Sleep Apnea...Night Terrors....wtf.

[Sunshine]

Alright, so... I knew I had sleep apnea for atleast a couple months now but I think I'm severely getting worse. My stepmother just woke me up because I was "screaming bloody murder" with my eyes wide open and crying all while asleep. She recorded me sleeping tonight and I'm like terrified of me now. Not just that but the whole not breathing for 3 minutes thing....then choking myself awake.



>__>; Dislike. Doctors Appointment Wednesday... Anyone else have this issue or is it just me ? I've been looking it up online but it just doesn't fill my need like almost real human interaction.

 

[kevbo]

Yeah, I have sleep apnea.

You'll have a sleep study, and then they'll give you a CPAP that you'll need to wear while sleeping.

I don't have one right now... I should probably get that taken care of...

 

[Sunshine]

Yeah, I have sleep apnea.

You'll have a sleep study, and then they'll give you a CPAP that you'll need to wear while sleeping.

I don't have one right now... I should probably get that taken care of...

Nuuuuuuu!! I dislike the CPAP. My stepmother uses one because she has heart conditions and stuff.

 

[Drebin]

I don't have sleep apnea, but I'd be scared shitless if I stopped breathing for 3 minutes while sleeping. Did it hurt when you were choking yourself conscious?

I wish you the best.

 

[operafan]

I still haven't gotten used to having the damn machine and I've had it for several years. Most people are able to adjust easily, but I seem to be making a federal case out of it.

 

[NVRMOR]

I have severe sleep apnea. In my sleep study I stopped breathing 60 times per hour. Somehow I still reached REM, which is good, since you can go crazy otherwise. I was waking up tired and with a headache each morning. My Dr tells me sleep apnea decreases your expected lifespan by about six years. I have a CPAP machine. Using it will eliminate the six year decrease. I tried the full face mask to begin with, but hated it. The nasal mask isn't so bad. I hate being dependant on a machine, though. I have to try the machine for three months (I was only diagnosed in Dec) before I can explore surgical options. As soon as I can I'm going to do that.
I didn't know night terrors had any relationship to sleep apnea. I never had them.

 

[Horschallen]

I still haven't gotten used to having the damn machine and I've had it for several years. Most people are able to adjust easily, but I seem to be making a federal case out of it.

Me, too! Tonight, I am going to start again (not the first time for my repeated efforts). I cannot seem to get used to the mask and the head harness... and the tube is very attractive to my cats. There have been many nights when I would go to sleep with the CPAP mask on and wake up a couple of hours later finding it off my face. I must have taken it off myself for whatever reasons.

Don;t let this scare you... do give it a try and see if your specialist prescribes one.

 

[yellowminicooper]

I have recently gone through the sleep studies and now have a CPAP machine. I don't mind it but It is rare if I can make it through a whole night without removing it because I made it disconnect during my tossing and turning. I do notice that I feel well rested during the day. We shall see how well others sleep around me, as I used to keep everyone awake with my snoring. I didn't realize so many members here were affected by Sleep Apnea.

 

[Críostóir]

I had mild sleep apnea and severe snoring. Both were cured by surgery on my nose, thank gods, so I didn't have to go to a CPAP. Friends of mine have CPAPs, though, and they say it's hard to get used to at first, but once you adjust you sleep a lot better.

I use the BreatheRight strips on my nose. They hold it open, which makes it easier to breathe through. I sleep MUCH better with them.

 

[frankfrank]

I'm not aware of having sleep apnea, and I hope I never need a CPAP, but I have the feeling that I would get used to it, at least enough to sleep.

Seven years ago I found out what it's like to have a tube down my throat into my stomach for more than four days straight, as well as a catheter and an IV patch, and I was actually surprised that I slept reasonably well with all of this - without being heavily drugged. And sleeping in a hospital with some pain, no less.

 

[StlKj]

I probably had sleep apnea for about eight years without knowing it, until it finally got progressively worse and I was starting to fall asleep in meetings and while driving. Even if not falling asleep, my reaction time was majorly slow and I had a car accident. I began to need a calculator to do math I used to do in my head because I was so tired I couldn't think straight. Depression was awful, and I began putting on weight I never had the energy to take off. Someone finally suggested to me I might have sleep apnea, so I had a sleep study done. Come to find out, I was waking up 70 times an hour.

Sleep apnea is very serious. Depression, weight gain, car accidents, cognitive functioning difficulties, heart attacks and stroke are all possible and highly probably consequences of it going unchecked. One thing you can do is put yourself on an exercise schedule and eat right if you are overweight---some people lose the weight and find they no longer have the problem. You can, of course, get a CPAP machine. While it can be a hassle, I could not function without mine. It's literally a lifesaver. You could also have the surgery that is available, but a large percentage of people still have signs of apnea even after the surgery and need a CPAP.

Whatever you have to do to get it under control, do it.

 

[teadrinker]

I use a CPAP mask for severe sleep apnea with snoring - after experimenting with different masks I have one which works pretty well. It's full face (I'm a mouth breather), and I usually bung a bandaid across the bridge of my nose to prevent it getting sore. I asked about surgery, and was told that it was unpleasant, with no guarantee of it working. The CPAP is relatively cheap, totally non-invasive, and works pretty well. What's not to like?

-T.

 

[oasisdude]

I have a CPAP and use it most nights. It wasn't that hard to get used to the mask and tubing, the payoff was feeling rested the next day. There are times I fall asleep before putting the mask on, and I can feel the tiredness the next day.

Before being treated, i would have heavy snoring, followed by silence (when I stopped breathing), and generally feeling exhausted the next day. This went in for years until I started hearing about sleep apnea and was able to talk to my doctor about it -- then came the sleep study and the CPAP. I never had night terrors though.

Good luck on Wednesday, and use the CPAP if prescribed -- it does make a difference in the quality of life.