How Do You "DESCRIBE" An Apnea To a Non Hoser Friend ?

[DavidCarolina]

Anybody else here ever tried to explain what having an apnea in the middle of the night is actually like to someone who has no clue what youre talking about?

Maybe to a spouse or friend? Or in my case, even a Physician who looked at me like I was crazy when he told me my sleep data was "good" but I told him I was still having apneas in the middle of the night with the hose on (set at 13) and sleeping on my stomach. (i have a very narrow airway).

I also have the same problem describing how apnea caused an immune disease in my body which causes multiple problems in including food allergies and immune responses (I was a perfectly healthy guy before all this and ran up to 25 miles a week). Some of the "Physicians" (even sleep doctors) look at me like I'm nuts. (IF I can offer one piece of advice to newbies, never go to a sleep doctor who has never experienced an apnea)

HERES" how I describe my own apneas----how do you describe yours??

""Like I just drank 20 cups of strong coffee, took 3 sleeping pills, and woke up with 10,000 volts of electricity running through my body while breathing through a straw"

[Julie]

How does apnea cause an immune disorder - I think we'd all like to know that.

[LSAT]

Anybody else here ever tried to explain what having an apnea in the middle of the night is actually like to someone who has no clue what youre talking about?

Maybe to a spouse or friend? Or in my case, even a Physician who looked at me like I was crazy when he told me my sleep data was "good" but I told him I was still having apneas in the middle of the night with the hose on (set at 13) and sleeping on my stomach. (i have a very narrow airway).

I also have the same problem describing how apnea caused an immune disease in my body which causes multiple problems in including food allergies and immune responses (I was a perfectly healthy guy before all this and ran up to 25 miles a week). Some of the "Physicians" (even sleep doctors) look at me like I'm nuts. (IF I can offer one piece of advice to newbies, never go to a sleep doctor who has never experienced an apnea)

HERES" how I describe my own apneas----how do you describe yours??

""Like I just drank 20 cups of strong coffee, took 3 sleeping pills, and woke up with 10,000 volts of electricity running through my body while breathing through a straw"

How do you know this if you are sleeping? Apneas occure when you stop breathing while you are asleep.

[jimnsc]

Apnea is stopping breathing - Hypopnea is a slowing of breathing.

[bayourest]

well I think you can explain the physiology of the apnea in terms of relaxed muscles, airway closing, oxygen deprivation etc. and there are numerous animated videos online that illustrate that process.
Many people only learn they have apnea when a sleeping partner points out to them that they stop breathing or have unusual breathing patterns. Part of the problem is that often you don't know you stop breathing yet you experience the effects of sleep deprivation while not actually being fully aware of the extent to which it's happening or the cause.
I think it sounds like in your case the effect of the adrenaline jolt you consciously experience in response to the oxygen deprivation of an episode of apnea is pretty severe and perhaps not "typical" of most OSA sufferers.

[msla]

How about this, remember what you felt like in the first few seconds after getting some liquid in your wind pipe. The coughing, hacking, gasping for a breath. The momentary sheer panic. Now add waking up 20,30,...,60, 70 times an hour from a state of sleep (?) or semi-consciousness. That is what sleep apnea was like for me.

[BlackSpinner]

Walk over to them and put your hands around their neck and squeeze. They will get the picture.

[BlackSpinner]

How does apnea cause an immune disorder - I think we'd all like to know that.

Low O2 causes organ and brain damage. Diabetes is an immune disorder of sorts.

[chunkyfrog]

I could NOT get a good night's sleep.
Every time I would drift off, I would wake up a few moments after--feeling like had been running a marathon.
I was nearly always waking up with a horrible headache, and on the rare occasion I would awaken without one,
I would get up and stay up--even if it was 4 AM, because I knew trying to sleep longer would only make me feel worse.
I would wake up, many times a night, remembering exhausting, strenuous, and sometimes bizarre dreams.
Being diagnosed was a RELIEF, because I really didn't know how much more I could take.

[SleepyToo2]

How does apnea cause an immune disorder - I think we'd all like to know that.

Low O2 causes organ and brain damage. Diabetes is an immune disorder of sorts.

Firstly, an apnea does not cause problems. You can have up to 5 apneas or hypopneas per hour and not be diagnosed as having sleep apnea. However, the low O2 that is often (but not always) associated with sleep apnea (whether apnea or hypopnea) does cause damage to many organs, including the immune system. When we are sick we want to sleep - because that is when the immune system is able to recover from the 'injuries' that have occurred because of the illness. Poor sleep has been associated with all sorts of illness that may or may not be immune disorders. Obesity, diabetes, migraine, stroke, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, etc, have all been associated with inflammation, and some people have reported that these get better when sleep apnea is treated effectively. Does this mean that apnea causes immune disorders? No, but the association means that we should certainly be taking notice if we have any of those symptoms. Maybe, just maybe, treatment of the sleep apnea will result in lower doses of medication to treat the other disorder. Of course, it is very important that all changes in dosage are done with full consultation with a qualified medical practitioner.

[DavidCarolina]

We are splitting hairs. Apneas cause 02 interruptions. And 02 deprivation causes central nervous system emergencies and potential long term damage.
Can we agree on that.

Further, many responders missed the point. I was describing the FEELING of awakening from sleep from an apnea which causes low 02 levels. This isnt rocket science. How does it FEEL? Like, how does it feel to fall in love? Do you describe it in terms of physiological data?

Finally, do your research. Dont be ignorant. There is emerging medical correlations between apneas, immune disorders, allergies, testosterone,
leaky gut syndrome, (also called intestinal permeability), etc.

The fact that your sleep doctor of physician has no clue about them proves all the more that this exists. Most Physicians, with all due respect, are exactly as far behind current information as they are number of years out of med school.

[Drowsy Dancer]

Walk over to them and put your hands around their neck and squeeze. They will get the picture.

Best answer ever.

[SleepyT]

Walk over to them and put your hands around their neck and squeeze. They will get the picture.

Best answer ever.

Yep..I agree! I think it all went off the rails when the medical community named it sleep apnea. To many, hearing someone has a sleep disorder probably doesn't sound too serious. If you frame it as breathing disorder while sleeping...a suffocation issue...well, then....you might have their attention.

[SleepyToo2]

We are splitting hairs. Apneas cause 02 interruptions. And 02 deprivation causes central nervous system emergencies and potential long term damage.
Can we agree on that.

I need to go back and find it, but just the other day I saw that there is a new animal model for sleep apnea that shows that damage from the apneas occurs very quickly - within a month or so. So, for all of those of us with a long history of apnea (so far back I can't remember!), the damage could be quite severe. Definitely something that needs treating effectively.

If you frame it as breathing disorder while sleeping...a suffocation issue...well, then....you might have their attention.

Agree with this. Before I was diagnosed I had noticed that during the day I was having some interruptions in my breathing pattern. Not enough to make me think I needed "treatment", but looking back I wish that I had paid more notice. Those "strangulations" with no one to cause them are signals of something being wrong - very wrong!