sleep apnea/sleep paralysis/narcalepsy link?
i am going to be getting a sleep and nap study in mid january to test for narcalepsy and sleep apnea. the narcalepsy symptoms i have are REM Disorders (vivid dreams in 10 minute naps) since i can remember, always tired and lethargic since elementary school, always wanting to take naps and sleep late (ask my teachers and work) and started having sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations 3 years ago. i am 28 years old by the way.
i know that sleep apnea can cause excessive daytime sleepiness. i’m not sure i have sleep apnea but i snore tremendously and my husband notices i stop breathing sometimes, but not for very long. My question is, can lack of sleep cause narcalepsy and sleep paralysis to worsen or appear? i know it’s neurological but If one has sleep apnea for years and years, can this lead to sleep paralysis and narcalepsy symptoms? I can’t find anything to answer this question and would like to be as informed as possible before seeing my sleep doctor again. Thank you
to rosie
u didn’t answer my question
i’m pretty sure i have sleep apnea
but if i have it, can it lead to slight symptoms of narcalepsy and full blown sleep paralysis like i have been experiencing my whole life??
Tagged with: 28 years • 3 years • daytime sleepiness • excessive daytime • hypnogogic hallucinations • nap • naps • narcalepsy • rosie • sleep • sleep apnea • sleep doctor • sleep paralysis • vivid dreams • whole life
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Narcolepsy, sleep paralysis and sleep apnea are all sleep disorders. Both narcolepsy( sleeping sickness as it’s called and sleep apnea can cause EDS( excessive daytime sleepiness). EDS is the major symptom of both.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, PEOPLE WITH NARCOLEPSY EXPERIENCE FLEETING URGES TO SLEEP. If the urge becomes overwhelming, patients fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer.
Narcoleptic sleep episodes can occur at any time, and thus frequently prove profoundly disabling. People may involuntarily fall asleep while at work or at school, when having a conversation, playing a game, eating a meal, or, most dangerously, when driving an automobile or operating other types of potentially hazardous machinery. In addition to daytime sleepiness, three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of TOTAL PARALYSIS AT THE BEGINNING OR END OF SLEEP. This SLEEP PARALYSIS IS THE INABILITY TO MOVE.-which is quite normal at the beginning or End of sleep.
I think from the symptoms you described; You might be suffering from the disorder of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that can be very serious. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping.
Sleep apnea happens when enough air cannot move into your lungs while you are sleeping. When you are awake, and normally during sleep, your throat muscles keep your throat open and air flows into your lungs.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. During sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs through your mouth and nose even though you try to breathe
In obstructive sleep apnea,(OSA) however, the throat briefly collapses, causing pauses in your breathing. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour.
With pauses in breathing, the oxygen level in your blood may drop. Normal breaths then start again with a loud snort or choking sound.
With the throat frequently fully or partly blocked during sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs, even though your efforts to breathe continue. Your breathing may become hard and noisy and may even stop for short periods of time (apneas).
When your sleep is upset throughout the night, you can be very sleepy during the day. With sleep apnea, your sleep is not restful because:
These brief episodes of increased airway resistance (and breathing pauses) occur many times.
You may have many brief drops in the oxygen levels in your blood.
You move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night, resulting in poor sleep quality.
People with sleep apnea often have loud snoring. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Some people with sleep apnea don’t know they snore.
This happens if the following conditions occur:
=Your throat muscles and tongue relax more than is normal.
=Your tonsils and adenoids are large.
=You are overweight. The extra soft tissue in your throat makes it harder to keep the throat area open.
=The shape of your head and neck (bony structure) results in somewhat smaller airway size in the mouth and throat area.
Sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but even thin people can have it.
Most people don’t know they have sleep apnea. They don’t know that they are having PROBLEMS BREATHING WHILE SLEEPING.
A family member and/or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first. Untreated sleep apnea can increase the chance of having high blood pressure and even a heart attack or stroke. Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk of diabetes and the risk for work-related accidents and driving accidents
Adults who are most likely to have sleep apnea:
Snore loudly.
Are overweight.
Have high blood pressure.
Have a decreased size of the airways in their nose, throat, or mouth. This can be caused by the shape of these structures or by medical conditions causing congestion in these areas, such as hay fever or other allergies.
Have a family history of sleep apnea
Treatment
For milder cases of sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes such as losing weight or quitting smoking. If these measures don’t improve your signs and symptoms or if your apnea is moderate to severe, a number of other treatments are available. Certain devices can help open up a blocked airway. In other cases, surgery may be necessary.
Treatments for obstructive sleep apnea may include:
Therapies
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP
Oral appliances
Surgery or other procedures
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)
Maxillomandibular advancement
Tracheostomy
Removing tissues in the back of your throat with a laser (laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty) or with radiofrequency energy (radiofrequency ablation) are procedures that doctors sometimes use to treat snoring. However, these procedures aren’t recommended for treating obstructive sleep apnea.
Other types of surgery may help reduce snoring and sleep apnea by clearing or enlarging air passages:
Nasal surgery to remove polyps or straighten a crooked partition between your nostrils (deviated nasal septum)
Surgery to remove enlarged tonsils or adenoids
So the answer to your question is no! Many yrs of sleep apnea will NOT lead to sleep paralysis which is normal.
Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly after waking up or, less often, shortly before falling asleep . Physiologically, it is closely related to the normal paralysis that occurs during REM sleep,
Narcolepsy. is the urge to go to sleep. One of the symptoms of Narcolepsy is episodes of sleep paralysis While sleep apnea is more of a breathing problem while asleep.
I am not certain, but Apnea can get worse. So perhaps you had it in a milder form till now. I have never had problems till a couple years ago after surgery I was told that I had a sleep disorder. It turns out that my shallow breathing wakes me up about 26 times an hour (not all the way, just keeps me out of REM sleep). I’m also a Heroic snorer.
I am glad you are going for a sleep study for your problem. Only the results of the study will tell you whats going on. My son, age 30, has the same thing, diagnosed with naracolepsy a few years ago. Medications are available to help control it, improving your diet helps somewhat and also a nighttime monitor is useful. Your doctor will explain all of these options and all questions after you get the results of your study. If your doctor dosent tell you alll this, bring a list of all your questions and ask him. Good luck and Merry Christmas.
My significant other has sleep apnea and has tried many traditional methods to aid in sleeping. The only thing that has worked is using a magnetic pillow – the magnets replicate the electro-magnetic field of the earth. Our bodies are bio-electrical and respond to this field. Unfortunately civilization has taken away this integral aspect of our health – we sleep indoors, with AC currents and other things running through our walls/home. I actually sell magnetic products – feel free to ask me more – or you can just look it up online and do your own research. Good luck!