Big Question for you guys!!!! If you have or had sleep apnea, do you recall having alot of nightmares or vivid dreams??? I think you remember more dreams because the condition keeps waking you up, preventing deep sleep. I sleep like a rock, my wife says I don't snore, and I never remember my dreams.

On the other hand,... my Mom tells me about different dreams she remembered from the night before every day. I think my 82 yr old Mother has the same problem, She has been sleeping alone for many years now, and never had anyone with her to keep on eye on her at night. Last week she told me about a nightmare she was having, she was sleeping on the couch and couldn't breathe. Then it dawned on me, she has been having those kind of dreams for a very long time. For some reason I immediately knew what it was, especially since Reggie White died of complications due to sleep apnea during his sleep.

I said to my Mom, "get to the doctor, I think you have sleep Apnea" I can't believe that she has been complaining of this for years but we never put two and two together before. I knew she snored, when I used to come home late she would be on the couch snoring, I could hear the pauses in her breathing but was too stupid to recognize it as a critical health problem.

My sister and I will try to get her to a sleep study clinic, but as usual it will depend on what Mom wants, and not what is best for Mom.

 

I dont recall having many dreams at all, and no nightmares to speak of. Just MANY occurences of suddenly finding myself sitting up in bed at different times during the night, and being half awake and choking.

 

I know this is a thread a little old but......

Ive been having problems and I have an appointment scheduled for the 22nd of this month to see the sleep doctor. For the past couple years I've had migraines when I wake up. The past month or so I have had soreness in my jaw and throat, grogginess and lack of coordination, and during the day I get 'episodes' where I dont feel I am breathing right, my vision gets blurred and I feel flat out tired and lazy, and sometimes nauseous(sp?). I cant concentrate on what I'm doing at school, and today, on my birthday, it got so bad I had to leave 2 hours early. I took the sleep study 2 years ago, but I didnt sleep long enough at the overnight study for the sleep doctors to determine if I had apnea or not. My regular doctor thinks I do.

For those of you that have sleep apnea, what were symptons that occured during the day? I dont fall asleep during the day, but I feel like I just woke up, or I feel like I am sleeping with my eyes open. I called the doctor today to see if I can get in any earlier, and they put me on the cancelation list. I'm begining to hope that I DO have sleep apnea just so I can get started on the CPAP and start feeling better. Im almost 2 years behind in Highschool now mainly because of these problems. Its getting VERY OLD!

 

I have Sleep apnea too.And use a CPAP machine when I use it I sleep good.It has made a big difference.

 

My younger brother has had it and used a CPAP for about 10 years or so. He had a lot of trouble getting used to the machine but now cant sleep without, cant even fall asleep. Right after he began using it, he said he felt a lot more rested on a shorter amount of sleep.

 

Hey there 1970f2504X4. I don't have sleep apnea, but my older brother does. He had a horrible time with it. He'd snore loud enough to wake you up downstairs even if he was sleeping upstairs. What also came with this were night terrors and sleepwalking. One time, he walked in his sleep and sat right down on the glass-topped coffee table in the living room and cut the you-know-what out of himself. Scary. Made the mistake of trying to wake him one time, and he sat up and stood up screaming bloody murder. This ain't too fun when you consider that he's 6'2" and 250 lb and strong as a bull.

Anyway, thank God he actually has a good health care plan (through what was then Wickes Lumber, and what is now Hope Lumber). They paid most of the sleep-study and for most of the equipment, and he ended up opting for the C-Pap mask. It works wonders. He does NOT snore (or it's 90% eliminated) and rarely wakes up during the night. His breathing has improved remarkably. His regular sleep position is on his back anyway, so moving around and knocking the mask off is not an issue. Also, the mask is barely audible to those nearby, so sleeping in the same cabin, or room, or camper will NOT be a problem for those with you (but your T-Rex snoring probably would be). Of course, and someone mentioned this in a previous response to you, weight and conditioning IS an issue and can alleviate some of the symptoms. My brother has also become something of a gym rat now, has lost about 25lb, and goes to the gym 4 times a week (doing a FAST treadmill walk for 30 minutes each time).

This IS a potentially deadly condition (what was the name of the athlete who just died, and they think the apnea contributed to it?). Anyway good luck......TRY THE MASK.

Steve

 

I think there is something more at work going on here Trey,

First off don't fool around with Migraines.

Why do you do to treat your migraine headache?

Do you often "snork" ?
This is a common sympton of apnea.


Relaxation techniques !

May I suggest you start a regimen of these to monitor how you feel during the day.
Try them for a month at least and compare how you feel after that time.

Doing things to relax you during different times of the day will help you get ready for bed at night.


My symptoms of sleep apnea were different than those you describe.

Mine included : about an 1/2 hr after getting out if bed,I felt right going right back as I didn't get enough restorive sleep.

 

Thanks Dennis. I've tryed Midrin, but it didnt really do much. The headaches are there as soon as I wake up, sometimes they will go away after a couple hours, but usually the only way to make them go away is if I go back to bed untill I wake up on my own. The doctor just prescribed me "Imitrex", and I've taken it 2 times so far to treat the headache and it really didnt do much. At $250 for 9 pills I was hoping it would work... Oh well. I do have high blood pressure, and im taking 50mg Atenolol a day to treat that and the headaches. Im 6'4" and 315lbs, so I know weight is probably most the reason for the apnea, if I have it. I've lost 25lbs in the past year, but I cant feel any difference. I guess I'll just have to wait it out till I get the sleep study and see what happens next.

 

I was diagnosed with it. I am still very sceptical. I had my sleep study done and the computer picked up 3 events during the night. The technician did no believe the results so he counted by hand. HE COUNTED OVER 700 episodes. Now tell me, how did the computer miss 697 of them. While I was in the office, I noticed that everyone who went in, came out with Apnea.

Now I did get the CPAP and it was a terrible experience. Could not sleep, two sinus infections. It now "sleeps" on the top shelf in my closet.

I do know several people who swear by it. I never went to get fitted for different masks, I just felt that I have been refered to a sleep center that was all about the money.

Final note that helped my decision not to use the CPAP:

My oxygen saturation level never fell below 80%. (700 episodes, I think not) I do have Apnea, but not a severe case. anyon looking for a CPAP, I have one hardly used. You just need the mask!

Don't get me wrong. The CPAP was not for me. Apnea can play havok with you body. There are other causes of apnea that have been discussed here that are easily changed and do help. Weight loss #1 and stop having the adult beverages before going to sleep. Helped me.

 

Mine seems to have gone.
I lost about 15 pounds(still 10 more to go)
I do a 30 minute brisk walk every day
I don't eat much 2-3 hrs before bed
Sleeping much better

 

I've had it for a number of years, cpap to me is wonderful. There are a number of different kinds of masks and you should try different ones to see what works best. If you buy a cpap from the internet (I have not done this but have compared prices on the same unit) they are much less. Another thing to consider is there are 2 types of sleep apnea, nureological (sp) and obstructive. Surgery is not an option with the nureological. I know of a guy who had the surgery and he was happy with it. My Dr. said it can grow back (soft pallette tissue) and may not work. Research and do whats best for you.

 

The cpap helped me sleep better and my wife says she sleeps better also.
I have been using it about a year now and it is still a PITA and some nights I don't use it at all.
I bought a mask that has a thick soft lining around it and a very soft head piece.
I need to lose weight but am too lazy.