Sleep Apnea?
My husband I believe has sleep apnea. He wakes throughout the night coughing and struggleing for air. This scares the crap out of us both. To be honest with you we don’t have insurance so he refuses to go to a doctor. I have been pushing him to go see a doctor only to end up in an arguement. I’ve made up my mind that I’m just gonna schedule an appointment and make him go. But I wonder if anything sets sleep apnea off. Because he don’t do this every night. And when he is struggleing for air is there anything I can do to help other than panic? Anyone with any information would greatly appreciated!
Tagged with: appointment • arguement • crap • insurance • sleep
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Sounds like sleep apnea to me.
I can understand how your husband feel. Most of us when told we may have sleep apnea will be in denial mode. I have a friend who is still in denial after been diagnosed with severe apnea two years ago and continues to suffer from most of its symptoms.
When your husband is struggling for air, there is pretty much nothing you can do except wait for him to wake up. Our brain, which has chemical receptors that detect low oxygen levels, will arouse the person during an apneic event. Usually this happens, unless his receptors are impaired. Chances of one dying from sleep apnea are not very high, but it will be good to get treatment for him asap.
Nothing in particular sets sleep apnea off, although alcohol does make sleep apnea more serious as it relaxes the upper airway muscles more and hence the airway is more likely to collapse.
The degree of sleep apnea may depend on the stage of sleep your husband is in. Typically, apnea is longer, oxygen desaturation is more and responses are slower during REM sleep. Sleeping on your side does help (but only slightly), as the tendency for the tongue to fall back and obstruct the upper airway is less. You may just be observing him during the wrong time of the night.
You may want to encourage / scare your husband by telling him some of the consequences of untreated sleep apnea.
excessive day time sleepiness
increased risks of heart attack and diabetes
high blood pressure
difficulty concentrating and poor memory
reduced libido
Hope this helps! :)
Sleep apnea occurs usually when the person is lying on his back. Your husband can train himself, or be trained, not to sleep in this position. (It helps with snoring, too!) Sew a big, sloppy pocket on the back of whatever shirt he sleeps in, and put a tennis ball in it. If he rolls onto it in his sleep, it won’t hurt him and may not even wake him, but he’ll turn to lie on his side or stomach.
Usually a person can learn not to sleep on his back in a couple of weeks.
take a peek at medgle.com it’s like a medical Google.
My hubby has obstructive sleep apnea which was brought on by obesity. He has lost 50 lbs and no longer needs to sleep with his CPAP unit.
You and your husband both know that air = life. If he’s not breathing, he is in danger.
I also suggest that you research group medical discounts. Some groups like senior citizens AARP, etc might offer some alternatives for you to get covered. If your finances are low, your state or county might provide coverage.
I hope this helped!
He may also have asthma. Try having him sleep with his head elevated. Perhaps almost sitting up. Dr. bills aren’t that scarey. If they don’t get paid, it’s not held against you on your credit report. There are also other governmet aid services out there. Like Medicaid, Medicare, etc.. Some hospitals even have a low income department for services. Check it out at your local clinic, or hospital or even at the dept. of family & child services in your County.
Sounds like he has Sleep Apnea. What happens is while sleeping the tounge relaxes and blocks the airway, so he wakes gasping for air.
Sleep Apnea can be very serious, and cause heart attacks, stroke and death if not treated.
Usually they prescribe a CPAP machine. Also there is a device designed by a dentist in Dallas. It is a mouth piece that holds the chin out while you sleep and prevents the tounge from falling to the back of the airway.
I know he does not have insurance, but most Doctors are willing to work with you in a payment plan. He needs to get help now. He needs to know how wonderful a person you are for helping him to get the help he needs.