What causes Central Apnea?

[Susan2]

Ok my first post didn't show up.
I have not been sleeping well at all. I have Panic Disorder and have been dealing with that. I wake up thru the night and this isn't helping with my stress.
I went and looked at my machine and I have .2 and below it I am showing .1 central apnea. I have never had that show up.
Is this something I need to be concerned about and contact my Dr?
I don't have a computer so I can't check my data.
Thank you
Susan

[Susan2]

OH! Wow! I have never posted as those names showing up!!

[Hang Fire]

I went and looked at my machine and I have .2 and below it I am showing .1 central apnea. I have never had that show up.
Is this something I need to be concerned about and contact my Dr?

No! You don't have central sleep apnea. You are doing great. Relax. Have fun.

[robysue]

Ok my first post didn't show up.
I have not been sleeping well at all. I have Panic Disorder and have been dealing with that. I wake up thru the night and this isn't helping with my stress.
I went and looked at my machine and I have .2 and below it I am showing .1 central apnea. I have never had that show up.
Is this something I need to be concerned about and contact my Dr?

No. You don't need to worry about a CAI = 0.1. For the CAI = 0.1 that means that you had ONE central apnea all night long AND you probably used the machine for at least 7 hours for the CAI to round to 0.1.

Here's the thing: A few CAs here and there are totally normal, particularly during the transition to or from sleep.

If your machine scored AHI = 0.2 and your CAI = 0.1, your machine is doing its job of controlling your apnea.

My guess is that your panic disorder is looking for something to become anxious about. But with an AHI = 0.2, apneas are not what's triggering your night time wakes, and you need to NOT start consciously stressing out about a CAI = 0.1

[robysue]

OH! Wow! I have never posted as those names showing up!!

That's a software glitch here at cpaptalk.com. You didn't do anything wrong when you posted.

[Susan2]

Thank you, I would love to be able to sleep thru the night though. I know part of that is coming from a pharmacist scaring the mess out of me. I am on .5 mg Clonazepam Morning and Night for my panic attacks. Well I fell asleep over a week ago without taking my bedtime pill. I woke at 3 am and called to see if I should take it. He said and I quote!! "If you were that sleepy you shoildn't take it because it can amke you stop breathing." I have been a total mess since then, I am just getting to where I can take my medicine without shaking and crying. Still not sleeping all night though.
I keep telling myself I have been in this medication for over 10 years and it hasn't made me stop breathing yet.
PLEASE NO SCARY STORIES!! I am not in a good mental state to handle them right now.
Thank you

[Julie]

If you called your MD at 3 a.m. it's a wonder he didn't tell you something a lot scarier! But, no, it won't cause you to stop breathing.... nonsense.

[ChicagoGranny]

I have Panic Disorder

When did your panic disorder start? How long have you been using CPAP?

The questions are because untreated sleep apnea can cause very high anxiety.

[ChicagoGranny]

If you called your MD at 3 a.m.

She said she called the pharmacist. Many are staffed 24x7.

[robysue]

Thank you, I would love to be able to sleep thru the night though.

Yes, sleeping through the night is a decent long term goal. What you need to realize is that whatever it is that preventing you from sleeping through the night, it's not related to the sleep apnea: Your machine is preventing all but one or two events a night if your AHI is usually in the 0.2 range.

So you need to focus on what other things might be messing with your sleep. You write:

I know part of that is coming from a pharmacist scaring the mess out of me. I am on .5 mg Clonazepam Morning and Night for my panic attacks. Well I fell asleep over a week ago without taking my bedtime pill. I woke at 3 am and called to see if I should take it. He said and I quote!! "If you were that sleepy you shoildn't take it because it can amke you stop breathing." I have been a total mess since then, I am just getting to where I can take my medicine without shaking and crying. Still not sleeping all night though.

I think you are working yourself up into a panic over things that you don't need to panic over.

Rather than talking to the pharmacist, try talking to the doctor who prescribed the Clonazepam. Tell him/her what the pharmacist told you at 3AM and that you are now scared to death to take the Clonozempam, particularly at night. And then listen carefully to what your doctor says.

In other words, keep what you've written in mind:

I keep telling myself I have been in this medication for over 10 years and it hasn't made me stop breathing yet.

Since you've been taking Clonazepam successfully for over 10 years, the chances that it is suddenly going to cause you to "stop breathing" are slim to none. But you need to hear that from your doctor to really set your mind at ease. Quite frankly, I think you ought to tell the doctor as much as you can about the pharmacist who set off your anxiety. You probably don't know the name of the person you were talking too, but you can tell the doctor which drug store you called and ask the doc whether the pharmacist was out of line, and if so, whether you should file a formal complaint.

PLEASE NO SCARY STORIES!! I am not in a good mental state to handle them right now.
Thank you

No scary stories from me: I think you've been through a fright of the sort that people who don't suffer panic attacks have a hard time understanding. And I think that your current problems with not being able to sleep through the night are likely being caused by the anxiety that resulted from what the pharmacist told you about a medicine that you've been using for years to control the anxiety.

Hence, the fix for your sleep starts with talking to the doc who is treating you for the anxiety. Give that doc a full accounting of your conversation with the pharmacist and be open and honest about the panic and anxiety you are currently experiencing due to that conversation. If you are worried that the doc is unware or has forgotten that you now use a CPAP machine because of sleep apnea, be sure to mention that as well when you are talking to your anxiety doctor. Also ask the doctor what you should do if you wake up at 3:00AM realizing that you forgot to take the night time dose of Clonazepam. And then listen to what the doc says carefully about the Clonazepam and whether you should take the night time dose in the middle of the night if you forget to take it.

Best of luck getting the panic and the anxiety back under control. Because I think once you do have it back under control, you'll start sleeping more soundly again.

[Susan2]

Thank you ladies!
I have spoken to my Dr and he knows I am on Cpap.
Now it is up to me to work past these thoughts! I am
seeing a therapist and trying to work on letting go
of my negative scary thoughts.
I have been on Cpap since 2006 and my medicines. My
antidepressant has stopped working and we tried an
increase that blew me out of the water. So I am back
down to normal dose of antidepressant and increased
Clonazepam so I could settle down. I had to do this
because I was having panic attacks all day. Will be
trying an increase or another new antidepressant.
You all have helped me to feel better being able to talk about this.

[robysue]

I don't have a computer so I can't check my data.
Thank you
Susan

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the library has pcs you can use for free[/quote]
You can't install a piece of software like SleepyHead on a library's pc. So that idea won't help Susan check her detailed data.

[Pugsy]

There's no urgent need to use the software.
The data on the machine is sufficient in this situation.
If the AHI is well below 1.0 and the leak numbers are acceptable there is no reason to know when that maybe one central or whatever happened during the night. The reports will be very boring indeed.

[Soothest Sleep]

You can't install a piece of software like SleepyHead on a library's pc. So that idea won't help Susan check her detailed data.

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some libraries block such things
others if you talk to them and explain about what it does then they will install it

Most libraries block such things. From experience, I doubt a library would be willing to install Sleepyhead as it is still only a beta version, from a private programmer (not a known, reputable, traceable, accountable commercial one), and has known bugs that would be detrimental to a library computer system (e.g., the Full Screen Toggle screen-lock for one). Most public libraries have very tight budgets, distributed from municipal funds (read: taxpayer dollars), and they will protect their assets from anything that will compromise service to users, or add unapproved cost to their budget--including staff time to deal with installation/uninstallation and problem-solving. I cannot recommend that Susan approach her local library with such a request.

Jean
retired public librarian

P.S. I mean no disrespect to SH's creator; he has given xpapers a useful tool, but it is one that each individual must choose to use at home. The foregoing comments form my professional opinion based on real decisions that have been made in the workplace.

[ajack]

the good news is that cpap will help with your mental health, give it 3 to 12 months and I'm sure you will feel a lot better, I did.