I am REALLY worried about my husband! :( - Sleep Disorders Message Board

carrie640 · 05-22-2003, 09:18 PM

His dad is 63 and did go for a sleep observation and has apnea. I have noticed at night that if he is sleeping on his back, he sometimes will breath normally (pretty deeply), but then after a few minutes, it is VERY VERY shallow. I have to either put my fingers up to his nose to feel air coming out or put my hand on his chest to feel it rising to make sure he is still breathing. I don't really notice this as much when he is on his side. Does he snore? YES! When he is on his back more than anything else. I have also noticed that when the breathing is shallow, it faintly sounds like a snore or like air is having problems getting in.

I am always yelling him at night to turn over on his side because of this and it scares me to fall asleep at night not knowing if he will actually STOP breathing. I cannot even convince him to go to the doctor or to a sleep observation.

With Apnea, can the breathing just be really irregular like that or would he actually STOP breathing altogether. I just don't know what to do and I am scared to death!

confusedbody · 05-24-2003, 10:55 PM

"Apnea" means total cessation of breathing. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, even though I only had 18 apneas during the entire night, which is considered normal (anything under 5/hr). The other aspect of sleep apnea is my problem-hypopnea. This is a reduction of airflow by 50% or more, which causes a similar effect to an apnea episode. If your husband is tired during the day, or can only keep going if he has a lot of caffeine or other stimulant, then really urge him to go get checked out. Maybe he's just a snorer, and his quiet breathing unnerves you because you're used to the loud noise. I hope it's nothing, but he definitely needs to know for sure. It's not only disturbing your peace of mind, it is a hazard to his health if he has it.