Sleep study results?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
wetwilly
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2023 12:25 pm

Re: Sleep study results?

Post by wetwilly » Fri May 19, 2023 6:18 pm

Miss Emerita wrote:
Fri May 19, 2023 11:44 am
you might be experiencing sleep-transition central apnea or other arousal disturbances connected with the neurochemical regulation mechanisms at work when you fall asleep.
Oh my gosh, thank you! This perfectly describes what I'm experiencing every night. Everyone keeps telling me that I need to try a new breathing app, or better sleep hygiene, or who knows what else. But the reality is that my breathing effort is greatly reduced and even stops before I fall asleep, and it's wrecking me. You are the first one who makes a suggestion explaining what I'm experiencing!! Thank you thank you.

What are the ways to fix sleep-transition apnea? I have a doctor in the family who recommended looking into Acetazolamide because it increases the body's drive to breathe. Would supplemental oxygen help? I'd like to talk to my doctor with some background knowledge about possible solutions.

Thank you again!

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Miss Emerita
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Re: Sleep study results?

Post by Miss Emerita » Sat May 20, 2023 11:46 am

An appointment with your doctor is certainly in order. I found this information on line:

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/ ... dication#1

But it's too early, I think, to assume that your primary problem is a sleep-transition breathing disorder.

Your doctor would benefit from a clear description of your experiences when you fall asleep. As far as I can tell, your experiences often don't involve central apnea but always do involve dwindling respiratory effort, which in turn causes you to gasp, jolt, or startle as you are in the process of falling asleep. I hope your doctor will conclude that an in-lab sleep study is needed, one that includes a focus on your initial efforts to fall asleep, plus later efforts in the night to fall back asleep after you've awakened.

I also think it's important that the doctor give attention to the large number of spontaneous arousals that you have (those unrelated to respiratory effort). The doctor should aim to understand when they occur -- mainly when you're trying to fall asleep or at other times as well? He or she can then start thinking about appropriate treatment.
Oscar software is available at https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/