Anyone ever have a apnea and not suspect it?

[hedgehog]

I'm scheduled for a sleep study because the doctor is convinced I must have apnea. I agreed to the test because I do have sleep issues, but I don't think apnea is one of them.

[Tikki]

1. Please give it a chance....apnea is serious..

Irregular breathing can lead to health issues.





Tikki

[Bombero1956]

2. I did

Had the sleep study about 9 years ago. I was always tired and had lots of headaches from not breathing properly at night. Doing the sleep study will identify what your problem is. Good luck.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. Are you overweight?

Everyone I know who's been (correctly) diagnosed with sleep apnea was heavy. And a couple of them never had sleep problems until they gained a whole lot of weight...............

[hedgehog]

5. I never had weight problems until I had sleep problems.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. So you're heavy?

That could be a great big factor...........

[hedgehog]

8. I'm thinking that the weight followed the sleep problems, not the other

way around. Actually, I think both stem from clinical depression. 90% of people with depression lose their appetites and have insomnia. 10% crave carbohydrates and can't wake up.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

10. The weight gain

could be exacerbating your other problems. Sounds like you've got them, but it's good you're having the test.

I wish you luck.......................

[supernova]

15. Sleep apnea and sleep problems

in general will get your hormones out of kilter, specifically the ones dealing with appetite. So, it's a vicious little circle. I bet if you clear up your sleep situation, you might find yourself losing some weight.

[canoeist52]

4. A sleep study is the only way to find out. I was surprised at the

amount of apneas I had per hour. Ten years later I no longer fall asleep during the day and have only occasional headaches. C-pap ain't pretty but I'd never sleep without it.

[tularetom]

6. According to my wife, me

About three years ago I had a serious Achilles tendon injury. As a consequence I did not get much exercise for about 6 months. During that time I had difficulty getting to and staying asleep. My wife also said I had a few episodes where I woke up gasping for breath.

She says I still snore but that she hasn't noticed any of the breathless episodes since then. I'm back to a more normal regimen of exercise and activity and my sleep patterns have changed too.

[obliviously]

9. If you do have apnea it will improve your life significantly

to correct your breathing. go with it!

[murphymom]

11. I just started using s CPAP machine a couple of months ago

I never thought I had sleep problems, but my doctor recommended a sleep study for me and it came up with moderate apnea. I had been having problems with congestion in the morning and waking up with a mouth like the Sahara. I never had episodes where I stopped breathing in my sleep or anything, and my husband is a very light sleeper so he would know. After using the machine for a while I really notice a difference in how much more rested I feel in the morning and how deeply I sleep now.

[nightrain]

12. ask someone to see if your breathing changes dramatically, holding your breath, when you are

sleeping.

Good luck.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

13. Most people don't realize it.

[Chemisse]

14. I had no idea I had apnea

until my husband told me I did.

A sleep study showed pretty severe apnea and I have been happily using a CPAP ever since.

[scentopine]

16. yes - if you have a partner ask them if they notice breathing issues

I have it, have had doctors suspect it, wife knows it, and finally recognize it myself. Doctors have been very understanding about my request to not report it and I pay cash at office. More and more doctor's are understanding about need to keep things off the books that insurance companies get.

I'm holding off reporting it to insurance company because it will kill my employment options. Lots of us are in same boat. Statistics say, I won't die from it till well into retirement age and then I hope I can apply for govt. assistance or loan if needed for the *very* expensive study and treatment options.

There is a small black market for health care off books, nothing formal, however. You need to find out from the physician whether they will work with you on cash basis. Harder to do in corporate run practices.

[scentopine]

17. ah - I should add some anecdotal improvements in my situation...

Some things reduce the problem:

Wine - love it, but have allergies and it (red or white) constricts nasal air passages. Good quality scotch, rum (I can't afford that stuff) not so much. Watch out for alcohol before bed.

Allergies in general. I use sinuflush (yep, squirt bottle up the schnoz, nedi pot sort of worked, lot harder to use) - at least once a day. Twice during allergy season. I do it after shower when nose is clear from steam. It works. After watching my victory over severe allergies - slowly convinced family to give it a try. My daughter sleeps better at night and it has been first hands down, amazing, incredible improvement. Try before bedtime - they say use an hour before sleep, I found no problem using it right before sleep.

Allergies alone may or may not be root cause, but there is a documented relationship. There is mounting evidence that if you can breath via clear nasal passages (since you are prewired to breath through nose) you can reduce frequency and severity of attacks. Milk, wheat, anything that might cause small inflammation should be checked out.

If you need to lose weight give it a good try. I am only a few pounds over recommended weight. But as I grew older I put on more weight and the problem grew worse. Not enough to make a connection in my case, but when I dropped 8 pounds, my situation seemed to improve.

These things should be discussed with doctor. If you don't have to worry about coverage, you have many options. If you have no coverage or might lose your job if you get a pre-existing black mark like so many of my colleagues, you should try to find treatment off the books. I have had great care at $35 to $75 cash a visit - most docs give discount if you do not have insurance.