Guest guest Posted December 31, 2003 Report Share Posted December 31, 2003 Morning Yes un treated Apnea can lead to huge problems, I would look at this and see if it fits. If it doesn't there could be other possibilities. JJ. .. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is cause by the closing of the upper airway while asleep. The uvula and soft pallet collapses on the back wall of the upper airway. Then the tongue falls backward, collapsing on the back wall of the upper airway, the uvula and soft pallet forming a tight blockage, preventing any air from entering the lungs. The effort of the diaphragm, the chest and the abdomen only cause the blockage to seal tighter. In order to breathe the person must arouse or awaken, causing tension in the tongue thereby opening the airway, allowing air to pass into the lungs.(For a view of airway closure click here then use your BACK button to return.) OSA causes a drop in one's blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) and an increase in the blood's carbon dioxide (CO2). When the SaO2 drops the heart will start pumping more blood with each beat. If the SaO2 continues to drop the heart will start beating faster and faster. As the CO2 increases the brain will try to drive the person to breathe. The effort and action of the abdomen and chest will increase. Eventually that action can become severe enough to cause an arousal, clearing the upper airway blockage, allowing the person to breathe. Then you go back to sleep and it happens all over again. The American Sleep Disorder Association rates the average number of OSA events per hour as your Respiratory Distress Index (RDI). An RDI of 0 to 5 in normal; 5 to 20 is mild; 20 to 40 is moderate; over 40 is considered severe. An apnea event must last at least 10 seconds to be considered an event. It is not uncommon to see RDIs well above the 40. In some cases RDIs were well above 100, with events lasting as long as 90 to 120 seconds and SaO2s going below 70% when normal is 95% to 100%. Most prominent symptoms are snoring, not breathing while asleep, excessive daytime sleepiness and obesity. Other symptoms include lack of concentration, forgetfulness, uncharacteristically irritable, anxiety, depression, mood and/or behavioral changes, morning headaches, disorientation at awakening and loss of sexual interest. What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea? . Another site of obstruction can be the nasal passages. Sometimes the structure of the jaw and airway can be a factor in sleep apnea. What are the symptoms? excessive daytime sleepiness frequent episodes of obstructed breathing during sleep. (The patient may be unaware of this symptom -- usually the bed partner is extremely aware of this). Do you snore loudly each night? Do you have frequent pauses in breathing while you sleep (you stop breathing for ten seconds or longer)? Do you have headaches in the morning? Are you very tired or sleepy during the day? Do you fall asleep easily during the day? During sleep and in the bedroom Do you snore loudly each night? Do you have frequent pauses in breathing while you sleep (you stop breathing for ten seconds or longer)? Do you experience heartburn during sleep at least twice a week? Are you restless during sleep, tossing and turning from one side to another? Do you wake feeling that you are choking or suffocating? Do you have some repetitive movement such as a jerk, or leg movements? Does your posture during sleep seem unusual--do you sleep sitting up or propped up by pillows? Do you have insomnia--waking up frequently and without an apparent reason? Do you have to get up to urinate several times during the night? Have you wet your bed? Have you fallen from bed? While awake Do you wake up in the morning tired and foggy, not ready to face the day? Do you have headaches in the morning? Are you very tired or sleepy during the day? Do you fall asleep easily during the day? Do you nod off readily or fight to stay awake while driving? Do you have difficulty concentrating, being productive, and completing tasks at work? Do you carry out routine tasks in a daze? Have you ever arrived home in your car but couldn't remember the trip from work? Adjustment and emotional issues Are you having serious relationship problems at home, with friends and relatives, or at work? Are you afraid that you may be out of touch with the real world, unable to think clearly, losing your memory, or emotionally ill? Do your friends tell you that you're not acting like yourself? Do you feel like you are depressed? Do you feel overwhelmed by your life? Do you lack interest in your activities? Are you irritable and angry, especially first thing in the morning? Medical, physical condition, and lifestyle Are you overweight? Do you have high blood pressure? Is it hard to control? Do you have heart disease? Do you have difficulty controlling the symptoms with medication? Do you have pains in your bones and joints? Do you have trouble breathing through your nose? Do you often have a drink of alcohol before going to bed? Do you have a small chin and receding jaw? If you are a man, is your collar size 17 inches (42 centimeters) or larger? Have you been diagnosed with severe esophageal reflux? Do you have family members or relatives who have sleep apnea? More Question : A. What complaints do you have related to sleep? 1. excessive sleepiness/ fatigue fall asleep at inappropriate times 2. Awakenings with: snores/ snorts/ short of breath chest pain, palpitations headache leg jerks throat "closed off" throat dry/painful sour/bitter taste, heartburn panic without nightmare recall 3. Insomnia: lie wide awake initially, can't "turn off thoughts" arouse repeatedly and/or sleep is light/ fragmented lie wide awake initially because my legs feel "antsy"/ restless wake up too early/ can't return to sleep B. If others have had opportunities to observe your sleep and alertness, do they complain that you: snore badly fall asleep at inappropriate times convulse in sleep walk or run in sleep stop breathing fall asleep driving have leg/body jerks in sleep act out dreaming thrash in sleep have episodes of staring/"going blank" scream out in sleep choke in sleep C. Have you experienced any of the following?: falling asleep at the wheel confusion/ trouble with memory sleep related highway accidents or "near-misses" biting of tongue/ inside of cheek in sleep having to pull over often while driving to nap muscle aching/ fibromyalgia frequent driving while on "automatic pilot" bedwetting after age 6 years dreaming in brief naps episodes of impaired consciousness, staring or feelings of unreality "seeing/hearing things" when drowsy abnormal tastes, unrelieved by rinsing mouth, and always identical complete paralysis when first awakening or dozing off abnormal odors, always identical, not perceived by others sudden loss of strength/ muscle control provoked by strong emotions (i.e.: laughter, anger) visual distortions not due to eye problems/ eyeglasses (objects appear distorted in shape, size or appearance) D. Have you had any of the following health problems?: -heart problems (coronary disease, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythm] -high blood pressure -stroke -chronic lung disease (ex: asthma, emphysema, 'COPD') -epilepsy/ seizures -am overweight What your answers may mean A "yes" answer to any of these questions may be a clue that an underlying sleep disorder exists. This may be sleep apnea, another sleep disorder, or even a problem not related to sleep. Each of the questions points to a symptom. Symptoms are the clues, sometimes subtle and perceived only by the patient (such as memory loss), and sometimes overt and observable by friend or family (such as snoring), which indicate that the mind or body is diseased. Your doctor, trained to see symptoms as the manifestation of disease, can help you interpret and understand the basis of your condition. If I were awakening in the night and having all these symptoms, wouldn't I be aware of it? Probably not. Most people with sleep apnea do not realize that they are awakening to breathe many times during the night. The arousal is slight, and people become accustomed to this, but it is enough to disrupt the pattern of sleep so that they get very little deep sleep or REM sleep, and awaken feeling sleepy. A great many (probably most) apnea sufferers go through a large part (or ALL) of their lives unaware of their condition. Likewise regarding daytime sleepiness: people with sleep apnea often are not aware of feeling tired or unusually sleepy. The disorder develops over a number of years, and they are not aware of the increasing symptoms and believe they feel "normal". Only after treatment do they realize how much more alert and energetic "normal" feels! Wouldn't people know whether they stopped breathing in my sleep? -Usually not. Some patients who have over one hundred pauses in breathing per hour never wake up with any symptoms! ..I Have Letters from my sleep Apnea I would Like to share with you. I have there permission to share with you.... Hi Lynn,I had the oxygen added to my c-pap for two weeks.Didn't help with the sleeping.But I also have fibromyalgia.It did wonders for my pain !!! Good-Luck...birdie I've been following the posts regarding fibro. I can attest to how much the cpap has helped with my fibro. I also have arthritis and lupus. (triple whammy) Before cpap my energy level was near zero. The energy level has improved. Some days its wonderful, other days, well, life sucks. BUT......... and here is a very big but............ the cpap has made a difference. My quality of life has improved and so had my outlook on life in general. I still have my days, or weeks, that are unbearable. If you suspect you have any of these symptoms Please find a accredited clinic near you. I know in some states all they have is the people who drop off the equipment to your house. This is not a good test please try to find a Sleep Center. Most accredited Sleep Centers look like the Ramada Hotels LOL. You will be hooked to ALOT of wires. They need to know all about what your Heart is doing , your legs because Restless Leg Syndrome is a sign of Apnea. You will have a wire rope around your Tummy to see if you exhale correctly. I know it is allot but it helps to find out. The rooms have a full bath to clean up in the morning. My clinic has cable TV too LOL. I know at first it takes patience but it was worth it. My Fibro went from everyday to 2 or 3 bad episodes a year. Treatment : Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) appears to be the best and most effective treatment for OSA. CPAP flow generators develop a constant, controllable pressure to keep your upper airway open so that you can breath normally. CPAP is effective on 95% of the patient with OSA. The units are reliable, quiet and efficient and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Controlled pressure is induced through the nasal passage, holding the soft tissue of the uvula and soft palate and the soft pharyngeal tissue in the upper airway in position so the airway remains open while you descend into the deeper stages of sleep and REM sleep. The pressure acts much in the same way as a splint, holding the airway open. There are typically three methods of inducing the pressure and airflow into the nasal cavity: nasal masks, nasal pillows and nasal seals. The most common used is the nasal mask. Nearly all CPAP manufactures make at least one style of nasal mask, most make two or three different ones. Nasal pillows are small, oval shaped latex rubber prongs that fit into the opening of the nostril. They are held in place by a shell that is attached to the headgear. When fit properly they are very comfortable and seldom leak. Nasal seals fit against the opening of the nostril and are held in place by a special frame attached to the headgear. Your local equipment provider will be happy to show you the different styles available from each of the different manufactures. Your local equipment provider can help you make the right selection for your life style. They will also be there to service your CPAP supply needs and service. Check with your local sleep lab for their equipment provider recommendation. If you need help in making your CPAP unit work for you. Fibromyalgia Relation WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP AND FIBROMYALGIA? -It was found years ago that patients with fibromyalgia tend to have poor quality sleep. -Early studies noted excessive amounts of alpha activity (the normal waking EEG rhythm of the brain) persisting during sleep: making the person appear as if they were awake and asleep at the same time! Since many patients who sleep lightly and poorly state that they are very aware of everything around them, even during sleep, this finding seems consistent with how they feel! However, this finding of persistent alpha activity is not always present, and it has been noted in patients without fibromyalgia. -Fibromyalgia sufferers tend to lack normal amounts of slow wave sleep (stages 3 and 4 of non-REM sleep, also called delta sleep). These stages are the deepest, soundest stages of sleep. They have been felt important for the restoration of the body during sleep. -It also was found that if one deprives normal people of slow wave sleep, they develop fibromyalgia symptoms! Thus, one can imagine a vicious circle being established. The more pain, the worse the sleep quality, with less stage 3 and 4 sleep--which then makes the pain even worse. WHAT DOES THIS SLEEP CONNECTION MEAN FOR TREATMENT OF FIBROMYALGIA? It is vital to ensure the best quality sleep possible. This involves three key steps: --Detect any sleep disorders that could be rendering sleep less than optimally refreshing and ensure their effective treatment. For example, controlling sleep apnea often causes a dramatic improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms: with complete elimination of pain even reported by some patients! --Practice good sleep hygiene and ensure that nothing is being done that would render sleep inadequate in either quantity or quality. This involves such "common sense measures" as getting adequate amounts of sleep and avoiding caffeine before bedtime. Ok I tried Very Hard to put everything in order for anyone interested. Which can be difficult since my right hand just had surgery. I cannot tell you how much I believe in Sleep Apnea. i know for me it saved my life and others I have reach across the world with. Yes I've reached out as far as the UK. I hope all this info helps if you have any questions feel free to ask. i love to help. I will include links to Sleep Centers threw out the US. For those of you in Canada I have those too. I want to give you a heads up too. A women in my Sleep Apnea group noticed her grandchild didn't breathe right in her sleep. Thank God for awareness the child was diagnosed with severe apnea. She was born with too big of a soft palate. Thank God the grandmother was around. This affliction starts young. It is just now slowly getting out. On Cnn Sports had a big show just recently on how there trying for testing for all football players to test for Apnea. they found out that %70 percent of all players have it . JJ http://my.execpc.com/~bnw/sleep.htm http://www.aasmnet.org/listing.asp http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/rls.htm http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/ http://dci.nhlbi.nih.gov/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepApnea_WhatIs.html http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/apnea.html http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/sleepap.cfm http://www.sleepapnea.org/geninfo.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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