Boyfriend with sleep apnea. i am worried.?
my boyfriend told me that he thinks he may have sleep apnea. he snores so incredibly horribly and always has. he literally sounds like a dying animal or bear. sometimes i have caught him stop breathing for like 10 to 15 seconds, maybe more. i have actually woken him up in a panic a couple times because the amount of time he stopped breathing worried me. anyways ive been sleeping with him for about 2 and a half years and just recently his snoring seems to be getting progressively worse. he does not have insurance so cannot afford to go to the doctor or get a sleep test done. is there anything we can get for him (that doesnt involve seeing a doctor at this point in time) to help the snoring go away and his breathing get better? anybody ever use those retainers? if so, how did they work for you/significant other? anything else?? any suggestions would be great. i literally cannot sleep with him at all anymore, he keeps me up and wakes me up and honestly worries me.
Tagged with: amount of time • couple times • half years • insurance • point in time • retainers • sleep • sleep apnea • sleep test • snoring
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
YES I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.
an ex of mine and my dad both have had it. My Dad has it so severly he’s had surgery for it and sleeps with a machine! He needs to see a doctor.
There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues. Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
he needs to see a doctor
It is extremely important that he get this diagnosed and treated! In the meantime have him sleep with his head slightly more elevated and try to stay off his back. Some people use the tennis ball in the shirt or just putting some pillows behind him may help. Airway obstruction is worse while laying on your back. So avoid that position if possible. I have answered many sleep apnea questions if you would like to look through my answers. There are generally payment plans and breakdowns in charge for those who do not have insurance. I would check into this and have a sleep study done as soon as you can. Good Luck
I know that it is very expensive but his health and life is important. I have known of a few people who were young and died in their sleep from the sleep apnea. The diagnostic test is a sleep study. I just had a re titration and the cost was about 1500 dollars. Treatment is a cpap machine. You can get one for 250-700 dollars online. It sounds like a lot of money but the quality of life is so much better. The morning headaches, the chronic fatigue, needing naps and the depression have lifted for more. I wish I would have done it sooner. The dental device work for some people. The OTC devices such as the pillows, and nasal strips do not work to treat sleep apnea. They only mask the true problem that underlying the snoring. Snoring is not the real problem. IT is the symptom. The problem is the pause between the snore.
I am not sure of the reason of not having health insurance but you should look into low cost insurance that is on sliding fee or medicaid. Many doctors would probably set up a payment plan. I buy my equipment online which is way cheaper than from the local dme providers. I refused to pay triple for the stuff. It is cheaper for me to buy it online than to pay my copay. I lose some of the service however but there is always customer service 800 numbers with a helpful person on the other end.
Best wishes.
Your bf sounds like he has obstructive sleep apnea. He needs to see a doctor ASAP. Not an emergency but the sooner he’s fixed the better you’ll both sleep.
God bless.