OSA and the use of tobacco

[Sleepy Etech]

Hi,

I have been on apap for 15 days and I know it has helped.
I feel better, not like a spring chicken but better. I was wondering what effects nicotine has on people with OSA,

[greatunclebill]

nicotine has the same effects, osa or not. it will kill you or make you wish you were dead in time.

[chunkyfrog]

In addition, nicotine blocks or slows healing. (typically, broken bones take double the time to knit)
Of course, it also sets out the welcome mat for all forms of infection, especially cancer.
OSA has done plenty of damage to your body, requiring healing--a lot of it!
Nicotine just slows all that down--AT THE VERY LEAST.

[lazer]

I chew swedish snus. I'm sure that's not good either. It's the type of "Non-Spit" chew/dip tobacco in pouches.

[jnk]

As for smoking:

Cigarette smoking increases the risk [for OSA], which [risk] appears to resolve with smoking cessation. -- http://www.pcca.net/ObstructiveSleepApnea.html

Smokers are three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than are people who've never smoked. Smoking may increase the amount of inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway. This risk likely drops after you quit smoking. -- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep- ... sk-factors

As for nicotine alone:

A report [in connection with the] nicotine patch . . . reported that nausea, reduced total sleep time, reduced sleep efficiency, and percent REM sleep were common side effects. -- http://www.aasmnet.org/resources/practi ... apyosa.pdf

It must be noted, too, that tobacco contains more chemicals than nicotine.

All drugs affect sleep somehow. Some effects have been discovered, some have not. Some drugs help some aspects of sleep and breathing, of course, but those same drugs can also be damaging to other aspects of sleep and breathing. Sometimes the trade-off makes sense for medical use of a drug under a doc's supervision; sometimes it doesn't.

Docs and pharmacists can also come in handy for discussing non-medical use of drugs, perhaps by a patient's asking questions in the hypothetical. Those pros can point out health consequences for an indivdual in light of other conditions, medications, or family history--consequences that the person might not think of or find out about on his or her own, even with careful research on the matter.