Cluster of sleep issues

[sleepcrapnea]

Hi all,

I seem to have a cluster of sleep issues and have been chasing my tail for a long time to try and resolve them.

I have tested for sleep apnea 4 times. One of them was an in-lab sleep study. All of them registered non sleep apnea. That was the diagnosis of both the ENT and 2 different sleep doctors i dealt with. This because my apneas were between 3 and 4 each time. All of my other sleep things were fine. Like oxygen saturation etc.

However, the issues that I have is that I wake up a few times during the night. Usually about 4 times. Conscious awakenings I am meaning. And I often can take a long time to get back to sleep. I snore a little bit but at the lower end of the scale. Eg my snore lab average score is 11. But, I mouth breathe a lot and sometimes heavily. So when I wake up during the night consciously I often have a sore throat and mouth, all dried up.

I have also had a deviated septum and had surgery for that a year ago. That fixed my deviated septum but caused a new issue, nasal valve collapse. Nonetheless, I still breathe much better out of my nose than pre-surgery - its just not perfect because of this new issue.

I also get anxiety when I wake up in the night which makes it hard to go to sleep.

I think I have four issues:

1. Sub clinical sleep apnea. not sleep apnea but apnea to the point where it almost is;
2. Nasal obstruction (although to a lesser extent now) causing me to mouth breathe;
3. Ingrained habits from having a more obstructed nose, so habitual mouth breathing;
4. Anxiety which surfaces at night time which causes me to stay awake for periods once I am awoken by breathing issues. Lying there ruminating and stressing out about issues that seem very trivial in the daytime but at night time feel like major problems.

I feel like it has gotten a bit better since the surgery. It has also gotten a bit better since I have lost 7kgs within the last 6 months. I am now well within my height and weight range. I was only overweight by about 2kgs before. But my sleep is still not very good.

Anyone else have these types of issues? How did you fix them if so>

Thanks

[Julie]

Little bit of melatonin?

[sleepcrapnea]

Little bit of melatonin?

Oh I did try those. Did nothing though. I moved on to the "hard stuff". Being sleeping pills. Zopiclone. They actually work. I dont wake up much and feel great after taking half a zopiclone. But they are not a good thing for me to take often. I take half a pill once every 2 weeks on average to get me through really rough patches. I would like a better solution though, that's just a quick fix last resort fix.

[Julie]

Looked at side effects of zopiclone - a bit scary actually - was there a reason your doctor prescribed it vs other more common ones?

[sleepcrapnea]

Looked at side effects of zopiclone - a bit scary actually - was there a reason your doctor prescribed it vs other more common ones?

Oh I didnt realise zopiclone was not common. I am in NZ not USA. Zopiclone seems to be commonly prescribed here as opposed to other sleeping pills. I looked up the side effects just now. I have never experienced any of those.

[clownbell]

I don't see any OSCAR results posted. Wondering whether positional apnea may be happening here, because OP used the word "clusters." It may be worthwhile to read up on positional apnea -- in the Apnea Board wiki.

[sleepcrapnea]

I don't see any OSCAR results posted. Wondering whether positional apnea may be happening here, because OP used the word "clusters." It may be worthwhile to read up on positional apnea -- in the Apnea Board wiki.

I havent posted any results as I am not on a Cpap.. The issues is I fall short of a sleep apnea diagnosis so doctors dont recommend one for me.

Actually during my in lab sleep study they said that my sleep position didnt seem to affect my breathing. I do prefer sleeping on my back as I find that the most comfortable but I always try and avoid doing so due to the association with sleep apnea.

[Julie]

Has your doctor referred you to a therapist for anxiety issues? If not, why not? Do you exercise?

[sleepcrapnea]

Has your doctor referred you to a therapist for anxiety issues? If not, why not? Do you exercise?

Great point Julie. No they have not. But, its likely because I have been chasing my tail about all of this for the last 4 to 5 years. And the realisation that it might not just be an anatomical issue and partly, or even entirely, a psychological issue is a new one.

I wonder if anxiety can cause you to mouth breathe while asleep and if it can cause you to do so rapidly and loudly.

[Julie]

No idea, but maybe worrying about it - if AHI and how you feel otherwise - may make you feel worse than you need to.

[kteague]

A negative sleep study report is only as good as the night's sleep one had. In discerning whether to reasonably trust results, ask a few questions. Was there enough sleep? Was there enough sleep in REM? Did breathing change with position, and was there a significant time while supine? This is a generality, but supine while in REM stage is likely to present one's worst case scenario. Short of all this, I would be suspect that the results fully represent the condition. Other culprits in bad sleep to be ruled out are medication side effect, and limb movements if one is an active sleeper.