. I found it hard to fall asleep so wired up and monitored, but I did sleep enough to give them the info they needed to get diagnosed and treated. I'm not "fixed" of all my ills, but energy, migraines, and weird migraine/neuro symptoms are loads better. I also used to need to pee countless times during the night, and now only once. (when you don't breathe, blood backs up in your right ventricle, which triggers your body into thinking it has too much fluid, which makes you need to urinate. Fluid loss is the last thing we need!) I now feel rested on six hours of sleep, instead of exhasuted on 8-9. Independent of dysautonomia, untreated apnea can cause serious cardiovascular problems. I still wake up more than I'd like, but it's good to know that my body is not being harmed when I'm sleeping. I had 7 "events" per hour-- periods of shallow or no breathing for at least ten seconds. During rem sleep, though, this jumped to 49. My average apnea lasts 23 seconds, with one up to a minute! And my oxygen drops to the 80s. And I have "mild" apnea! Basically suffocating myself throughout the night, without knowing it.

I have no idea how long I've had apnea. Probably a number of years. But no one investigated, as I don't fit the profile. I'm (relatively) young -41-, normal sized neck, and female. But more docs are realizing that there isn't one typical apnea profile. and some common meds people take can exacerbate apnea. (I apparently have a narrow airway, as well as ehlers-danlos, making my throat tissues more prone to collapse.)

I'd mentioned some apnea-related issues to several docs before, and no one reacted. It was finally an ans doc, who said many of her patients have sleep issues, who ordered the study. As she put it, cpap might not cure me , but untreated apnea makes everything worse.

[Ernie]

Hi,

I don't know which can of APNEA I have but I use a CPAP which is very useful. I would ask for a sleep study.

[firewatcher]

Well, I am down one more doctor. My sleep doc "dismissed" me from further care. He looked at my holter monitor results carefully and said that nothing that I had ever mentioned even remotely "smelled" of central apnea and there was no need to "put me through" that test. It was a good appointment, we went over everything from Vandy and he said that I had taught him more than he taught me

He said that all "this" would fluctuate and that I was to call him if anything changed, I ever needed anything, had any questions or needed a referral to a different kind of doctor.

One more down. YEAH!

[mkoven]

I would still probably see about a sleep study. there so many different things that can be detected that can cause fatigue besides apnea.

[dsdmom]

I have to agree - you really should still think about a sleep study. And if that doc isn't willing to do it then find another who is. Fatigue should be looked into. I use a bipap - I don't snore - am very thin - definitely NOT your 'typical' sleep apnea patient. In fact, I don't even have apneas...I have upper airway resisatance sydrome - which leaves me ridiculously fatigued if not treated.