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What were your symptoms of sleep apnea?
We had a new member join today who thinks she has sleep apnea so I thought it might be helpful if people were kind enough to post what their symptoms were.
My only symptom was excessive daytime sleepiness. It started off with 4-5 hour afternoon naps where I was dead to the world. My sleepiness progressed to the point that I was falling back asleep soon after waking up and remained very sleepy during the day. I could not drive, though I foolishly did drive sleepy for appointments. I would fall asleep in therapy. I was miserable with sleepiness to the point where my psychiatrist prescribed Provigil. My GP set me up with a sleep test which only showed mild apnea - an AHI of 5. I barely qualified for CPAP, but jumped at the chance because my sleepiness was so severe.
I never woke up gasping for air, my partner never noted that I stopped breathing during the night, I snored softly (found out in sleep study), but I did sleep 13 hours a night and more when I could. I was normal weight.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on
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I'm normal weight, was always tired, couldn't stay awake at lectures, movies, plays, etc., etc. As tired as I was, I also had trouble sleeping. I woke again and again throughout the night.
I went to many, many doctors to find out why I was so tired, but all blood and hormone tests were normal. I even went to an endocrinologist to find out if maybe my hormone levels fluctuated throughout the night causing the persistent wake-ups.
My late mother had narcolepsy. I finally thought that maybe a sleep disorder clinic might have an answer. The doctors at the clinic told me that I had insomnia, garden-variety, and put me on a sleep restriction protocol. To me, it's significant that the doctors, sleep disorder "specialists" all, never considered the possibility of SA.
I had once read about it, but it never "clicked" with me, probably because none of us is a witness to our own sleep. Also, the condition seemed too bizarre to be real. But if the symptoms had been detailed in the book I read (including snoring, which I had been told I do), I might have taken better notice and might possibly have considered the possibility on my own.
I was finally diagnosed by a friend when. She knew right away from my snoring, prolonged breathing pauses, snorts as I came out of the pauses, etc., etc. that SA was my problem.
I made an appointment at a different sleep clinic immediately after our return from the trip; my overnight sleep study clarified the reality: I have a moderately severe case of sleep apnea.
Two observations:
- Sleep apnea is not sufficiently recognized in the medical community. I've been visiting and seeing doctors about my persistent weariness, sleepiness and exhaustion for about 20 years. Never, ever did anyone suggest the possibility of sleep apnea.
- One really does have to take charge of one's own health. I should have been more alert and open to the possibility of even a bizarre condition like SA. I did think -- finally -- that I was a candidate for an overnight study. I assumed that I would get one when I went to the first clinic, but the doctors didn't consider me to be a candidate. I went to the second clinic basically demanding a study, and got one. Some 20 years of misery impacting my life, career and health could have been averted if somehow the possibility of SA had been considered by someone, including me.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Vella on
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Mary, I totally agree with ZolliStar's second point but mine was 49 years. Anyway my symptoms were more the sleep deprivation symptoms, aches and pains in the bones, stomach and left jaw, foggy most of the day, at night, I'd wake up gasping for breathe, before being diagnosed I was getting 1-2 hours non quality sleep per night. I kicked my legs a lot and would jump sometimes 6 inches out of the bed. I'd toss and turn and try to sleep on my stomach when I could to try to get some sleep. I'm not overweight, I actually lost 40 pounds in the last 2 years before being diagnosed due to the stress and became 20 pounds underweight for my age and height (BMI) and I didn't snore alot.
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i never had the classic symptoms of sleep apnea , i knew i had sleep problems falling asleep and staying asleep, would wake up way too early in the mornings feeling like i had slept all night but never woke up grasping for breath during the night but did have a strange feeling in my chest when i got up in the mornings. i felt i never went into a deep sleep, really a very light sleeper. woke up 2 or 3 am in the morning and could not go back to sleep ,never got sleepy during the day and on a good night i got between 2 to 3 hours sleep i did snore which i did not know until the week before i went for my sleep study. had a real hard time adjusting to my cpap and still have problems falling asleep but the sleep i do get is alot better.
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Permalink Reply by Andy on
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Hi All,
My sleep apnea symptoms were:
I would not get to "sleep" until 2am to 4am every night.
I was tired all day long.
I would wake up in the morning with my heart racing, and feeling a rush of adrenaline.
I would fall asleep at every movie, and every TV program that lasted more than 15 minutes.
I would get extremely tired every day around 3:00pm.
Sometimes I would fall asleep sometime between 7:00pm and 9:00pm, while watching TV or reading. When that happened, I would not get to bed until 3:00am or 4:00am.
I had headaches often.
My short-term memory got so bad that I could not remember a phone number or an item price immediately after being told. I would dial a phone call, and while it was ringing forget who I was calling.
I had complained to my doctor about this for years, but was told that I had depression, "diagnosed" due to symptoms of lack of sleep and loss of memory.
I finally got a referral to a doctor who ordered a sleep test, which was six weeks away.
About a week later I was driving, and was so tired that I pulled off the road, and woke up an hour later.
I then drove right to the doctor's office, and told them that I could not wait for the sleep test, and wanted a CPAP order immediately. They made every excuse why I couldn't get the CPAP until after the sleep test, until I finally (and somewhat calmly) told them that I was sleep deprived, unable to function normally, that I was not leaving the office without a prescription for a CPAP, and that that I hoped that I could remain calm since there's no telling what a sleep-deprived, crazed individual such as myself was capable of.
I left with the script, got the CPAP two days later, and have been on it for about three years.
The sleep study showed that my apnea prevented me from getting past sleep stage 2, and that I fluctuated between waking, stage 1, and stage 2.
The sleep doc said that if he had to come up with a plan to torture me with sleep deprivation, he couldn't have done a more effective job than I was doing with apnea!
I've not missed a single night on CPAP, and don't plan on missing any. In fact, I plan to use it every night until I die, and I've asked that I be buried with it! (Just in case...)
;)
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Andy, my story almost mirrors yours, especially with the depression diagnosis, I was put on double the therapeutic dose of anti depressants as my Dr kept upping the dose because they weren't working and the reason they weren't working was because I was misdiagnosed. I now have less faith in the medical profession now, except my Sleep Specialist, of course and 'Dr Google'!
I love your comment about the burial, I feel the same way, hopefully it will be a fair way off for both of us now that we have been diagnosised correctly.
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LIke Terry, I was gradually losing weight to the point of underweight. Peculiar was my extremely cold feet at night despite multiple pairs of wool socks. This completely resolved day 1 and six months later, I'm still warm-footed and sockless! Any one else have this???
The mild headaches resolved. Even more pep and energy than before, but I didn't realize that this was an issue. About a decade ago, I was diagnosed with liver enlargement on an ultrasound. Liver lab test were stable, slightly elevated. No doctor could figure out why. I haven't been in for my annual liver test yet, but I no longer have the liver tenderness at night laying on my side and I suspect that this was OSA induced fatty liver disease.
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K.S., my feet used to freeze as well, in summer in Australia, we would have days in the 40c and boiling hot nights and I would have two pairs of sports socks on, a doona and a heated throw and my feet and they would still be cold. The rest of my body was sweating but my feet were always cold. I believe by lacking oxygen form SA, the blood was going from my extremities to my heart and brain. I get it occasionally now fron sitting but nowhere near as bad. All the symptoms now make sense but at the time I thought it was me that was going crazy. My goal in life now is to try to help people with similar symptoms to at least look at sleep apnea as a cause and if they need support or advise to give it to them. I don't want anyone to have to go through the pain and costs that I went through, it is frightening.
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Terry, very interesting, skinny women with cold feet! Reading your post, I feel so lucky to have been diagnosed accidentally during my husband's CPAP apt when he commented, not even complained, about my snoring.
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K.S. I'm a male, you were lucky being diagnosised that way, I spent two years, two GP's, 5 different specialists and thousand of dollars and eventually got to a sleep specialist on my own and as soon as I walked in his door he said I had servere sleep apnea (without a sleep study), the sleep study confirmed it. That was the happiest day of my life and my first annivesary is the 16th April this year, so I will be celebrating.
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Terry, that's so unfortunate, but good for you to continue to pursue a specialist. I just became complacent about the liver disease, even though I knew it didn't make sense. (retired health professional). Like you, I have severe OSA/oxygen desaturations.
I'm trying to build more OSA awareness, especially if you don't fit the stereotype.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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I had no symptoms. In the beginning I was often the only male in the lab. For this reason I was often volunteered for experiments or equipment testing. One night I fell asleep. When I woke up they told me I had apnea and gave me a machine.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Walton on
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I am 64, male, overweight. I had no symptoms that I was aware of. I wasn't tired (or no more that would be expected when I stay up late and get up early). My only real symptom was that my wife complained that I snored horribly and stopped breathing in my sleep. I often woke in the morning to find her sleeping in another part of the house.
After an unrelated surgery, I spent the night in intensive care, and the IC nurses told me I had sleep apnea and had set off the low blood oxygen alarm all night long, causing them no end of concern. I had a sleep study, indicating an AHI of 95 - "severe obstructive sleep apnea" is the term they used. Oxygen level fell to below 60%. I had no idea.
After a week of CPAP, I still don't notice any change in my energy level, but I'm still sleeping only about 5 hours on weeknights, 8 hours on weekend nights. AHI has fallen to the 5-ish range, so more improvement is possible. I'm looking forward to the weight loss others have reported.
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