I have reason to believe I have Sleepapnea.

[undeadmerc3]

I need your help. Since last year i've been taking a shower before going to bed which used put me to sleep almost instantly when my head hit the pillow. Eventually I found a delay before falling asleep which inturn caused me to to resort to eating before going to bed. This too used to put me to sleep instantly, however nowadays I realise that it's putting a damper on my ability to sleep. Night Eating Syndrome. As a result Ifind myself getting up multiple times throughout the night. When I get up, my brain is on auto polit to get something to eat.

I was able several times to fall asleep without eating, but when I do this I can only do so for 15 or 30 minutes before waking up and eating again. Everytime I fall asleep without eating it's like that.

My doctor says that there's a good chance I have sleepapna which prevents me from staying asleep. I'm not sure how Night Eating Syndrome creates sleepapna or if there's a connection, but what do I know?

I've tried going through the process of getting a sleep study twice so that I could obtain a perscription for a cpap machine. The problem is that it's already more than hard enough for me to sleep.

The first sleep study took place outside my house and the problem with it is that they hooked me up to an EGG device which, although more accurate caused my legs to wobble all over do to the signals they bring(it may be do to the cords they attached to my legs). As a result I wasn't able to last more than two hours. I was only able to sleep for 20 minutes, but in order for the sleep study to be complete I was supposed to sleep for two hours.

The second sleep study was done at my home and was only ment to measure my breathing. It consisted of wearing a strap around the top of my breasts, a finger tingy(don't know what it's called), and a nose piece. I was able to sit still, but I didn't put the device on properly, likely because I didn't wear a shirt like I was supposed to(they told me to wear a shirt for hyginic reason, but after the study I learned that it's also to help the device measure my breathing). I was told that I was supposed to wear the device for at least four hours or, if possible more. I was able to dose for two or three short periods, and last 4 and half hours. However the study told me that since I didn't do it right the first time I had to try again the next day. Something I couldn't attempt since I can't bear to go two nights without proper sleep. To make matters worse she told me that she would perfer me to go the whole night wearing the device. Wearing the device eventually caused me alot of stress in the end by the time I felt like taking it off. It simply got to the point where I could not only no longer fall asleep with the device or simply relax which I did most of the time. The main reason why I was able to get through 4 and a half hours of wearing the device was due to the snack i've eaten every now and then. Eating helps me sleep since it helps me relax.

The sleep studies wouldn't be a problem if they used a slight dose of sleeping gas to help me temporary fall asleep, but they don't.

Despite all the things i've been doing every new tactic i've learned only temporarly makes it easier to sleep. Eventually I becomes just as hard as it was before. Right now I have to take multiple showers just to fall asleep most of the time.

As for the methods I use before going to bed, I take a shower twice a day. On at 7:00 to prepare my body and another at 10:00 before going to bed. At 9:30 I liston to relaxing music to prepare my brain. The medicine I take is as followed:
1 pill of Trazodone at 9:00:

2 pills of Natural Sleep Aid at 9:30:

Cold Relief(I take it since my mom for some reason says it helps me with the pain in my legs), and Saphris at 10:00:


I mention my meds since my mom states that i've been taking so much of that and it could lead to problems.

Please help me. I have reason to believe that every week that passes it becomes harder to fall asleep. If this keeps up i'm worried that I may lose my ability to sleep.

[Chevie]

I didn't put the device on properly, likely because I didn't wear a shirt like I was supposed to

Take another home sleep study and follow the directions. Lie in bed with the equipment on all night.

God helps those who help themselves. So does cpaptalk.

[undeadmerc3]

I didn't put the device on properly, likely because I didn't wear a shirt like I was supposed to

Take another home sleep study and follow the directions. Lie in bed with the equipment on all night.

God helps those who help themselves. So does cpaptalk.

Sorry about that. It's just that i'm worried about the fact that it may get harder for me to sleep in the future.

[Chevie]

i'm worried

Don't worry. Do something.

[palerider]

The first sleep study took place outside my house and the problem with it is that they hooked me up to an EGG device which, although more accurate caused my legs to wobble all over do to the signals they bring(it may be do to the cords they attached to my legs).

Cold Relief(I take it since my mom for some reason says it helps me with the pain in my legs),

EEGs don't send signals, they record. likewise the sensors on your legs, your legs 'wobble all over' on their own.

you again mention 'pain in your legs'.

get that looked at.

[kteague]

About those meds... Saphris lists increased hunger as a possible side effect. Literature also mentions jerky movements and tremors. What causes your leg pain? Restlessness, trouble sleeping, and muscle spasms are listed as side effects for Trazadone. For some, cold meds can cause sleep problems. If your doctor has identified the cause of your leg pain maybe they can suggest an alternative to the cold medicine. Maybe you could discuss with your doctor if you can take your prescribed meds not at bedtime to see if it helps. With a few adjustments, maybe your sleep won't be so problematic and another sleep study seem less intimidating.

[Julie]

I think you need a referral to a sleep specialist, preferably a neurologist who can look into some of your issues. You may or may not have apnea because your symptoms are not classic (though you may not have listed them all) and your tests were inadequate at best. I would start over, I would not eat before bed or take showers. I would ask my MD for a one night low dose of Ambien which is often used in sleep labs to help with insomnia.

I would not try to buy a machine until you've got better answers to your problems... they're expensive, even 2nd hand, and you'd need some idea of a diagnosis because there are different machines for different diagnoses. You may or may not have 'restless legs syndrome' (something the neurologist might help with) or PLMD, a rhythmic 'walk' that your legs might do when you sleep, though it sounds like you have something else happening.

You need to address the night eating business before trying to diagnose apnea based on a home study... too much going on to get a valid diagnosis.

[palerider]

I would not try to buy a machine until you've got better answers to your problems... they're expensive, even 2nd hand, and you'd need some idea of a diagnosis because there are different machines for different diagnoses

I have to disagree, picking up a good, data capable, preferably auto machine, used, can tell far more than a brief sleep study, and if it's not the right machine for the issue, can be turned around and sold at very little loss.

[Julie]

And I disagree back - too many odd and inconsistent things happening and the poster doesn't sound knowledgable (yet) about it all, let alone OSA, but whatever.

[Goofproof]

Sounds like his complaint is going to sleep, that's not sleep apnea, nowhere does he say the symptoms of sleep apnea, jolting awake, night sweats, ect.... Jim

[undeadmerc3]

I would not try to buy a machine until you've got better answers to your problems... they're expensive, even 2nd hand, and you'd need some idea of a diagnosis because there are different machines for different diagnoses

I have to disagree, picking up a good, data capable, preferably auto machine, used, can tell far more than a brief sleep study, and if it's not the right machine for the issue, can be turned around and sold at very little loss.

Trouble is that i've been told that the only way to get a prescription is via sleep study. I really wish I could just rent one to figure out what the results would be.

Sounds like his complaint is going to sleep, that's not sleep apnea, nowhere does he say the symptoms of sleep apnea, jolting awake, night sweats, ect.... Jim

The reason why I think I have Sleep apnea is because even when I do fall asleep without eating I eventually wake up.

[Cardsfan]

You can get a machine without a prescription off Craigslist, and off this forum. There is an almost new Dreamstation listed for $300 on here.
Or start a thread titled something like;
Want to buy- cpap machine for self diagnosis.

[Julie]

"I eventually wake up". Well, we all do, but there has to be more to it than that. There are a lot of reasons why you might wake up (how long and how consistent is your time asleep?) other than apnea, and most apneas don't actually wake us to consciousness, only disturb our sleep. I really think you need to look at everything in your life before spending on a machine that, even if it shows you have some degree of apnea (tho' won't show other sleep problems you might have) could keep you from investigating your other problems until they're more serious.

[49er]

Hi,

Since Saphris is an antipsychotic, I am wondering if it may be causing metabolic issues that are contributing to your nighttime eating syndrome issues. To be honest, I haven't seen that it causes that specific side effect but because many antipsychotic do, it might be worth looking into.
Ask your doctor about having a complete metabolic panel.

I go back and forth as to whether it is worth you buying a machine or not. Do you have any other signs of sleep apnea besides what you mentioned in the first post?

Also, you might want to google UARS to see if anything resonates with this condition. It is also a sleep breathing disorder that gets overlooked by many doctors.

49er

[PEF]

"My doctor says that there's a good chance I have sleepapna which prevents me from staying asleep. I'm not sure how Night Eating Syndrome creates sleepapna or if there's a connection, but what do I know? "


There is a connection between nighttime eating and sleep apnea. Dr. Steven parks says that when you have eaten within 3 to 4 hours of when you go to sleep, there is more of a chance for you to experience reflux of stomach acid into your breathing apparatus. This will worsen sleep apnea. Sleep breathing disorders can actually cause reflux from the stomach into the throat. When you have eaten recently, there will be more acid in your stomach in addition to all the other stuff, like bacteria, bile and pepsin. The actual mechanics of it is complex.