British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I often wake up unable to breathe - I actually think I'm dying and sometimes I ask my husband 'Am I dead'!!!

The doctor at the sleep hospital told me it's because I awake in the middle of stopping breathing and my brain therefore thinks I'm dying so it's not a panic reaction, it's because the brain is being starved of oxygen.

This happens every few weeks. I had a reading of 51 obstructions an hour so I am stopping breathing a lot during sleep.

I hate it too, it's very scary.

Since I got the CPAP machine this has only happened a couple of times. Maybe you need your machine adjusted.

Rosie

I don't have a CPAP machine. I have never had any help of any discription. Just that my doctor said that I have sleep apnoea. Arn't these machines supposed to be noisy. If so I have anothe problem. My hubby suffers with sleep deprevation so I am in a catch 22 situation.!!

should send you for a sleep test especially when you wake up unable to breathe, that indicates quite severe sleep apnea, it did in my case anyway. Sleep Apnea is dangerous and he's not doing his duty by you.

The cpap machine helps although I havent been able to use it for more than a couple of hours a night, still trying.

I would go back and talk to him about it.

Rosie

Madcow, CPAP machines are not necessarily 'noisy'. Yes they do produce some noise but far less that you might expect and if you place your machine on a non-resonant surface, or insulate it by standing it on a polystyrene tile, or put it on a stool a little lower than the bed, you should find it makes any noise at an acceptable level. Please DO get your doctor to get you set up for receipt of a CPAP as it is one of the best ways to manage OSA.

Madcow,

I fully echo what Alsacienne has said. You really must insist that your doctor actully starts to treat you properly and insist on a sleep study. I am no doctor but it certainly sounds as if you have all the classic symptoms of OSA.

As for the problems with breathing that you have this is quite normal when you have OSA and is your body's way of reacting to the lack of air. As I said it is quite normal and it does not mean you are going to suffocate, although having suffered from the problem myself, I do understand how scary and unsettling it is.

Hopefully you will be able to persuade your doctor to give you the proper treatment you need, as I feel sure that like many others on this forum you will get enormous benefits.

Your doctor sounds like an ass, I doubt he'll help you. Find a sleep clinic and get real help fast before you wake up and actually find yourself dead.

Here's a map with clnics: http://www.cpap-europe.com/sleep_clinics.php

Hello madcow

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a persons breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night.

Sleep apnea is a true breathing obstruction, which requires the sleeper to awaken to begin breathing again. A person with sleep apnea wakes up many times a night to regain breathing, but usually remembers nothing at all about the awakenings.

The sleep partner of a person with sleep apnea remembers a great deal about the awakenings and is generally a good witness of the incidents. Sleep apnea is a dangerous and progressive sleep disorder (it gets worse as you age).

Not only does sleep apnea result in sleep deprivation, but it also can threaten your life. Sleep apnea is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced. In simplified terms, a sleep apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more.

So, if normal breath airflow is 70% to 100%, a sleep apnea is if you stop breathing completely, or take less than 25% of a normal breath (for a period that lasts 10 seconds or more).

It means complete stoppage of airflow. Sleep apnea is associated with 4% drop in the saturation of oxygen in the blood, a direct result of the reduction in the transfer of oxygen into the blood when breathing stops.)

When your sleep is upset throughout the night, you can be very sleepy during the day.
People with sleep apnea often have loud snoring. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Some people with sleep apnea don't know they snore.
Sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but even thin people can have it.
Most people don't know they have sleep apnea. They don't know that they are having problems breathing while they are sleeping.
A family member and/or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first.

Sleep Apneas are usually measured during sleep (preferably in all stages of sleep) over a two-hour period. An estimate of the severity of apnea is calculated by dividing the number of apneas by the number of hours of sleep, giving an apnea index (AI). The greater the AI, the more severe is the apnea.

A hypopnea is a decrease in breathing that is not as severe as an apnea. So, if normal breath airflow is 100% to 70%, a hypopnea is 69% to 26% of a normal breath.

Also like apneas, hypopneas usually disrupt the level of sleep. A hypopnea index (HI) can be calculated by dividing the number of hypopneas by the number of hours of sleep.

Untreated sleep apnea can increase the chance of having high blood pressure and even a heart attack or stroke. Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk of diabetes and the risk for work-related accidents and driving accidents.

Adults most likely to have obstructive sleep apnea who
Snore loudly, Are overweight, Have high blood pressure, Have decreased size of the airways in their nose, throat, or mouth. This can be caused by the shape of these structures or by medical conditions causing congestion in these areas, such as hay fever or other allergies. Have a family history of sleep apnea.

The effects of sleep apnea include
Unclear thinking, lack of concentration
A compromised immune system and slower healing
Poor mental and emotional health
Lack of smooth functioning of the body
A negative mood, irritability
Low energy
Daytime sleepiness
Decreased productivity

A useful resource to help you out from all kinds of sleep disorders
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com
http://www.neurologychannel.com

Hi Madcow

I am so surprised that your GP hasn't sent you to your local hospital for testing. My GP sent me to the ENT consultant because I have rhinitis but as soon as I said I snore and stop breathing I was sent on to the sleep clinic and withing 8 weeks had been tested and given a CPAP machine - my life saver.

Your GP may well have diagnosed sleep apnoea but did he tell you that you need to inform the DVLA and your car insurers that you suffer with it because until you get treatment for it you should not be driving! I told the DVLA and my insurers and they were very good about it. As long as I am receiving treatment and am in control of the condition then I am OK to drive.

Getting my CPAP machine was the best thing that could have happened to me. In fact I went along today to have my six monthly machine service and on Friday it will be exactly 2 years since I got it. Don't let your GP fob you off, go back and insist on being referred on to the hospital and you will be amazed at the difference it will make to your life and your partner's!

Best wishes

Chris