Can STRESS cause sleep apnea?

[fireman38355]

Let me explain, I am in my mid 30's, not overweight, and according to my family doc, don't fit the profile of someone who would typically have sleep apnea. In fact, it took some doing to get him to refer me to the sleep clinic because he was so sure this wasn't my problem.

Once I went to the clinic, they diagnosed me with Complex Sleep Apnea, with events lasting as long as 127 seconds..........


Being that I don't fit the profile, I started thinking about other factors that could come into play as to a cause for my sleep apnea. I am under ALOT of stress with my job and life..... This has mainly come about over the last couple of years as the stress level has increased dramatically and so has my snoring and my symptoms.

What do you think? Is there a good study or article out there that confirms my suspicion?

Thanks all, this forum is the greatest!

Jeff

[roster]

.... I am in my mid 30's, not overweight, and according to my family doc, don't fit the profile of someone who would typically have sleep apnea.

Your family doctor is using an old, obsolete profile. It is not the weight and it is not the age.

It is a narrow airway. Some signs of a narrow airway are crowded or crooked teeth, no wisdom teeth, scalloped tongue, recessed chin, and short jaw bones.

Can STRESS cause sleep apnea? Sleep apnea definitely causes stress.

[DreamLady]

Your doctor is sadly misinformed, Jeff. There is no "type" of person who has apnea. We are short, tall, medium, thin, obese, and 'just right'; we are children as young as 3. The real factor seems to be two things.

1. The size of your airway
2. The 'tone' or 'floppiness' of your airway.
3. The ability of your brain to 'remember' to make you breathe if you 'forget'.

In your case, this last is every bit as important as the first two put together. Complex apnea means you have a mix of obstructive and central events. The obstructive is self-explanatory. The central type is is where your brain 'forgets' to tell your lungs to take the next breath.

While I can see some argument that perhaps stress will make apnea WORSE, I doubt very much if it is the cause. At this point, no one really knows exactly what causes your type of apnea, but they have pretty much labeled it an autonomic problem, not a psychological one or something that can be resolved with stress reduction. You seriously need to use some sort of xpap (cpap, apap, or bi-level) therapy to treat it. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but mixed or complex apnea does not respond as well to any other therapy and sometimes requires more advanced equipment such as bi-pap.

Think about it like this. You are not breathing for up to 2 minutes at a time. Brain damage can begin to occur in less than 3 minutes. There is a lot of research showing that cumulative events of a shorter duration (i.e, reduction of oxygen levels for more than 10 seconds) can over time cause a lot of problems. Things like high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, severe headache from hypoxia, mental confusion and 'brain fog', poor performance at work, etc. are very common. Just last week a state senator who was prescribed cpap therapy, but could not cope with the adjustment process died. His death was attributed to being a direct result of untreated sleep apnea.

These, and more, are reasons to consider treating your sleep apnea sooner, not later.

[fireman38355]

Yes, I agree that OBSTRUCTIVE apneas are caused by a narrow airway, and my primary doc did about an hour consult with me looking and checking and scratching his head. But the majority of my events were CENTRAL apneas, which are neurological..... hence, my question about the effects of stress. No big deal, more curious than anything...... lol

Thanks for the reply, though!

[fireman38355]

DreamLady,

I AM treating my apnea..... I use a Respironics BiPap AutoSV Advanced..... I have been 100% compliant from day 1...... The only night I missed was because I was working an all night house fire......

I tend to agree with you in that stress can compound problems, and I may just be off in my thinking. When downloading my events, I have noticed that as my stress level has been reduced over the last several weeks, my numbers have also become better. Not that I would ever go without my machine, I am not looking for an excuse or anything because I adjusted very easily and am quite comfortable with my machine. I just noticed a slight correlation and it made me stop to think that there might be a connection....

Thanks for your reply!

Jeff

[DocileDiva]

I don't know if stress causes sleep apnea, but it does make you fat...all the cortisol it releases....it also kills ....I refused to be stressed anymore...came to the decision if my job causes me so much stress it kills me ... all they are going to do is hire someone else...

[fireman38355]

I don't know if stress causes sleep apnea, but it does make you fat...all the cortisol it releases....it also kills ....I refused to be stressed anymore...came to the decision if my job causes me so much stress it kills me ... all they are going to do is hire someone else...

I agree totally!! Hence, the changes I have made to reduce the stress in my life....... I am self employed, I went through my customer list and ditched all of my "problem" accounts.... Any of those that are very slow to pay, or require me to jump through hoops to get my money, no longer have credit with me. I sent them all letters informing them that I would no longer carry an account for them due to their past actions and would require immediate payment for any future work and that keys would not be given to them until the payment has been processed and approved. (I'm a locksmith)

I had several accounts that went elsewhere, the others began paying me immediately....... and life is so much simpler! I also have been known to put an occasional "nuisance charge" on an invoice........ Those customers receiving this charge generally never return, but it's usually no big loss.

Don't get me wrong, I offer excellent service and treat my customers with the utmost respect. But there are some people who will drive you to an early grave over nothing.

[Laurie1041]

I agree totally!! Hence, the changes I have made to reduce the stress in my life....... I am self employed, I went through my customer list and ditched all of my "problem" accounts.... Any of those that are very slow to pay, or require me to jump through hoops to get my money, no longer have credit with me. I sent them all letters informing them that I would no longer carry an account for them due to their past actions and would require immediate payment for any future work and that keys would not be given to them until the payment has been processed and approved. (I'm a locksmith)I had several accounts that went elsewhere, the others began paying me immediately....... and life is so much simpler! I also have been known to put an occasional "nuisance charge" on an invoice........ Those customers receiving this charge generally never return, but it's usually no big loss.Don't get me wrong, I offer excellent service and treat my customers with the utmost respect. But there are some people who will drive you to an early grave over nothing.

Hi Fireman,

I am very pleased to hear that you have become aware of your high stress level and are taking steps to bring your stress level down. I would imagine that setting boundaries as you have done with your clients is very empowering. The more power and control that people feel in their personal and work lives has a definite correlation in lower stress levels. There is good stress - that which makes one feel energized and good about oneself and conversely there is bad stress which makes people feel resentful, fatigued, and overwhelmed. High levels of stress which are unabated can lead to serious health and emotional issues often resulting in depression and anxiety. I hope that you make time for yourself to do things that give you a sense of well-being. Hobbies, physical exercise and having strong social ties have been shown to help people regain a sense of purpose and connection with others. Remember the things that you once enjoyed and try and tap into those memories of what it felt like when you were much younger and had not a care in the world. You have the right to live a life that is worth living - one that is satisfying and gives you good feelings about yourself. I applaud your efforts to bring your life into balance. Welcome to the forum! Laurie

[DreamLady]

DreamLady,

I AM treating my apnea..... I use a Respironics BiPap AutoSV Advanced..... I have been 100% compliant from day 1...... The only night I missed was because I was working an all night house fire......

I tend to agree with you in that stress can compound problems, and I may just be off in my thinking. When downloading my events, I have noticed that as my stress level has been reduced over the last several weeks, my numbers have also become better. Not that I would ever go without my machine, I am not looking for an excuse or anything because I adjusted very easily and am quite comfortable with my machine. I just noticed a slight correlation and it made me stop to think that there might be a connection....

Thanks for your reply!

Jeff

Fireman, I"m sorry if I implied you were not compliant. That wasn't my intent. I tend to come on a little strong sometimes in my passion concerning this subject.

I'm one for thinking about things from all angles. Another way to look at it is that Apnea causes stress to your body. Treating the apnea reduces the stress, and over time, your numbers improve. It's the same thing that happens to a lot of us when we treat our apnea. Amazing what being able to breathe normally at night can do for you!

[snnnark]

Yes, I agree that OBSTRUCTIVE apneas are caused by a narrow airway, and my primary doc did about an hour consult with me looking and checking and scratching his head. But the majority of my events were CENTRAL apneas, which are neurological..... hence, my question about the effects of stress.

Have you ever had head or brainstem injuries?

[Janknitz]

You said an interesting thing here:

When downloading my events, I have noticed that as my stress level has been reduced over the last several weeks, my numbers have also become better

Perhaps, your stress level has been reduced because you no longer stop breathing at night. No more adrenalin and stress hormones being released to try to get you to BREATHE!!! No more flight or fight all night. As a result, you are able to think more clearly during the day and make decisions that allow you to consciously reduce your daytime stressors as well.

Interesting, isn't it.

[OutaSync]

My stress level hasn't been reduced with CPAP treatment. I still get rushes of adrenaline or cortisol, whatever, throughout the day, leaving me drained when I get home. My sleep tests also showed centrals over two minutes long. I'm inclined to believe that stress causes centrals. CPAP is certailnly not the cure all for all of us. Some of us just need a vacation.

[nobody]

I don't know if stress causes sleep apnea, but it does make you fat...

That's odd because I thought it was all the eating that made me fat! I got overweight after I went on the CPAP. Now I can't get rid of it because I love to cook and to eat.

[Big S]

My doc told me I had hand to mouth disease. Finally! After all these years, I have been diagnosed.

[Peter Bosson]

I have had sleep apnoea for a year or so. I know it's stress coz I have been under LOADS and it's now happening when I do relaxation breathing and I nod off for a few seconds/ minutes. Just work on de stressing in every way possible and I think it will go. Pete.