Think I have sleep apnea?

[genuinefarmgirl]

I've had problems when I nap - I simply stop breathing. But the strange thing about it is I'm consious of it... and it doesn't happen at night, at least that I'm aware of. I did some research online and that is how I came to wonder if it's sleep apnea and that is how I found this forum.
There seems to be no particular pattern of when it happens, in example, it can happen for several consecutive days, but then not be a problem at all for a month or so.
When it does happen, I can roll over, and go back to sleep, and it will occor again...sometimes many times. And it doesn't seem to matter on what side I sleep on. I don't snore, but I do have asthma. Afterward, my eyes ache and feel sooo tired; I have a headache, too, that tend to get worse as the day goes on. I feel in a fog for 1/2 hr - and hour afterward.
Like I said, I'm consious of it- sometimes when my breathing stops, sometimes after. I feel numb all over with tingling and sometimes, if it's bad, I get a roaring noise in my ears, and it can be difficult to start breathing again.
I talked to my doctor about it, but he wondered why it didn't happen at night, and just left it at that. What do you guys think? What should I do?

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi there, well we are not doctors, but you should get yourself into a sleep study. This will help you find out what you do or don't do at night. It would be a life saving event!

Hope this helps,
Carrie

[Julie]

From the sound of some things, the tingling, etc., I wonder if you're not reacting to asthma meds rather than anything, and most of us are not aware of our breathing 'stops' because we're asleep when they happen. They can arouse us at the very end, but we generally don't remember them, or need to be told by a bed partner. And we usually have headaches when we wake up (without Cpap), but they get better over the morning, not worse. You should ask your MD for some general labwork and check into your meds before deciding you have apnea, especially as it doesn't usually disappear for any length of time on its own as yours does.

[genuinefarmgirl]

Thanks for the replies. I do understand that you are not doctors.
I would be very surprised if it was my asthma med, as this has been going on for a long time, and I have had changes in my meds during that time, but no changes in this problem. The tingling is not strong, and not uncomfortable, as strange as that may seem. But yes, I certainly am concious of it when it happens.

[Guest]

you could have central apnea which can only be properly diagnosed by a sleep study
do an in lab not at home study
you may want to look for another doc as this guy shoulda thought of all this
there is a screening that the doc (or sleep lab) can give you

[kteague]

I agree you should have your doctor work with you to sort through this. While your awareness may be during naps, there's always a possibility you have things going on while asleep you aren't aware of. I hope you'll come back and let us know what you find out.

[49er]

you could have central apnea which can only be properly diagnosed by a sleep study
do an in lab not at home study
you may want to look for another doc as this guy shoulda thought of all this
there is a screening that the doc (or sleep lab) can give you

That is what I was thinking guest as that has happened to me when taking ambien which has resulted in increased centrals on sleepyhead. I literally had breathing pauses.

Agree about looking for another doctor.

49er

[RogerSC]

I've had problems when I nap - I simply stop breathing. But the strange thing about it is I'm consious of it... and it doesn't happen at night, at least that I'm aware of. I did some research online and that is how I came to wonder if it's sleep apnea and that is how I found this forum.

Could be that when you nap you don't sleep as deeply, so wake up during apneas. At night, you are sleeping deeper, so don't know about apneas since you don't wake up enough...I didn't know that I was having apneas at night, my wife had to tell me about it. And I don't nap myself.

That's a guess, but it makes sense to me, working with your doctor on your medications. Or changing to another doctor who's more aware of the interaction of medications and sleep problems, sounds appropriate at this point. You'll probably end up getting a sleep test referral from your doctor, I expect.

[grapeshly]

If you are conscious of stopping breathing while napping then you probably are also stopping breathing while sleeping at night. When I nap without my CPAP machine, I keep waking up because I've stopped breathing.

If you wake up with headaches that might be another sign -- (oxygen deprivation causes the headaches). For most people the headaches fade shortly after waking, but for me they rarely did. If I woke up with a headache, it would persist for a long time, and the stresses of my job would then amplify it.

BUT, it could be your medications, too.

If you're doctor is unwilling to send you off for a sleep test, then switch doctors. I had 5 doctors over 7 years that didn't think I had OSA. If you just can't get anywhere with your doctors, then consider a home test. A lot of people think they're not very good, but it was a home sleep test that got me diagnosed. It's true that they they won't find a central apnea problem, and it's also true that you can't get titrated to find the best range for you on a CPAP machine, but IF you have OSA (obstructive sleep apnea, not the central apnea), a home test will at least get it diagnosed. And it is much easier on your pocketbook.

[genuinefarmgirl]

Thanks again for all the replies. I did some more reading on the different apneas, and it does sound more like central instead of obstructive. I have no struggling to breath, and no feeling of panic. And central seems to be one where you can be consious of it happening.
Now, how do I go about getting a sleep test? Is it only through a doctor?

[Rick007]

I don't suggest that you should just ignore the problem, you should certainly seek some professional advice. But consider my personal experience as a possibility.

When I had my first sleep test, my family doctor told me that I had OSA but I had to wait 6 months before seeing the sleep doctor. During the wait I became aware that I stopped breathing just as I was about to drop into full sleep. Once I became aware of this I realized that it was happening all the time . I began to get anxious when going to sleep, with the fear that I wouldn't wake up. I soon found I couldn't nap at all during the day because of the anxiety.

Once I obtained my CPAP machine the data showed that I was having Central Apneas at the time I went to sleep, and also at the times I woke up and lay in bed for a few minutes before getting up. There were no other CA's during the remainder of the night. From what I have read on these forums these so called CA's are experienced by many people at the moments before falling asleep and when waking up.

I said "so called CA's" because when I went for my titration study at the sleep lab, the technician said I had no CA's at all. The SleepyHead data shows that my respiration rate slows to about 5-7 just before falling asleep and then jumps up to 15 or higher when sleeping. These long pauses between breaths is flagged as a CA by the machine.

Once I understood this, I stopped thinking about it and I can once again fall asleep quickly without the unwarranted anxiety.

I don't think that a person in deep sleep would be aware that they had stopped breathing. That suggests you are experiencing this during the "twilight zones" of sleep like many others. This occurs during your naps because you probably don't fall asleep as quickly as you would at night.

I also don't think that you would get a headache caused by apnea during a short nap, and if you did it would begin to dissipate quickly after waking up and resuming normal breathing.

With regards to the tingling, I also experience tingling throughout my body when I am anxious. It feels like the "fight or flight" response and is caused by the release of adrenaline, and not from the lack of oxygen.

[icipher]

I don't suggest that you should just ignore the problem, you should certainly seek some professional advice. But consider my personal experience as a possibility.

When I had my first sleep test, my family doctor told me that I had OSA but I had to wait 6 months before seeing the sleep doctor. During the wait I became aware that I stopped breathing just as I was about to drop into full sleep. Once I became aware of this I realized that it was happening all the time . I began to get anxious when going to sleep, with the fear that I wouldn't wake up. I soon found I couldn't nap at all during the day because of the anxiety.

Once I obtained my CPAP machine the data showed that I was having Central Apneas at the time I went to sleep, and also at the times I woke up and lay in bed for a few minutes before getting up. There were no other CA's during the remainder of the night. From what I have read on these forums these so called CA's are experienced by many people at the moments before falling asleep and when waking up.
.

This is almost exactly how my case was. I was waking up consistently while trying to go to bed at night. I would kind of gasp awake. This caused a lot of anxiety. I went in for a sleep study and found out I had central apnea.

I am on ASV now and my AHI average is 1.

[genuinefarmgirl]

Rick007,
I do understand the anxiety issue. I don't really feel scared about it, but I can get tense with the expectation and therefore can spend a nap tossing and turning instead of sleeping.
Yes, the problems occur at the end of sleeping, for me. But I always felt that it was the reason I woke up. The only time I'm aware of it happening when I fall asleep, is when it already happened and I tried to roll over and go back to sleep. Then it occurs as I doze off.
I'm sorry, but I'm new to this, and don't understand:

The SleepyHead data shows that my respiration rate slows to about 5-7 just before falling asleep and then jumps up to 15 or higher when sleeping.

--------------------

During the wait I became aware that I stopped breathing just as I was about to drop into full sleep. Once I became aware of this I realized that it was happening all the time.

You said you became aware of it happening; how?
I guess the best way I could describe what I experience is: when you are sleeping, you can become "conscious" of someone in the room, or of a noise that keeps going...you become aware of it, but have not fully awakened. You can drift back to sleep, or you can have a bit of adrenaline go and "wake up". That is, I think the closest sort of thing as to what I experience. I become "aware" that I have stopped breathing and, I either roll over and go back to sleep, or, I fully awaken. If I continue to lay there, that is when I start to notice the other things. It is as if I am overly relaxed and my breathing slows to hardly anything at all and then just stops. It can happen many times, unless I get up right away. That is how I end up with a headache and aching eyes.

ichipher -
Thanks for your input. I have a few questions, too.

This is almost exactly how my case was. I was waking up consistently while trying to go to bed at night. I would kind of gasp awake. This caused a lot of anxiety. I went in for a sleep study and found out I had central apnea.

I read that CA is usually a secondary problem. Was this true for you?

I am on ASV now and my AHI average is 1.

I'm sorry, but once again, I don't understand this. Could you explain?

[icipher]

Rick007,
ichipher -
Thanks for your input. I have a few questions, too.

This is almost exactly how my case was. I was waking up consistently while trying to go to bed at night. I would kind of gasp awake. This caused a lot of anxiety. I went in for a sleep study and found out I had central apnea.

I read that CA is usually a secondary problem. Was this true for you?

I am on ASV now and my AHI average is 1.

I'm sorry, but once again, I don't understand this. Could you explain?

A secondary problem? So what I think you mean by that, is that central apnea often has an underlying cause? Yes, i believe that is true. Usually a neurologic or cardiovascular issue.

In my case, I saw a neurologist, had an MRI of my brain. then i saw a cardiologist, had a stress test, echo-cardiogram, and blood work done. Everything came back fine and the cardiologist said confidently that nothing is wrong with my heart and that it's structurally perfect. he also said he is 99.9% certain that my CSA had nothing to do my heart. When this happens and they can't find the culprit, they call it Idiopathic Central Apnea, which basically just means they don't know why I have it. That's a frustrating answer. We can put a man on the moon, clone a human being, and discover the God particle, but a specialist doctor can't tell me what's causing my Apnea.

If I end up having an issue with my heart that they didn't catch after thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars of extensive testing, you better bet my family will think about suing the hospital/clinic.

-In referenace to your AHI question, that is an acronym for Average Hypopnea Index(i think that's right). That is the average number of events per hour at night. So having an AHI of 1, means that on average I have 1 apnea or hypopnea event an hour. In my case, my AHI is comprised of hypopneas and flow limitations. I rarely ever have an actual apnea.

Chris

[Rick007]

I'm sorry, but I'm new to this, and don't understand:

The SleepyHead data shows that my respiration rate slows to about 5-7 just before falling asleep and then jumps up to 15 or higher when sleeping.

SleepyHead is software that displays the data captured by a CPAP machine in a graphical format. From these graphs I was able to determine that my breathing slows to 5-7 respirations a minute as I am about to fall asleep, and yet they are 15 and higher when I am fully asleep.

During the wait I became aware that I stopped breathing just as I was about to drop into full sleep. Once I became aware of this I realized that it was happening all the time.

You said you became aware of it happening; how?

I can't be certain, but I expect my breathing has always slowed down at the moments before falling asleep. Up until I was diagnosed with OSA I never suspected I had a problem and after the diagnosis I guess I just started looking for anything that would confirm OSA. If you look hard enough for any disease I think you can find you have symptoms. It's just like when you read your Horoscope you can find things that seem to describe you perfectly.

a noise that keeps going...you become aware of it, but have not fully awakened. I become "aware" that I have stopped breathing and, I either roll over and go back to sleep, or, I fully awaken. If I continue to lay there, that is when I start to notice the other things. It is as if I am overly relaxed and my breathing slows to hardly anything at all and then just stops.

If you were fully asleep I don't think you would be aware of your breathing pauses or sounds in the room. In my case my untreated AHI was 60. This means that I stopped breathing 60 times each hour while sleeping, and yet I was never aware of it. Apparently I was also a very loud snorer and I kept people awake in the adjacent rooms, and yet I never heard a sound. Yet I did become aware (after I began to look for it) of my breathing pauses when I was just at the verge of falling asleep. I don't think that you are fully asleep when you experience your breathing pauses, but rather in the twilight zone. That really describes the so called "Central Apneas" that almost all of us see on our "SleepyHead" reports. They almost always occur when we are just drifting off or waking up.

Regardless of what you may read from the members of this forum, if you feel you have a problem, you should get assessed my a medical professional. You may very well have a problem that is totally unrelated to sleep apnea. I am just describing my personal experiences and pointing out that they are common to many members on the forum, and may be a possible explanation to what you are experiencing.