Sleep Apnea Treatment

Question by tammer: Anyone had problems with sleep apnea during pregnancy….?
Im 11 weeks pregnant with twins, my dr sent me for a sleep study because I am so tired and have not been sleeping well. They said that when i get into a deep sleep my oxygen level drops in half. Yjey put a c pap on me for the second half of the test and still didnt see much improvment. Anyone eles had this? Really worried about the babies. I have been so stressed like they need anymore stress.
They******************* sorry for any typos

Best answer:

Answer by Crackers
Why it happens
Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by loud snoring and brief, involuntary breathing pauses during sleep. (The Greek word apnea means “want of breath.”)

Sleep apnea sufferers may briefly stop breathing and then wake with a gasp, start, or snort as many as a hundred times a night or more. People with sleep apnea rarely remember these episodes in the morning, although they may wonder why they feel so tired all the time.

Obesity is a major risk factor for sleep apnea, and some experts believe that pregnancy may also make you more susceptible, particularly in the third trimester. The heavier you are to begin with and the more weight you gain during pregnancy, the more likely you are to have trouble breathing at night because of the extra tissue in your neck and throat.

Other factors that make you more likely to snore during pregnancy, such as swollen nasal passages, may also put you at a higher risk for sleep apnea. Higher levels of estrogen during pregnancy contribute to swelling in the mucous membranes lining the nose and can even cause you to make more mucus. Also, the amount of blood in your body increases and your blood vessels expand during pregnancy, which can lead to swollen nasal membranes as well.
What you can do about it
If your partner notices that you’re snoring a lot and making periodic snorting or gasping sounds in your sleep, be sure to mention it to your doctor or midwife so you can be evaluated for sleep apnea.

When you periodically stop breathing, the amount of oxygen in your blood drops temporarily. If left untreated, sleep apnea can take a toll on your health, and some research suggests it may affect your baby’s growth as well. Sleep apnea is also linked to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disorders. And feeling tired during the day increases your risk of falling asleep at work, while you’re driving, or while you’re caring for your other children.

If you’re diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may be given a special mouth guard to wear at night to keep your airway open. If the apnea is severe, your doctor may have you wear a mask that’s hooked up to a machine that provides a steady flow of air while you sleep to help keep you breathing normally. Most people are amazed by how much better they feel during the day soon after they begin using this device at night.

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Question by jerry w: My four year seems to have sleep apnea. And she is overweight we are working on all of this?
by trying to help her lose weight and she is going to a sleep study. the doctor will then decide if she needs her tonsils out. My husband has sleep apnea. I am concerned for her to sleep.
How dangerous is this condition for a four year old. Yes we are working on the weight and she is still getting testing done. My question is …is there a chance children can pass away with this?
I may be to worried about something that can be easily fixed with diet and surgery. I find myself going to check on her …thru the night.

Best answer:

Answer by Minileo
It is not unusual for chubby 4 year old, to have large tonsils and adenoids resulting in snoring and short periods of sleep apnea. As the child grows the size of the tonsils and adenoids will also regress. The only problem is, regression to an adult sized tonsil and adenoid is not complete until the child is in her teens.
Short periods of apnea is tolerable, but prolonged apnea lasting more than 15 secs. is a problem, since tissue oxygenation drops as a result of poor lung ventilation. To compensate for this poor oxygenation, the heart has to increase its output by increasing its rate of pumping. If this persist for years, the heart’s size will enlarge, and because of extra work the heart tires and starts to fail.
Keep close touch with your pediatrician and sleep center.

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Question by bhavik15: Do I have sleep apnea? Is it really that serious?
well from some of the research that i have done,
it shows that i have symptoms of it
well just recently i had an “episode”
and also i was able to recreate it
it was a pretty odd experience
just before that i had a dream that this women told me to say these words(i cant remember) it seems that i was lucid dreaming and when i said those words is when the episode happened, also after i woke up i
did something that made me be able to recreate it(it felt like i had died, my hands fell to their sides and i passed out, for a lil while, i dont know how long)

idk if i should take this seriously, i havent told anyone because im pretty sure they wouldnt believe me

Best answer:

Answer by casdave2001
My friend, sometimes the boundary between sleep and wakefulness gets muddled. That’s what this sounds like. You probably don’t have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea patients rarely dream. and you’re having these very vivid ones.You probably didn’t “pass out”, you just went back to sleep. Don’t forget that in lucid dreaming you can “wake up” in another reality or even the same reality and still be dreaming. You don’t say what it is you did to “recreate” the dream.
Anyway it was just a dream and not something for you to be concerned about.
Dreams aren’t real, prophetic or anything but just that, dreams. Don’t ascribe any more importance to them.
God bless you and keep you healthy.

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Question by llbb: Does anyone else with sleep apnea sleep past alarms?
I’m in the Army I have been diagnosed with severe OSA. I have been using a CPAP since January, anyway it doesn’t seem likes its working to well anymore, I wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus, my wife says I still snore. Today I woke up without my mask on and to the fact that I did not hear my alarm go off (I have 2 alarm clocks). Does anyone else have this problem?
please do not suggest anything all natural this a real condition, not something that pseudoscience can cure. I do wear a full fast mask because i am a mouth breather.

Best answer:

Answer by Jeff
Yes… try the nose tape things …I don’t use my machine everynight….

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Question by : sleep apnea my hubby is 53 and he stops breathing 98 times in a hour at the sleep study he has a cpap machine?
he does not use the cpap mask all the time he will fall asleep and not put it on till 2 am or so he jumps up during the night several times with leg spasms and if he drinks 4 oz of tonic water he has less leg spasms he complains of chest pain a lot and he is an insulin diabetic his numbers are most of the time 2 or 300 for his sugar 2 years ago he had 17 iskcemic episodes hope i spelled it right and we found out he has 2 carotid arteries blocked 98% and 99% he was also diagnosed with copd onset anyway now he has an enlarged prostate but wont go for the checkup to see what,s going on there how dangerous is he really living ? i try to tell him he wont make it to 55 he just laughs about it cant seem to make him understand its not a joke he is going to die if he don,t start taking this seriously am i right?

Best answer:

Answer by PRINTS
Maybe he’s a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen from that arterial blockage going to the brain!! You already know he needs to get in and be taken care of. Have they checked the other arteries that lead to the heart? Blockages don’t just stay in one place. He would need an MRI or whatever REAL test is done, not just the office checks that don’t show everything. Those sort of things can slip by if you don’t have a dedicated doctor. My dad went in and found out he had severe blockage in the arteries around the heart. He also had diabetes and did not know his sugar numbers were very high. He would put up with the pains in the chest and just take the medication that would help alleviate them as they happened. His doctor did not do what he needed to. If your husband does not want to do anything about this, is is in danger. You can’t force him, but hopefully he cares about everyone and wants to be around.

Find a really good heart doctor to start with and have his arteries really checked. If he is not taking this seriously, then he probably won’t change his diet, but he needs to cut down on all sugar and STARCHES, carbohydrates. The diabetic diet is a very healthy diet, but people who simply want to be healthy should eat a lot of raw/fresh fruits and vegetables. That should not be only considered a diet for sick people. He needs to stop eating all foods that cause inflammation (carbohyrates). I hope he takes this seriously and you have a doctor who won’t put up with lack of cooperation. If not, shop around until you find one – and very soon!

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