My husband is 36 and has SEVERE Sleep Apnea. He stops breathing approx. 100x per hour or more…?
He is a bit overweight but not tremendously (5’9–215lbs)–we have four small children and I am soo afraid that he is going to drop dead of a heart attack. His previous test revealed that out of just under 6 hours of sleep, he stopped breathing for just under 4 of those hours. He is using a CPAP Machine and has been for about 4-5 years–but lately it does not seem to be helping…please help. I can’t bear to see him so exhausted….
Tagged with: cpap machine • heart attack • hours of sleep • overweight • sleep
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Machine Questions
A yearly sleep study is recommended with people with cpap, If he has gained or lost 20 pounds, a new sleep study is recommended.
He probably needs a new study and a change in settings.
Best advice is to notify your doctor of this AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Sleep Apnea is a very dangerous killer especially for obese persons. The best thing your husband can do, (and I’m saying this out of pure kindness and concern) Is to loose at least 30 pounds. This doesn’t mean gain muscle and lose fat this means lose all fat. Have him go on walks, cut out red meats, fat, soda, beer, and smoking of anykind if he does. Its quite amazing what losing a little bit of weight will do for the human body. Another thing is have a brain scan done on him to make sure that the lack of oxygen to his brain has not caused any damage. Damage to the brain could cause many health problems including (but not limited to) Strokes and Seizures. Best of luck to you and your husband
I too have sleep apnea. What most folks don’t seem to realize is that with age, your body changes. Lots of things affect sleep apnea sufferers. If your husband stops breathing even when he is using his CPAP machine, something is definitely wrong, he needs to see his doctor asap. If he won’t tell the doctor what’s happening, then by all means, you should. That’s what happened to me. I was trying to play the "tough guy" thing and wasn’t being completely honest with the doctor, my better half stepped in and squashed my tough guy image, LOL. Truth be told, she probably saved my life.
Here’s what I think, first and foremost he needs to see the doctor. He may need a new study. Your pressure needs change over the years. I recently had a new study done and discovered that my pressures have gone from an eight to a ten. We also learned that my mask was leaking really bad in my sleep. Second, find a medical service provider, perhaps the company that provided your husbands CPAP machine, have the machine tested to make sure it is indeed putting out the correct pressure, CPAP machines are just like anything else, they can and do break down. The worst thing you can do is stand by and wait for it to fix it self, it won’t. I hope I’ve been able to help you.