Fatigue, only a little sleepiness, could it be sleep apnoea?

winstonsmith · Post by **winstonsmith** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:14 pm

Hi,

I've been very sick for the past year, I have had alot of sinus problems, and been unable to breathe through my nose.

I've also been extremely weak, and found it difficult to breathe when going to sleep at night. Occasionally I notice myself not breathing correctly just as I am about to fall asleep, then wake up.

However I never notice myself waking in the night. I also don't feel really sleepy all the time, sometimes I find myself wanting to fall asleep in the day, but more often I'm jelly legged and tired in that sense.

My ENT, having recently performed surgery, mentioned that sinuses were unlikely to be causing my weakness, and suggested sleep apnoea.

Do my symptoms make sense? I'm 23, is this too young to suffer from sleep apnoea? Can sleep apnoea worsen sinus inflammation, that's a long shot I know!

Appreciate any advice or help.

LDuyer · Post by **LDuyer** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:30 pm

Hi there,

The only way to know for sure if you have sleep apnea is to have a sleep study. As to the sinus worsening with sleep apnea, I don't know, for I have never had such problems. But most sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, involving the structure of the throat, not nasal passages.

Sleep apnea is a progressive condition, it gets worse over time if untreated, if indeed you do have sleep apnea. If you do have this checked out, I recommend seeing a pulmonary physician who specializes in sleep apnea. That way if it's not sleep apnea, their expertise may help to determine the cause of your symptoms. Sleep apnea may first appear to have few and not so severe symptoms. Hopefully you do not have sleep apnea, but it is worth getting checked out.

Linda

tomjax · Post by **tomjax** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:31 pm

A lot of things may not make much sense to a person named Winston Smith.
It all came together for him in 1984.

Hope you get it figured out with a better outcome than he did.

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:46 pm

tomjax wrote:A lot of things may not make much sense to a person named Winston Smith.
It all came together for him in 1984.

Hope you get it figured out with a better outcome than he did.

tomjax,

Which Winston Smith are you refering to?

Winston Smith, butler to Lara Croft in the video game Lara Croft Tomb Raider or...

Winston Smith, alias for American neo-nazi Harold Covington or...

Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

LOL!

Makes you wonder whether our poster is actually named WS?

wahooker · Post by **wahooker** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:12 am

Don't let the the fact that you don't remember waking up during the night rule out Sleep Apnea.

For many, the body only "Wakes Up" to the level needed to begin breathing again. Its enough to pull you out of REM sleep, But its not enough for everyone to actually Really gain full waking consciousness.

I had severe sleep apnea (I stopped breathing 87x per hour in my sleep study.) However, I never really "Woke Up". I thought I was asleep, but In reality, I never got a chance to get into a deep sleep for more than a few seconds.

For others, they are sometimes awakened when they stop breathing. But Many people who sleep like a log have serious sleep apnea.

winstonsmith · Post by **winstonsmith** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:45 am

oh my name isn't really winston smith. I've just been reading 1984 recently.

thanks for the advice above, I guess a sleep study IS the only way, not that I thought posting on the net would actually fix things, just it helps with the general wondering!

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 9:55 am

WAhooker-

The problem is that, when your brain detects that you ain't breathing like you should and you're not getting enough oxygen as a result, it releases a BIG DOSE of adrenaline and other hormones and enzymes to arouse you enough to get you breathing better, again. Those arousals may not get all the way the wakefulness, but the adrenaline is still considerable. It has a VERY stressful effect on the resting heart and brain, and there is speculation that this is the reason that OSA is an independent risk factor for both strocke and heart attack.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

tooly125 · Post by **tooly125** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 11:23 am

winstonsmith wrote: I'm 23, is this too young to suffer from sleep apnoea?

Sleep apnea seems to be an equal opportunity disease.
It will not discriminate against age,weight or sex.

Fatigue, only a little sleepiness, could it be sleep apnoea?

Fatigue, only a little sleepiness, could it be sleep apnoea?

smith

Re: smith

Adrenaline

Re: Fatigue, only a little sleepiness, could it be sleep apn