Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
FallingtoPieces
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Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by FallingtoPieces » Fri Sep 16, 2011 4:21 am

Hello CPAPers (is that the right term?)

I'm so glad I found this forum. Hoping you guys can help me out here. I'm going to use bullet points so that the information i provide is easily understood.

1. I'm a 31 year old male
2. I was recently diagnosed with hypertension and I am taking medicines for it and I have also quit smoking.

Now this is the part where I need your assistance:

3. I have been falling asleep at work almost every day for the last 7 months. I always fall asleep during 4 to 5 pm. If I somehow manage to avoid falling asleep at this time, I'd most likely feel sleepy later.. say around 7 PM. (I leave work around 8.30 PM).
4. However if I'm NOT at work I never feel sleepy eg. if i'm at home watching TV , I'll never experience daytime sleepiness.
5. I do not wake up in the middle of the night gasping for breath .
6. When I wake up in the morning I do not feel tired nor do I have a headache.

7. I'm able to fall asleep quite easily.. withing 5-10 minutes.
8.I don't have a sleeping partner but when sleeping over at friends' places my friends observed that I snored a little bit.
9. I am around 15 pounds overweight.
10. In relation to my hypertension I underwent extensive heart tests and my heart function was found to be normal.
11. I do not awake at night with frequent urges to pee.


So my question is this -

Do I have Sleep Apnea or is it just plain old narcolepsy? If it is some sort of early symptom of sleep Apnea will using a Nasal Strip help?

Another thing is I'm in India and even the top hospitals here do not seem to offer sleep study research . I will try to find one that does if required.

Hope I didn't miss out out on anything. Thanks in advance!

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cpax
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by cpax » Fri Sep 16, 2011 5:01 am

Sounds like you might have a slight case. It might be CSA which is where you just stop breathing for neurological reasons as opposed to your throat closing. In any case a sleep study is your best bet. I don't imagine any physician would treat you without one.

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LSAT
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by LSAT » Fri Sep 16, 2011 6:18 am

Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help

The only way to tell is with a sleep study...otherwise you are guessing.

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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by Perrybucsdad » Fri Sep 16, 2011 6:44 am

Ditto what the others have said.

I thought my wife and kids were full of it until I went to the sleep study and then realized all the symptoms I was having (tired all the time, elevated BP when not on my meds, heart palpitations, etc) and this was most likely why.

Now, I just got my APAP device yesterday and am looking at the data (Link) and I see what the sleep study was showing and fully understand why I feel the way I do.

Go get yourself a sleep study done and see what it shows. That's really the only way to tell.

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Carl LaFong
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by Carl LaFong » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:20 am

FallingtoPieces wrote: Another thing is I'm in India and even the top hospitals here do not seem to offer sleep study research . I will try to find one that does if required.
http://expressbuzz.com/finance/philips- ... 43015.html

http://www.apollohospitals.com/hospital ... city=delhi

FallingtoPieces
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by FallingtoPieces » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:31 am

Thanks for the replies! Have checked out those links but I'm pretty sure they are quite expensive. Oh Well, I guess I don't really have a choice.
I have been reading up on many sleep apnea topics but I've never seen this one explained - WHY does sleep apnea happen? Anyone?

Thanks!

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Carl LaFong
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by Carl LaFong » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:46 am

FallingtoPieces wrote:WHY does sleep apnea happen?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health- ... auses.html

There is also central sleep apnea, which is brain-related and less common than obstructive apnea.

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SleepingUgly
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by SleepingUgly » Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:14 am

As others said, no telling whether you have sleep apnea without a sleep study.

Symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness, falling asleep when you don't intend to, and can include sleep paralysis and cataplexy, etc. (read about it on the internet). Of course more boring and sedentary activities make staying awake harder for everyone, but I would be surprised if someone with narcolepsy would experience none of the symptoms of narcolepsy, including excessive daytime sleepiness, except at work. Maybe you need a more stimulating job?!
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by purple » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:09 am

Are you sure you do not have some form of pre-diabetes? Diabetes often means one has high blood sugars, which cause sleepiness. Some hypertension meds, and the doc may not advertise this, sometimes help drive a slight diabetic state. Some are also now suggesting some cholesterol lowering drugs may have this issue.

Let me put that differently. Do you eat differently at work versus at home? Do you consume either sugar or high glycemic foods, like rice, noodles, chips before getting sleepy?

When I started talking about I thought I had Sleep Apnea, the first thing my doc did, was to issue a prescription for me to use a recording Oximeter to determine if I probably did have sleep apnea.

These are small devices that are painless to use, and can be done in your own home. You put a little thing on your finger overnight, that is attach to the recording part that might be as small as a large wrist watch, or like a cell phone. Then the device is read on by a computer program. As you would never need it again, I would not recommend that you buy one. I guess I can buy one in the US for $120.00 dollars or less. Some companies rent them, which for one use sounds like a better option.

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archangle
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by archangle » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:30 am

That does sound like the kinds of problems an apnea sufferer would have. It could also be something else. A sleep test is a good idea.

There are some home sleep apnea tests. They're not nearly as good as an in lab PSG sleep test.

If you do a home sleep test, be sure to get one that has a pulse oximeter that measures oxygen in your blood as well as an airflow sensor that senses breathing. There are a number of "sleep apnea tests" that I have a lot less confidence in. It's also really a good idea to have a belt that goes around your chest to measure your "breathing effort."

There are some other things that might give you some further clues whether you have apnea or not. They're not a substitute for a real sleep test.

In the US, you can buy a recording pulse oximeter that will check your blood O2 level (SPO2) for under 100 USD. You need one that records data all night, not one that shows you what it is right now. This will tell you that the oxygen in your blood is getting low while you sleep, which indicates something is wrong. Unfortunately, if it doesn't show low blood oxygen, you might still have apnea disturbing your sleep even if your SPO2 is good.

Sometimes, you can rent a recording pulse oximeter from a medical supply place for an overnight test. They usually charge you more to rent a "professional" oximeter than you can buy a good "consumer" oximeter for.

If someone sees you sleeping, ask them to watch and see if you're not breathing, and for how long. You might get some information with a video camera or a voice recorder to see or hear if you're stopping breathing and for how long.

Some people would say to get your doctor to prescribe you a good CPAP machine that records data and see what it shows you. The better modern CPAP machines attempt to sense when you have apneas. Your doctor or you can use software to look at the data and see whether you're still having apneas and adjust your pressure to fix it. Some machines will even attempt to adjust pressure themselves.

Unfortunately, a CPAP machine can't measure how you breathe without CPAP pressure, so it's not the equivalent of a sleep test. It might show apnea, but it can't rule it out.

I don't know how easy it is to buy a CPAP machine in India. Are there DMEs (Durable Medical Equipment providers) who dispense the machines on doctor's orders and set them up for patients? Can you rent? Can you buy online? Are prescriptions required? How available are the big brands of CPAP?

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Emilia
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by Emilia » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:57 am

I concur that a sleep study is in order. There are about 80+ different types of sleep disorders, and you may have OSA or something else. It may be you just don't get to REM stage sleep and thus, the afternoon sleep. We can all guess and suggest, but until you are studied, you won't know for sure.
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Julie
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by Julie » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:17 pm

I think that as well as a sleep study you should also get your blood sugar (and thyroid) checked, as suggested above.

There are many problems that have similar symptoms and the fact you fall asleep in the late afternoon, when most of us crave sweets could be a tip off... but then so could something related to your work be responsible - are you around a lot of chemicals all day?

Talk to your doctor - don't just guess according to what we say.

FallingtoPieces
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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by FallingtoPieces » Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:04 pm

purple wrote:Are you sure you do not have some form of pre-diabetes? Diabetes often means one has high blood sugars, which cause sleepiness. Some hypertension meds, and the doc may not advertise this, sometimes help drive a slight diabetic state. Some are also now suggesting some cholesterol lowering drugs may have this issue.

Let me put that differently. Do you eat differently at work versus at home? Do you consume either sugar or high glycemic foods, like rice, noodles, chips before getting sleepy?

When I started talking about I thought I had Sleep Apnea, the first thing my doc did, was to issue a prescription for me to use a recording Oximeter to determine if I probably did have sleep apnea.
It is quite likely that I might have pre-diabetes since my granddad had it. I'm also taking cholesterol lowering meds. And yes I do eat differently at work vs at home.

By a strange coincidence I had to go to hospital to last night to visit a sick friend and that hospital has a sleep study centre and I will be checking in to see if I do have sleep apnea in about a week's time.

Thanks to ALL who responded!

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Re: Do I have Sleep Apnea? Please help.

Post by nobody » Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:05 pm

No, what you have is not narcolepsy. I don't know if it's sleep apnea either. Do you drink caffeine on the days you work but not on the days you don't? Could be a caffeine crash. The only way to know if you have these sleep disorders is to see a doctor and have a sleep study done. Good luck.

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