sleep apnea???
last night i noticed my husband gasping for air in his sleep. We went to the doctor today and they said they need to do some tests on him to see if he has sleep apnea. He is 37 years old, and in excellent health. He doesnt smoke, exercises every day and eats healthy. If it turns out he has sleep apnea what kind of changes will we have to make? I dont know much about this condition but im very scared at the thought of the one i love having it. Ive heard of people dying from this. Im so worried, any info would be appreciated.
Tagged with: 37 years • exercises • health • sleep
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Don’t worry. About the only change you might have to make is his sleeping with a little mask over his nose.
Your reward will be a energetic, well rested husband.
Other than that, there are no changes other than long life.
Note: After reading other answers, I feel the need to clarify that this a serious, deadly condition IF not treated.
During apnea, the heart races, trying frantically to pump blood that has no oxygen in it (as it normally would) to the brain and other organs. This can cause a heart attack while asleep. This was often referred to as "passing peacefully in their sleep".
Another dangerous side effect of sleep apnea, IF not treated, is falling asleep behind the wheel of a vehicle while driving. It is a common complaint and is often what finally makes a person seek help.
Sleep apnea robs a person of the much needed REM state of sleep( rapid eye movement) and builds a huge sleep debt that can manifest itself in other physical and emotional ways.
It sounds as though you may have apprehended it before it got out of hand. With the use of a cpap machine or other treatment, all of the above can be avoided. Other than sleeping with the cpap, life is normal, often better than normal.
Sleep apnea is a very serious and life threatening condition if not treated. Many do not realize the severity of it nor do they really believe it is dangerous. BUT IT IS EASILY TREATED!
No need to be so worried. My dad has sleep apnea and it scared me for a long time. What happens is you basically stop breathing when you sleep. It can be caused by a number of things and there are different ways to treat it. My dad has to sleep with this machine that sits on a table next to his bed. A mask that he puts over his nose & mouth is attached to the machine and he has to wear the machine when he sleeps. I can imagine it must be very hard to adjust to sleeping that way but I suppose it’s better than gasping and choking for breath.
Best of luck to you and your husband. I know it’s scary but it’s treatable and very, VERY rarely a deadly condition.
Change his food habit and life style.Control his weight gain.Check his nostrils whether he is suffering from any disease.Consult with a cardiologist to get your problem solved.
It’s very rare that people die from it, althought they can, and it’s more of an annoyance than a life-threatening danger.
At the worst, he might have to start wearing this weird appartus – like a snorkel mask – when he sleeps. It will help keep his airways open so he can breathe easier and sleep better.
Try looking up "sleep apnea" on Webmd.com and other medical reference sites. They more you know, the less you’ll fear.
It sounds like your husband has sleep apnea, the good news is that he is healthy. Because it is most often associated with extra tissue around the opening of the esophagus where our airway begins, it is associated with obesity, but the person does not necessarily have to be obese to have extra tissue in this area. The extra tissue blocks the airway flow when the person is relaxed and asleep, however, the person resumes breathing shortly and so this is not life threatening. This can be diagnosed by an overnight sleep study and treated by the use of a machine that includes a mask to be worn at night that will allow positive airway pressure (called CPAP) and keep the airways open to prevent the sleep apnea. This does require some adjustment to sleep, because I also think the machine makes a little bit of noise (at least they used to, it has been a while). However, in the long run your loved one will ge the sleep he needs.
Having worked my part-time job at the local hardware store, I came home to have lunch with my wife. After lunch I went into the living room to read the Sunday paper, and my next recollection is that about a dozen people (including the police, EMTs, paramedics, my fire chief and the deputy chief) were milling around trying to get some response from me.
I was rushed to the hospital with an initial diagnosis of syncope. Myriad tests were ordered (an electrocardiogram, an electroencephalogram, a CAT scan, x-rays, blood work, and a carotid doppler, among others), but there was no conclusion as to the cause of my blackout. The EEG tech suggested that I might have a sleep disorder, and I mentioned this to several of my doctors. They did not respond at all to this idea.
After my release I had an MRI, 24-hour EEG, a cardiac stress test and more blood work. All results were normal. I requested a sleep study to be performed at the local sleep disorder center. The diagnosis was that I have severe sleep apnea.
"Could this have caused my blackout?" I wondered. The experts’ answer continued to be, "We don’t know, but possibly." The sleep center prescribed a BiPAP (Bi-level Positive Air Pressure) machine to correct the sleep apnea. A titration study (a test to find the necessary pressure for the BiPAP machine to work most effectively) was performed in January. It indicated that I needed to control thirty-seven apnea events per hour, and so required a BiPAP pressure of 14cm/10cm. I was told by the sleep center techs that I would experience an adjustment period and considerable frustration in getting used to the whole process.
I picked my new machine up from the Durable Medical Supply Company. They provided a very rapid introduction to the mask, which I would be wearing while asleep, and to the control switch on the machine. The really hard stuff came later. There lay many difficult nights ahead when I would be ready to throw the darn BiPAP out of the window but, because of the support I received from my friends and family, I persevered. I also called the American Sleep Apnea Association, and they were very helpful and encouraging – they reminded me that using the machine is an acquired skill. They were very, very right!
Late January 2004 brought another event where I woke up to find EMTs and paramedics in my bedroom. This time was different because my wife witnessed the episode and could describe what happened to the doctor. The only obvious similarity was that I bit my tongue both times. This time at the hospital I was diagnosed as having epilepsy and given Dilantin with instructions to follow up with my neurologist. When I left the emergency room I felt depressed, angry and very frustrated. I had a lot of questions chasing themselves through my mind. Why was I having these events? Could my problem really be epilepsy? Would I be able to drive? Could I still be involved with my fire department? Determined to find the answer, I made an appointment at a world-renowned teaching hospital to see the head of the epilepsy center.
While waiting for that, I saw my ophthalmologist. She told me that my eyes showed no evidence of seizures or of any of the changes often seen with epilepsy. I also went to see a dietitian to help me improve my energy level, lose weight, and get advice about what foods could help counteract the negative effects of the anti-seizure drugs. When I kept my appointment at the teaching hospital, I had another EEG and complete neurological exam. Although all my tests came back negative, the diagnosis continued to be that I "probably" had epilepsy. I told them about my sleep apnea and asked whether it could possibly cause a seizure. The doctor’s response was, "I don’t know, but I doubt it."
Leaving the hospital, I felt very discouraged. In mid-March, I had my third seizure during sleep. Later that night I joined the epilepsy support group at our local hospital, where I collected a great deal of helpful information. After that, however, I still questioned the diagnosis of epilepsy. My experiences had been totally different from those I’d heard described. One of the group members recommended yet another neurologist, but this one sounded more promising. So I made an appointment, brought all my test results with me, had yet another thorough neurological exam, and was finally diagnosed as having hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) caused by severe sleep apnea.
In this doctor’s opinion, the lack of oxygen to my brain had caused the seizures, probably in combination with a great deal of stress in my life and many years of being sleep-deprived. She changed my anti-seizure medication and communicated very clearly that I would need to use my BiPAP machine for the rest of my life. Now that my hunch that sleep apnea was the cause of my seizures had been confirmed, I felt very relieved but also very puzzled.
Why is so little known in conventional medicine about the role of sleep? If sleep occupies one-third of our lives, why do doctors pay so little attention to it when making a diagnosis as devastating (and heavily medicated) as epilepsy? I have now joined a sleep apnea support group and learned a great deal about the disorder. My weight loss has required several mask adjustments and re-calibration of the BiPAP machine along the way.
The great news is that all my friends and family have noticed that I am much more energetic, more alert, and that I no longer nap through social events. June arrived, and still another MRI showed no evidence of illness. I’d begun by taking sleep aids to help adjust to the BiPAP machine, but I really do not want to take more medication, so I’ve started working with a clinical hypnotherapist to help me fall asleep naturally. Although I am not convinced that I need the anti-seizure medication, I will continue to use it for the foreseeable future.
I have learned many lessons from my "magical mystery medical tour". The first is that you must be proactive when a diagnosis is presented to you. Do your research, talk to other people, and learn everything you can about your diagnosis before you accept it. Never be afraid to ask your doctors or healthcare professionals about alternative diagnoses or ideas. There was very little support for my idea that sleep apnea could be related or even the cause of my seizures, but I had to hang in there long enough to find someone to acknowledge the vital role that sleep plays in health — and in illness.
Hi, I wasn’t going to respond until I read so many people tell you that is is unusual to die from this condition. This condition is very serious and people often die in there sleep, not choking and gasping for air as one person said but simply do not wake up and die in there sleep. HOWEVER, now that you know the problem and your husband is treated the condition can be kept under control. My husband also has sleep apnea, he often stopped breathing for a few seconds then would shake and start up again. Also, he was always so tired when he would drive that I was worried he would fall asleep at the wheel so I made him go to the doctor and I wrote a note sent to the nurse to make sure he would bring it up because he thought it was no big deal. Turns out he did have the condition and now wears the breathing machine at night and we both sleep better. It does take a while to get used to for both of you but be persistant because it is very important that he uses it properly and consistantly. If he is not using it properly he will breathe through his mouth and then wake with a terrible thirst but with continued use this will become more natural for him, we leave a bottle of water at the bedside. Please encourage him to use it every night. My husband occasionally says he is not going to use the machine because he knows how soundly he now sleeps and doesn’t want to sleep through my health problems but I tell him his dying on me won’t help me so please put the machine on. That strategy has worked for me.