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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on February 17, 2010 at 7:51pm

I think sleep apnea has caused a lot of my health related problems, not the other way around. I know by treating the sleep apnea I am doing my body a big favor by giving it enough oxygen to heal itself.

I am overweight, have high blood pressure, anxiety issues, depression, to name a few.

Sleep disorders are in its infancy. There are lots of research going into sleep disorders at the present time. More disorders are getting recognized and treatment options are being explored for these sleep disorders. The field has only been around about 20 years or so. So think of how far we have come in that amount of time and who knows where the field will be in another 20 years.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 17, 2010 at 9:59pm

Susan, it does sound like you have sleep apnea. CPAP is a good way to feel better, stay awake during the day, and have a better nights sleep. You might have more energy to try to find out how to solve other health problems. Right before I was first diagnosed with sleep apnea my psychiatrist prescribed Provigil. She knew I was really suffering from the excessive daytime sleepiness. I could not drive, it just wasn't safe. I would fall asleep in my therapist's office. The provigil was a miracle for me- I could now stay awake and was able to drive again. Many overweight people have found that being on CPAP helps them lose weight (unfortunately I am not one of them), but not all. And all overweight people do not have OSA while many normal size people do.
If I may ask, why are you not on CPAP while you and your doctors work on those other problems?
OSA may cause depression and anxiety, but I doubt the depression and anxiety would cause your apnea.
Finding out you have sleep apnea is very stress inducing. It's really a big deal and effects how you see yourself and how you feel about your health.
We all wish there was a magic medicine, or therapy that would cure us of OSA. What most of us have found is that CPAP works to improve our health and sense of well being.
As to diet pills, your GP would be the one to prescribe them, but a lot of doctors won't. Losing weight may help your apnea, but that is not always the case. OSA certainly has a connection with depression and anxiety, also poor memory. Good sleep hygiene involves having a regular wake/sleep cycle. Naps may impede your ability to sleep at night.
So, if you tried CPAP probably you would not be sleepy during the day and might get a good nights sleep. I know I sleep very well on CPAP.
So please tell us why you aren't on CPAP with all the symptoms you have.
Good luck. Keep us posted on how you're doing.
Mary Z.

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Permalink Reply by susan haller on February 18, 2010 at 7:51am

Thanks Mary for ur comments, first off, losing weight from my understanding does not trigger itself sleep apnea, it is airflow restriction, osa, is what? my nap during the day is due to feeling exhausted, due to not sleeping full 7-8hrs a nite, its the interuption of sleep during the nite, and some memory loss i know is from the lack of blood oxegen flow to the brain for sure, we all need a good nite sleep, how to get there for each person is different iam sure, we can not assume weight is the factor as then everyone over weight should have apnea, now stress is the #1 problem of so many health issues, from; migrines, back pain, tmj, headaches, joint pain, not eating, binging, not sleeping, anxiety, and so on, these should be completely examined by the doctor before just putting someone on cpap, Iam one who need a full reason why this happened, not just cover up the situation.

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on February 18, 2010 at 8:13am

But if one knows they have sleep apnea and refuse to treat it before "ruling out other factors" is foolish thinking in my opinion.

Treat the sleep apnea while working on the other issues.

You say you need a full reason why this happened, not just cover it up. If you had type II diabetes and was overweight -- would you forego treatment until you fully fully understood why you had it? Diabetes is another disease that can cause all types of other conditions leading to poor circulation, slow healing, etc.

Every time you have an apnea you are stressing your body!! No question about it, so not treating it is causing additional stress on your body. So you are contributing to the problem by not treating it.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 18, 2010 at 8:28am

So, Susan, what is your plan for tackeling your insomnia? You're right OSA is Obstructive Sleep Apnea or an obstrcution in the upper airway that prevents your lungs from getting air because when obstructed you do not breathe. What kinds of Doctors do you have taking on and investigating your other symptoms? How do you plan to get that full nights sleep?
Good luck and please let me know about these questions. Keep posting.
Goood Luck,
Mary z.

susan haller said:

Thanks Mary for ur comments, first off, losing weight from my understanding does not trigger itself sleep apnea, it is airflow restriction, osa, is what? my nap during the day is due to feeling exhausted, due to not sleeping full 7-8hrs a nite, its the Iam one who need a full reason why this happened, not just cover up the situation.

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Permalink Reply by susan haller on February 18, 2010 at 9:30pm

Believe me, I'am the first to say other conditions can be in order of sleep apnea, I do have diabetes2, social anxiety, vertigo, also, but what Iam hearing is conditions you already had could of spark this apnea, but is it truth for sure,? my ques. is if the machines used to spint the airway open , are u saying then my other conditions will go away? I think not, this is strange mystery of mysterys, no can tell me one way or another any cpap machine will help my other conditions,

sleepycarol said:

I think sleep apnea has caused a lot of my health related problems, not the other way around. I know by treating the sleep apnea I am doing my body a big favor by giving it enough oxygen to heal itself.

I am overweight, have high blood pressure, anxiety issues, depression, to name a few.

Sleep disorders are in its infancy. There are lots of research going into sleep disorders at the present time. More disorders are getting recognized and treatment options are being explored for these sleep disorders. The field has only been around about 20 years or so. So think of how far we have come in that amount of time and who knows where the field will be in another 20 years.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 19, 2010 at 7:42am

So, Susan, what are your plans for tackleing your insomnia and other conditions. Much in medicine is mystery. Meds work, but the doctors and researchers can't give you anything but a theory as to why. Your sleep doctor can tell you why CPAP works and an ENT may be able to tell you why you have it. What kinds of Doctors do you have taking on and investigating your other symptoms? How do you plan to get that full nights sleep? No, CPAP will not make diabetes 2, social anxiety,and vertigo go away and I have never known a correlation between any of your ailments, with the exception of diabetes mentioned in context with or curing/causing sleep apnea. .
We can say with authority that CPAP, depending on compliance, will help your sleep apnea, help you feel more refreshed and awake during the day. A lot of people do sleep through the night with CPAP. Others have a harder time. So can we say CPAP will work for you, not without absolute certainty because so much of it depends on you using the cpap, finding the right mask, and communication with your physician. Keep posting.
Goood Luck,
Mary Z.
susan haller said:

Believe me, I'am the first to say other conditions can be in order of sleep apnea, I do have diabetes2, social anxiety, vertigo, also, but what Iam hearing is conditions you already had could of spark this apnea, but is it truth for sure,? my ques. is if the machines used to spint the airway open , are u saying then my other conditions will go away? I think not, this is strange mystery of mysterys, no can tell me one way or another any cpap machine will help my other conditions,

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Permalink Reply by 99 on February 19, 2010 at 11:00am

hi susan how are you i mean you as a person
sleep apnea no body wants sleep apnea
should you have this problem and it is not treated or arrested somehow it can and will progress into esential hypotention, diabeties, central or combine sleeping disorder, myalgic encephilitus and the list goes on and on

how do you propose to tackle your problem without doing yourself harm do you have a different solution as we would like to know about it in order to evaluate our own situations

what you are saying make sence in an ideal world but we do live in a greedy world where everybody try to make money out of you yes you even the undertaker is on the make, resmed, your doctor, the insurance company, the government etc

do not cut off your own nose to prove a point as you are the one to suffer and only yourself to blame for non treatment of a serious condidtion

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on February 19, 2010 at 3:12pm

Wow! This has been a very interesting couple of weeks on SG. jnk if I ran a university I would be trying to figure out how to give you an honorary PHD.

Calling a sleep study "just a test" is alot like saying that a CAT scan is "just a picture". Each wire combination used in a PSG is a different test. When we sleep are body speaks in a binary language. The PSG is the interpretation of that language. By comparing this data with that of your wake data a doc can tell quite a bit about your current situation. To my knowledge there is no other other test out there that can determine how the central nervous system, and pulmonary function are so connected. Without cutting you open anyway.

Susan apnea is a part of life brought on by bad health decisions, being overweight, anatomy, and aging. These the biggest causes of apnea. Pretty much in that order according to my studies. There are many other things that can add to it, but those are the main causes. Most of us are born with apnea, and the majority of us are going to die with it. What we do in between is what makes the difference. From the moment we wake up our body, and mind begins the journey back to sleep. Every decision that we make along the way effects it.

Our sleep is controled by our biological clock, and circadian rythm. These functions also control hormone distribution. Hormones control bodily functions. Bad sleep disrupts everything by causing hormonal imbalances. if you do not ttake the steps to improve your sleep than nothing that you doctors do will matter. Oh sure they will blaim it on a baad heart, or organ failure, but bad sleep will be the true culprit. Also why should your docs do anything if your are not going to support their findings. There is no quick fix to your problem. We can not go back in time and change our bad health decisions. we can however use the wisdom gained from those decisions to make better ones in the present. i hope that you find a way to use your PAP until a better solution is found. Help is here if you want it. Find a healthy balance that works for you. Otherwise your family will mourn sooner rather than later.

In the words of the great Smokey the Bear: "Only you can prevent forest fires."

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on February 19, 2010 at 4:33pm

I think it could go either way with anatomy. I put it after health, and weight due to the fact that anatomy by itself is not always the culprit. Sometimes even poor anatomy needs a little help from bad health, and weight to induce apnea. I do understand your stand on the bad health thing. Sometimes we have no control over our health issues. You can't disagree with the fact that bad decisions in your 20s and 30s will cause bad health later in life. For most of us more often than not this is the case. In any right all 4 are so closely related that I do not think that it matters all that much.

I do find humor in the disagreements of the finer points of our aggreements though.

Keep up the good work. What you do and say for this site makes a difference. We are lucky to have you. Besides your dam sexy when you talk sleep.

You can come sit in my lab anytime. Do not tell my wife about the donuts.

j n k said:

Thanks, Rock. If my being slightly obsessive-compulsive on certain subjects and overly verbose about them ever wins me anything, I'll let you know. :-)

I would move "anatomy" earlier in your list, myself. And I might change "bad health decisions" to just "bad health." But hey, that's just me.

Maybe one day I can spend the night in the death-star control room at a lab somewhere and watch some of you pros do your thing. Coffee and donuts would be on me, of course, as long as you promised to make sure I didn't sneak any of the donuts.

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