Sleep Apnea Treatment

Question by Faking a Smile: Do i have sleep paralysis?
This happens to me all the time. Ill be sleeping yet im fully aware of where i am. i know im in my bed in my room in my house. ill be sleeping.. kinda half sleeping and ill try to get up and move but i cant. like something is holding me down. ill urge to push but i get tired and lose my breath to the point where i cant breathe. i wait a couple of seconds and push again but i dont get far.. i feel my feet moving but very slowly. i try to yell and scream but i cannot hear myself, so i guess i cant talk..but im sure i am.

do i have sleep paralysis? because it seems like i have all the symptoms! my dad has sleep apnea if that helps..

Best answer:

Answer by ladylon
It does sound like sleep paralysis. I would suggest you have a sleep study done, as it is usually a symptom of a sleep disorder. My neurologist had me do a sleep study that included the Multi Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). It showed that I suffer from narcolepsy. I was shocked! Most people, including myself, have a total misconception about narcolepsy (and other sleep disorders). I can say that I feel like a new person now that I know about and am treated for it. There is no ‘cure’ for most sleep disorders, but there is treatment to control it.

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Question by amanda v: Sleep apnea and sleep paralysis question?
Now i dont get sleep paralysis every day but so far in the past 3 months its happend about 3 or 4 times and for the most part they are very brief.

the most recent one was when i was in school and we had finished a test so my instructer let us do what we wanted(so long as we were quiet)

so i laid my head down and tried to fall asleep but every one was talking so it was kinda hard. but at one point i drownd out the noise and fell into sleep paralysis(not intentionally mind you).

this episode lasted(for hat i thought to be)a couple seconds. right when i realized that i was paralysed i paniced a little and my heart rate raised sharply.

the scary thing was that i couldnt breath the whole time. and thus when i awoke for the episode i was gasping for breath. what are some causes and treatments for avoiding these episodes.

Best answer:

Answer by Adam F
I don’t know the EXACT cause(s) of sleep apnea, but I do know it has to do with your throat muscles closing up making it harder for you to breath and thus causing snoring.

Treatment: there is no “cure” for sleep apnea…however: Do not go to the doctor with this problem. he will prescribe a machine with a mask you have to wear every night that is extremely annoying and not entirely practical..

What almost no one knows is: there is a musical instrument called the didgeridoo that will significantly help your breathing when you sleep which works as well as, if not better than, the machine for sleep apnea that doctors prescribe. i found the following information on wikipedia about it: Health benefits

A 2005 study in the British Medical Journal found that learning and practicing the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring and sleep apnea, as well as daytime sleepiness. This appears to work by strengthening muscles in the upper airway, thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep.

if you are interested in the didgeridoo (because I was since my grandfather had sleep apnea and I tried to help him) i found the following site. http://www.laoutback.com/images/parts/SnoringPopUp.html

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Question by Jack: what is the difference between sleep paralysis and sleep apnea?
Just wondering like

Best answer:

Answer by shlomogon
Sleep paralysis is when you can’t move upon waking up. It usually goes away after a few minutes.

Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing when you sleep, usually due to obstruction of your airways.

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Question by : sleep paralysis is this true?
Don’t stay up and move to the point of exhaustion, as this can increase the likelihood of sleep paralysis.
Reduce stress.
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Eat healthy. Avoid going to bed hungry. Avoid caffeine 5 hours before sleep.
Remember that, although it can feel dangerous, it isn’t.
Some may find that the more they try to move, the worse it gets and the longer it goes on for. If so simply relax for a few seconds, stop trying to move and after a few seconds have passed, try moving an arm or leg, then you should be out of the paralysis.
Most episodes can be stopped by coughing the word ‘cough’ repeatedly. Although you may still go into another episode if you try to immediately go back to sleep. Coughing is both a voluntary and involuntary response, which such responses break the sleeping state.
Note: Some may not be able to speak under sleep paralysis, rendering this method useless.

Talk about it with others.
An improper sleeping schedule can be a cause of sleep paralysis. Try to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night at the same time of night every night, and sleep paralysis may go away.
Concentrating on trying to move or “shake” yourself may break you out of it in no time.
Sleep paralysis is most common while sleeping on your back. Try to avoid sleeping this way
Try to avoid coffee or medications that affect your heart rate.
Consider having a sleep study to diagnose whether the cause of the sleep paralysis may be sleep apnea. With proper treatment of a diagnosed sleep apnea condition, the sleep paralysis events may subside and/or disappear.
If you find you are experiencing paralysis as you are falling asleep try sitting up and staring at a bright light for a minute or so before lying down again. No one is sure why, but this does help some people.
Always remember to relax because sleep paralysis last only a few seconds or minutes and will fade away momentarily.
Some people that frequently deal with sleep paralysis have found the following technique to be helpful. Take a moment each day to relax and imagine the sensations of your sleep paralysis. Focus on your breathing, then take a deep breath while picturing that breath lifting you up to consciousness as you open your eyes. Practicing your escape procedure when not experiencing the paralysis can greatly reduce the anxiety that can accompany an episode.
Make sure that you are actually awake. Sleep paralysis could very well be a dream, and you will likely be able to discern whether or not it is a dream by moving into the next room. Focus on moving into the next room, or in general, away from the location of paralysis.
Although you may feel that you are not able to move, you can try concentrating on moving one finger (or any small part of your body) – when this succeeds and you experience the small movement, the paralysis recedes. Of course, you need to be lucid to do this.
Inhale deeply then exhale forcefully (do not hyperventilate). Repeat this several times; most of the time this can get you out of sleep paralysis.
Medical marijuana has been proven successful in preventing episodes in states that allow its use as prescribed by a doctor.
Always remember that sleep paralysis is a medical phenomena and just that. Do not associate it with supernatural things like ghosts and evils. It will only make it worse. Keep reminding yourself that it’s just a medical phenomena.
If you experience disassociation( “out of body” feelings), Try to “feel” the texture of your sheets, clothes, or furniture around you- you’ll find that you wake up faster from tuning into a sense. Alternately, ignore the sense of paralysis, and allow yourself to follow the “out of body” feelings; you can turn an unpleasant surprise into an enjoyable lucid dream, which you may be able to control. Try visiting friends or pleasant spots you have visited. No harm can come to you, so don’t be afraid.
If you can ‘fall asleep’ in your dream, when you wake up, you will wake from your dream as well. Almost like falling asleep twice – except when you wake up in your dream, you wake up in real life.

Best answer:

Answer by William Jefferson Clinton
Every word.

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Question by Blithm: Has anyone out there taken Tegretol and suffered from sleep paralysis as a result??
I suffered with horrible sleep paralysis while taking Tegretol (Carbemazapine) and now that I don’t take Tegretol I suffer with a special kind of sleep apnea (central apnea) that is usually brought on by brain trauma or drugs/medication. I am trying to determine if they are all connected….the Tegretol, Sleep paralysis and central apnea. Any serious reply would be greatly appreciated.

Best answer:

Answer by happylilbumblebee
Dear “tubby”
I was on tegretol at one point but soon after I started to develop these strange spasms and odd muscle spasms during the night. Shortly thereafter I started to get seizures. They are not epilepsy or gran mal. They are now being called “stress seizures”. But to me it is way too coincidental that this started when I was on Tegretol. I dont have difinitive answers, I really wish I did. I hate to see someone else suffering. I woudl recommend you do a search for adverse effects to Tegretol. This is a good start here and I really do hope you get some answers. I am sorry I couldn’t offer you more help or better hard proof. I’m sorry that you are going through this. I sincerely hope that you feel better soon and get the best treatment possible for your apnea. One thing to keep in mind is a sleep study.

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