Sleep Apnea

For everything and anything else not covered in the other RLS sections.
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shorne
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2004 10:38 pm
Location: Missouri

Sleep Apnea

Post by shorne »

I'm responding to Sole's e-mail about her husband's sleep apnea.

You asked about snoring. Many people with OSA (obstructice sleep apnea) do snore. The noise is caused by the reduced airway, then it becomes completely blocked because the muscles collapse, 10 seconds have to elapse before it is considered an "apnea event." So yes, snoring may indicate a problem of some kind. So there can be snoring, hypopnea's (I think that's less time than the full 10+ seconds, for some people it's 30+ seconds that they don't breathe -- very dangerous healthwise) and then there are 3 kinds of apnea, obstructive, central (brain doesn't tell body to breathe) or mixed, a combination of the above 2. Finally, some people just snore and it is causing no problem other than being noisy and difficult for the bed partner. That's why one needs a sleep study.

Personally I would think the tonsils and adenoids perhaps should have come out first, because if they set the CPAP pressure with them IN, then they may have to adjust his pressure once they are OUT. You cannot just guess at this, it has to be done by professionals, usually a sleep lab. You want enough pressure to keep the airway open, but not any more than you need. More pressure than you need may contribute to dry nose, throat and mouth. I have a heated humidifier attached to my CPAP to help with this, but use it only in the winter, when the air is colder and less humid. It is a hassle to clean and add water to all the time, so I reserve it for use when I really need it.

When I found out I had these things (apnea and PLMD) I went to the city library and loaded up with books on the subject and learned a lot, plus I was very proactive with the sleep lab and asked lots of questions, in addition I have been to the support groups 4X yearly (which is a lecture and Q&A session afterwards for over a year now). BTW re the books there are lots of books on apnea and very few on restless legs and none on PLMD. I understand PLMD is part of restless legs, but there weren't any books on the subject a year ago. That's one reason I was glad to find this discussion board.

My ideas here are just my own opinions, my own experience. I cannot really advise you because I do not know all the facts. But I would suggest you educate yourself as much as possible. Especially your husband. He is the one who needs to understand this. Ask if they have a support group for apnea and then go if they do. Get some books and read, that was very helpful for me. And will help you too, to understand what his condition is. It think it is very important he do this. It is a very serious disorder and can lead to dementia, stroke, and heart attack. I know you don't want that.

So keep me posted. I will post this on the main board, perhaps it will help someone else too. I need to learn how to "quote" your message.
Thanks for listening, Sue

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