could i have sleep apnea - Sleep Disorders Message Board

depravedangel · 06-13-2004, 06:25 AM

i was wondering if you can help me b4 i go to the doctors ...for a week now i have noticed i forget to breath in just on the verge of actual sleep .... the first night it happened eveytime i tried to go to sleep, just as i nodded off i felt this wave of death come over me as if i knew what it was like to be dead... then id suddenly awake... my heart beat was very noticable ( at one point i thought i could feel the left side of my heart ballon slightly, i sometimes get palpitations during the day i can feel these in my throat as well as my chest and i am aware of my heart beat all the time even throughout the day as i write this i can feel it like dull thuds sometimes getting stronger then dying off ) and this went on all night ... the next 2 days the same .. then i one night just i was nodding off i realised i had breathed out but not in and thats when i realised i was forgetting to breathe just at the point where my body was about to go into sleep mode ... the next night i got my partner to watch me as i slept, and yes i was right he said i just did not inhale for as he said ages... i am a woman of 35 i am 71/2 to 8 stone, i dont work , my life is not stressfull , i smoke between 5-10 ciggarettes a day , and i can sleep for hours throughout the day aswell as "normal" sleep at night . could i have sleep apnea? this has all of a sudden happened and i cant see it bieng panic attacks...
i would be gratefull on any thoughts concerning this as im very wary when i go to bed now as if i dare not go to sleep ...

jeh rpsgt · 06-13-2004, 04:17 PM

What you're experiencing are called sleep-onset central apneas. Most all people have them from time to time, either as they're falling asleep or after they change positions in bed. They are different from the more common obstructive form of sleep apnea because the brain just doesn't send a signal to breathe, whereas with osa the throat causes the cessation. It sounds like it's making you panic a little bit? It would be a good idea to see the doctor and maybe they'll want to see it in a sleep study.

depravedangel · 06-14-2004, 02:32 PM

jeh rpsgt

... thankyou for replying and yes it has worried me abit because ive never experienced this before.... im going the doctors tommorrow and fingers crossed like you he will maybe explain it to me in great detail and possible action .. i hope it can be sorted ....
thankyou .... x

depravedangel · 06-16-2004, 12:47 PM

well i thought i would keep you posted... i went to my gp yesterday and i told him what was happening , he didnt think it was sleep apnea because im not over-wieght im ony 7 1/2 stone ... but when i told him and my partner told him that i sleep for hours through the day and have been doing for about 7-8 years and that i mentioned this to previous doctors but nothing was done apart from the routine checks( anemia, thyroid tests) so he then said right i'll refer you to the hospital to see someone.... so the balls started rolling ... and i'll keep you informed...

i have noticed if i go to bed exhausted really really tired and i seem to sleep as soon as my heads hit the pillow i dont notice it so out of 10 days sleep i have noticed only3 nights of deep slumber, the rest i have the failing to breathe episodes, and i have gone back to falling asleep when i can, various times throughout the day... god help me when i get a job i'll be asleep most of the time ...lol

swhitey · 07-20-2004, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by depravedangel

well i thought i would keep you posted... i went to my gp yesterday and i told him what was happening , he didnt think it was sleep apnea because im not over-wieght im ony 7 1/2 stone ... but when i told him and my partner told him that i sleep for hours through the day and have been doing for about 7-8 years and that i mentioned this to previous doctors but nothing was done apart from the routine checks( anemia, thyroid tests) so he then said right i'll refer you to the hospital to see someone.... so the balls started rolling ... and i'll keep you informed...

i have noticed if i go to bed exhausted really really tired and i seem to sleep as soon as my heads hit the pillow i dont notice it so out of 10 days sleep i have noticed only3 nights of deep slumber, the rest i have the failing to breathe episodes, and i have gone back to falling asleep when i can, various times throughout the day... god help me when i get a job i'll be asleep most of the time ...lol

General Doctors are brain dead about sleep apnea. Most don't know enough about it. To be safe go to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist (ENT) and have them order a sleep test. Trust me....you'll sleep better knowing you don't have it!