Sleep apnea

[Merrill]

I was wondering how many people on this board know that they have sleep apnea, either because their partners have noticed that they stop breathing but start again quickly during sleep or because they've been diagnosed through a more formal sleep study.

I'm headed for a sleep study myself next Wednesday, and I'm curious... And if anyone (read: Michelle/Nina?) know of any articles on the topic of the effects of POTS on sleep, I'd love to read more...

Thanks,

m

[MightyMouse]

I've had a sleep study, so I know I don't have sleep apnea. I do, however, have horrible snoring, according to my entire family (I've snored since childhood) and sleep partner. Occasionally, I snore so loudly I wake MYSELF up. I'm also known for moving around the bed quite a bit, and falling out of bed. Probably just my own little weirdness and nothing to link to my health.

as for effects on sleep, I'm not aware of any research in that realm... Michelle? Got any leads on that one?

Certainly I do know of several folks w/ autonomic problems (on NDRF, I think Sophia has some kind of problem with acheiving the deepest level of sleep?) who have been diagnosed with various sleep issues, including apnea.

[Dawg Tired]

I had a sleep study in 2000 and was dx with obstructive sleep apnea. I had surgery for it. A couple months later I went to work for an internist who told me that the surgery wouldn't last forever; that was the first I had heard of that and I kind of laughed about it. The entire ordeal did not help the quality of my sleep. Last June I had another sleep study and was, again, dx with obstructive sleep apnea. I'll pass on the surgery this time. I tried a c-pap machine both times, it gave me a migraine-like headache. No, it wasn't from the mask. The Dr said that approximately 3% of the population will have that problem because the c-pap raises the intracranial pressure and causes headaches of that type. On both studies I was getting less than 45 minutes of REM sleep each night. My EP blames the sleep apnea for ALL of my problems.

[michiganjan]

Gee, Gayla,

It sounds like you really need to get the sleep apena fixed. Have you ever tried a bi-pap instead of a C-pap? The bi-pap uses postive pressure on the airway only when you are inhaling. It does not blow when you exhale. When you first turn the machine on, it takes several breaths for it to time itself to your breathing. Then it breathes with you. I wonder if having the machine not forcing air into your throat all the time would help you with the pressure headaches? Maybe you have already addressed this issue.

My husband could not use a C-pap. But he tolerates his bi-pap very well. A bi-pap is more expensive than a C-pap, so they are usually only available to those who have already tried and are not able to tolerate a C-pap.

Just a thought.

Michigan Jan

[migraine]

Merrill, Let us know how your test goes, I am very curious. I will have a sleep lab scheduled for June. In a previous posting my cardiologist was the one that said that POTs is a "benign" disease, so he is going for a sleep apnea diagnosis which he believes is causing migraines, fatigue, POTS symptoms etc.

I have snored since I was a child, but my husband did not notice it until after the birth of our first child. (I guess the honeymoon is over) I actually don't believe I quit breathing during sleep... In a previous posting someone discussed blood pressure during sleep. My theory is that my blood pressure goes so low during sleep that I do not get enough oxygen for deep sleep and circulation, and is why I wake up sore and with a headache & nausea. I even bought a tempre pedic mattress (which takes some getting used to by the way.) It has helped my lower back pain, but not my other symptoms. I'm just curious what these lab results will say about that, so check your oxygen reading during sleep after your test...maybe it's another POTS thing.

My questionaire also asked if I halucinated or jumped during sleep. I laughed because about twice a week I do this as I'm drifting off to sleep. For some reason I see a man attached to my ceiling above my bed with his arms spread out. (This is actually my ceiling fan.) For some reason it scares me every time and I feel like I jump about 50 feet in the air. I wonder if this is a non-breathing time that they talk about??? Sleep well and good luck!