Can apnea cause panic attacks? Is this apnea?

[Fejsbukpejdz]

So my brother told me I wake up every 30 minutes with bad facial expressions making sounds as if someone is torturing me.

He calls me down by telling me everything is alright go back to sleep.

During the day I feel very very sleepy. I fall asleep on my table, on my computer, during a movie.

I ended up having extreme panic attacks one day accompanied with constant anxiety self doubt and a psychiatrist have diagnosed me with a depression.

My brother wondered how can one have 3 psychiatric diagnosis all at once?!?!??

He noticed I stop breathing when I sleep before I turn around or wake up making screaming sounds and stuff.
He then tilted my head 30 degrees and made me lay on my side furthermore he stretch my head and put a huge backpack on my back so I don't go back on my back sleeping that way. He continued monitoring my sleep and pulling my mandible forward as soon as I stop breathing. I still ended up having drops in oxygen with a consequent increase in heart rate and indeed one time a plant down to 89 percent oxygen saturation.

Now this screenshot is with me tilted on the side head stretched and constantly monitored and prevented from having drops in oxygen by him either waking me up or pulling my mandible forward.

By just flat-out laying on my back it is 5 times worse. He counted me stop breathing for more than 10 seconds up to 15 to 20 times in an hour before turning to my side.
One time I wasn't breathing for 40 seconds and he got very scared.

Now he made me a small mandible advancement device on his own and it makes my mandible very protruded the entire time.

My panic attacks are gone. I have some feeling of anxiety but very mild. I am still kind of depressed a little bit not much. However I am very very very very tired.

What happens now? It is my fifth day doing all these adjustments in sleep and first say with this improvised mandible advancement thing.


Pls don't tell me to go to the doctor because I already made an appointment and he said he's a pulmonologist and gave me an appointment in 2 months and then to get the CPAP therapy or whatever I would have to go to the sleep clinic or something once he tests me first. And all of that could take more than 4 months.

1. When can I expect proper improvement so I can study and and have more energy? How long does it take? My panic, depression, anxiety are all somewhat gone but this lack of concenration, fatique and drowsiness is still here. Anyone had similar experience? Does energy and focus and concentration get better? I'm a suborn rock I'll wear thousands of masks if needed to get through this..

2. Is this description of apnea at all? Can It really cause these weird panic attacks and anxiety with subsequent depression? Wtf? I threw away all the antidepressants and crap they prescribed me. I'd rather be nuts and crazy than drugged since I had opiate addiction in my teenage years. I am 7 years clean now thank God. And I try to have healthy life, training, diet.. working. No antidepressants or pills ever again. Ever.

Thank you all so much.

[LSAT]

Heart rate and O2 levels are normal...you need a sleep study.

[Fejsbukpejdz]

hmm yes I know those are okay as i said those are with mandibular protrusion and upright sleep as well as turned on my side and head stretched.

Two images were taken after those adjustments. The first one however where my O2 drops to 89% was without mandibular prosthesis but only with my brother holding my mandible here and there somewhat protruded when I stop breathing.

He said I stop breathing but as soon as he pulls my mandible anteriorly, I start breathing again and taking deep breaths. He even made video of it.

HE said before that, I start shaking and jerking my stomach as well as my chest.

Yes I know I need sleep study but before we did this and before I got this sleep that you see in screenshots, I was literally having weird panic attacks and I felt like world is going to end. I felt dispair and idk I had racing thoughts unable to control them.

I just wondered if apnea can indeed cause such stuff?

And how long would I have to keep O2 and heart rate like this to feel some difference in concentration and stuff...
In other words, like I already feel great improvements just within 5 days I feel waaaay more normal but I am still very tired during the day and can not concentrate very well. So I wonder what are your stories? How long does it take to have improvements in concentration and feeling of tiredness?

I know I need sleep study but as I said, I will have one in 4 months. This is what I did so far and my pulmonologist told me if I had mild case this might be all I need to begin with. He said if I was able to get these values of O2 and heart rate with posture and mandible protrusion, he said most likely I won't even need a CPAP.

But that wasn't my interest. To motivate me to keep doing this because I feel so uncomfortable doing these things, I wondered if you guys chould share your opinion?

1. Could panic attacks, depression and anxiety be explained by apnea?
2. How long did it take for you to feel proper improvement in your concentration and tiredness? (I know this is specific form case to case, that is why I ask to hear your personal stories)


I would be so thankful if you guys would share and motivate me to keep doing this. It is extremely uncomfortable sleeping on the side, tilted 30 degrees in one position whole night with this thing stuck in my mouth.

[chunkyfrog]

Yes.

Get a sleep study.

[jimbud]

viewtopic/t14494/Newbie-would-like-to-h ... lease.html

[Julie]

Panic attacks, depression and who knows what else are diagnosed prior to SA all the time by doctors who don't get 'it'! The attacks are not part of apnea itself, just a symptom that you need help and it feels like you're going to never wake up again. Would you mind giving an idea of what part of which country you're in? I ask because it sounds a bit like Canada, where everything takes so long (I'm up here, so I know).

Now, we can try to help you get hold of a basic machine while you wait for little money, because I think 4 mos of what you describe will drive you nuts otherwise, and we can certainly help you get set up and find out (great software) where things stand... you wouldn't be the first to go this route by a long shot. Depending on results, we may also be able to advise which type of machine, mask, etc. would be best and how to get hold of them.

So, if you are OK with the idea (and the people mentioned 'above' are long time experts, knowledgable at what they do) let us know about where you are (state, province, etc), whether you can afford even a few hundred to start with in terms of a machine/mask, and relax - I know symptoms are scary, but it's HIGHLY unlikely you will actually die or anything while waiting... people go for years like that until they find help!

Oh, and please stay in this same thread for future so we can keep track of the sequence, etc.

[Fejsbukpejdz]

viewtopic/t14494/Newbie-would-like-to-h ... lease.html

thank you so much!! <3 I just got some crazzy results.

I woke up because I had to go to the bathroom but I literally managed to flatten that O2 and heart rate. There are no spikes at all.

But my teeth hurt as hell!!! from this mandibular device thing.

[Janknitz]

Get a sleep study. You cannot expect ANY improvement until you know what's happening.

[Fejsbukpejdz]

despite my O2 curve flattening and heart rate stable and lower, I still feel very very very tired.

I at least don't have panic attacks anymore :S like I don't wake up with my heart pacing and my brain boiling :S

I will try to get that sleep study asap I'll call some private clinics. HEre healthcare is state run so sometimes there are long waitings times. communism yeah but at least I'll get it for free sort of. Well not free. Some rich dudes pay it through tax.

I guess my sleep is more important than his new rims on his porsche lol

[Julie]

Either your here (Canada) or ? in the UK, and if the UK's the one, PM member Rick Blaine who's there and knows all about the system, to help you with it. He also knows lots about OSA.

[Fejsbukpejdz]

Either your here (Canada) or ? in the UK, and if the UK's the one, PM member Rick Blaine who's there and knows all about the system, to help you with it. He also knows lots about OSA.

hello! I am in Austria but thank you so much for replying!

So far I've realized that I don't have this all the time. In fact I have it only when I sleep on my back and it gets really nasty. It makes my heart pump so much and it reduces my O2 to 70%.

Interestinlgy my motion and heart rate always follow the drop in O2

I just went to sleep on my back purposly to see what happens.

IT's nuts. I have no clue how long this has been going on.

I do know

1. I had a loft bed made recently veryy very high. A small ammount of space between my ceiling and the loft bed. In the morning its very hard to breath there. That definitely made everything worse for me.
2. I noticed I sleep better when tilted upwards so stupidly I put a huge high pillow under my head, flexing my neck anteriorly.. facepalm.. i know very stupid

So I have some great results for comparison on just how much posture, bed position and mandibular device can do. Will post tomorrow

Also I do not think this what I write matters much for folks who have constant apnea because of obesity or old age. I do not think that in their case it is a simple position of lower jaw or something but rather general obstruction of air ways.

I found one study which claimed mandibular protrusion devices can be as successful as CPAP but only in selected cases.

Thank you all for replying, I will be writing more tomorrow with some screenshots.

[Fejsbukpejdz]

lol I might also post side view of my head so you can see how funny and small my mandible is

[Fejsbukpejdz]

Panic attacks, depression and who knows what else are diagnosed prior to SA all the time by doctors who don't get 'it'! The attacks are not part of apnea itself, just a symptom that you need help and it feels like you're going to never wake up again. Would you mind giving an idea of what part of which country you're in? I ask because it sounds a bit like Canada, where everything takes so long (I'm up here, so I know).

Now, we can try to help you get hold of a basic machine while you wait for little money, because I think 4 mos of what you describe will drive you nuts otherwise, and we can certainly help you get set up and find out (great software) where things stand... you wouldn't be the first to go this route by a long shot. Depending on results, we may also be able to advise which type of machine, mask, etc. would be best and how to get hold of them.

So, if you are OK with the idea (and the people mentioned 'above' are long time experts, knowledgable at what they do) let us know about where you are (state, province, etc), whether you can afford even a few hundred to start with in terms of a machine/mask, and relax - I know symptoms are scary, but it's HIGHLY unlikely you will actually die or anything while waiting... people go for years like that until they find help!

Oh, and please stay in this same thread for future so we can keep track of the sequence, etc.

Thank you so much! you are sooo helpful! YEs it was almost unbearable! But ever since I 1. tilted my bed 30%, sleep on my left side with backpack on my back to prevent me from rolling over on my back, 3. use my mattress only till my axila so my shoulder falls above it and then I use another mattress above it to put my head on it, basically creating a small tunnel for my arm to go, thus sleeping on my arm is very comfortable and my neck is properly straight and stretched, 4. use this improvised mandibular device which tbh hurts as hell but it's worth it.... Ever since I did those crazy things, I am able to

1. not have panic attacks anymore
2. no anxiety
3. and depression is somewhat gone...

I have concentration problems and feel sooooooo tired, I still fall asleep all over the place as soon as I take a seat.

But overall my O2 curve looks really okay now.

I will try to get a proper mandibular device today and if this doesn't help me in the long run in about a month, I'll come back to this thread and see what can be done with CPAP. Those machines aren't that expensive.

but you guys are soo helpful!! God bless you all and hello to Canada!

[Trublue616]

viewtopic.php?t=178889#p1347436

This is a topic that I had made a while back. I do believe sleep apnea can be a cause to panic attacks, excessive anxiety and depression. Hopefully my story helps.

[Fejsbukpejdz]

Okay I have polysomnography tomorrow night. It will be some devices doctor will hook me up to at my home. I managed to convince her to do it asap. What do you guys think?! Is that the same as sleep study I was supposed to have at some clinic?

What is the difference?