How many here are young, thin females?

We must all struggle to correct the so-called profile for OSA patients, and younger thinner women have the biggest opportunity. Thank you!
(I'd guess the "you don't look like the typical apnea patient" comments are akin to the "you don't look like you weigh xxx." It could be politeness.)

That profile does not exist. If you only look for OSA in elderly obese men then you will only find OSA there.
If you are looking for OSA in the population at large, then more people benefit from treatment. And thank goodness for that.

I am neither young, thin, or female, but do have OSA. But I don't snore (anymore) either. My sleep study showed all my obstructions were hypopneas (partial 50-80% reduction in airflow). The results are the same as total obstructions, reduced 02.

Honestly after my surgery I thought my OSA had been treated. Followup sleep study proved otherwise, AHI of 26.

Moral of the story. Not snoring doesn't mean no OSA.

I am not thin or overly large and the only time I snored was when I had a head cold. The old definition of OSA, was Pickwickian syndrome, after a charater in Charles Dickens book. When I was in Nursing school 27 years ago, my last research paper (50 loong pages) was on sleep apnea and the only solution at that time was a trach. That was in the early 80's. I for one can handle a CPAP machine and mask, no problem, if the alternative is a tracheostomy.
Shar:)

The extreme fatigue hit me about 13 yrs ago at age 46. I was very slim at the time and very athletic...working out 3x a week and getting 15 miles in a week power walking. I had a minor surgical procedure done and when I awoke was aware that every muscle in my body hurt and it was hard to move. That went away within a day or so, but the fatigue that came with it is still with me today. Over the course of those years, I stopped exercising and gained a boatload of weight. This, of course, added to my misery and sleepiness. 13 yrs of telling the doctors how tired I was; how upon waking I felt like I just worked a 10 hr day; how I had no problems 'sleeping' -- I just wasn't getting any rest! Not one ever suggested to me that it was a sleep disorder. Instead, because of my age, it was 'perimenopause'.....then 'thyroid'.....then 'menopause.' Well, once I was past all that and had the thyroid issue controlled, I was STILL extremely fatigued. It was taking things into my own hands and seeking out the opinion of a cardiologist that finally got some action...he ordered the overnight oximetry test, and it showed how little oxygen I was getting during the night. That sent me to the pulmonologist who ordered the sleep study. What a crazy circuitous route....not to mention the 13 yrs out of my life.

How I wish I could have been diagnosed those 13 yrs ago!! I am now just getting started on this new path to renewed sleep and energy, and I try not to be bitter about the lost time and productivity of the last decade. I have to look forward and anticipate a wonderfully full and active rest of my life!!

Be grateful for your early diagnosis..... embrace your therapy and enjoy life to the fullest!! Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your progress.

Try this on for "size" girls. My friend's granddaughter is 7, very tall and THIN, yes, I said seven. They have taken out her tonsils, said that would do it.... HA! Two of her mom's brothers have sleep apnea....don't you think its a hereditary thing. I keep urging them to have her tested, as she still stops breathing when she's asleep. Hopefully it will be done soon as she goes for a check up on her tonsillectomy this week and her mom will tell the doc she's still not sleeping properly.
Can't judge a book by its cover.....so can't diagnose a gal by her age and weight...right.
Hope your therapy helps you get on with a wonderful life!
Cheers
Nan

i probably have had OSA since I was a child, and began having heart issues because of it in my twenties.. Most people dont get diagnosed until they
are older, if at all..
I was close to a professional athlete, so there is no profile, unless you start looking into peoples mouths and see who has a tiny
mouth, and large tongue, and tiny throat opening.. I had four permanant teeth pulled when I was a small child due to over crowding, my mouth
was just too tiny for my teeth.. and my tongue.. so thats pretty much a perfect storm for OSA.

I wish more dentists were trained into noticing these features, so many more people could be diagnosed or at least followed when they
are young.. before all the health issues it causes take a toll..

Hi, I'm female 5'8' and 129 pounds. I'm 41, so young at heart. My sleep doc says I have OSA because I have a small mouth, small jaw, small nose, large tongue, large tonsils and deviated septum. I also have allergies which further narrows my nasal passages. I saw my GP because of extreme fatigue. My GP referred me for a sleep study, because she said "I saw a woman just like you who had sleep apnea."

My jaw was actually widened as a child, because all of my teeth wouldn't fit in my mouth.

When I went to a OSA support group, I saw one other woman with a small jaw and nose like me.

I think you don't see more people like us diagnosed, because doctors are only beginning to recognize that sleep apnea is a structural issue. Yes, weight definitely exacerbates the problem, and I'm sure if I was overweight, my sleep apnea would be worse. And for some people, losing weight would widen their airway enough to not have sleep apnea. But having a narrow airway isn't just a weight issue.

My dad also has OSA, so I think it's hereditary.

P.S. I also had dark circles under my eyes since I was a teen. I've been using the machine for about two months and they're gone.

I don't have time right to read all the replies, but although I am not so young anymore, I had my first sleep study at age 24 (and was tired before that). Unfortunately for me, they didn't regard my AHI of 9 as clinically significant then, and on repeat studies, I didn't have OSA (mine is much worse in REM, so looking at averages across the night was really not the best approach). So I spent the next 19 years repeatedly misdiagnosed, until April when I had a sleep study and they diagnosed me with OSA. I am thin, and always was.

No, I don't think the fact that you are thin means that therapy won't work for you and there is good evidence it will work for you: your titration study indicates that your apneas were eliminated at a relatively low pressure.

I recently had surgery (nasal and tonsillectomy) and was told not to gain weight or my OSA will worsen. You're many years off from menopause, which is the biggest cause of weight gain in women, so try to stain at your current weight.

Young? No.
Thin? No.

But I was both young and very fit when my symptoms all started many years ago.

elena88 wrote:...tiny mouth, large tongue, and tiny throat opening.. I had four permanant teeth pulled when I was a small child due to over crowding, my mouth
was just too tiny for my teeth.. and my tongue.. so thats pretty much a perfect storm for OSA.

I wish more dentists were trained into noticing these features, so many more people could be diagnosed or at least followed when they
are young.. before all the health issues it causes take a toll..

Ditto that! I had 4 baby teeth removed early...then had my wisdom teeth cut out before they dropped down because there wouldn't have been room for them. Had braces...all of that. SO MUCH trouble with my teeth (and even now they are starting to move around again)...I guess I should have know OSA was around the corner. The nurse at the sleep clinic couldn't believe I had OSA because I was "skinny" (not really, just average) and because my "neck wasn't over 13 inches".

So, Girl, I agree with the others...weight is not the only story. It's anatomy! (and no, I'm not young....except on the inside! )

Looks like you caught it before it could MAKE you look like a 'typical' OSA patient.
Good for you!

Thanks for the VERY interesting replies, and for taking the time to reply.

I think this is helping me to get out of my "possible denial" phase.

And good point about the snoring too. The characterization of the apnea snorer was making me think I need to be a snorer to fit into this puzzle. Not quite!

I just stumbled across this conversation thread and am feeling better about my recent diagnosis of sleep apnea already just knowing that I am not the only one out there and that some of you are already on the road to feeling better!

I am a 29 yr old white female - 110 pounds, and for as long as I can remember have felt exhausted every single day. Over the past few months it seemed to worsen and I wake up with splitting headaches. I KNEW something was not right and it all seemed to point back to my sleep - After all, I know logically that a person should wake up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day. But I wake up with a splitting headache and feeling like I never even slept.

I got bloodwork done and checked out on that end and finally went to get a sleep study (paid for it myself since insurance wouldn't cover it). My doctor said "he would bet money that it is narcolepsy." Imagine both of our surprise when the results that I show that I have moderate sleep apnea. I am just getting used to the idea that I'm going to have to wear a mask every night for the rest of my life but also to the fact that I have obstructive sleep apnea and I feel like I am some weird person because I am not a middle aged overweight man.....

So, thanks for all of your postings to let me know that "I'm not alone". I head in to the sleep lab tonight to try out the CPAP and I imagine they are going to check the levels? I really don't know. I am committed to wearing it every night and hoping that it will let me be able to lead a normal life!

Also, I feel like no one really understands when I say how tired I am. They say - oh just sleep a little more or get some rest....I SLEEP PLENTY! haha... I think the most frustrating thing (aside from feeling like a zombie everyday and the headaches) is that I feel like seriously no one understands .

Nice to see that you guys do! Any encouragement or tips about the next phase I'm about to go into would be much appreciated

I probably had apnea for years, dating back to when I was thin and young.
It made me feel old and tired all the time. To stay awake at work, I noshed frequently.
Guess what that does?
Now older, and much less thin, I feel younger and more vibrant than I had for years (maybe decades)
Getting ready to retire to the next chapter of my life, I'm looking forward to many years of feeling great,
and finally doing all the fabulous things I never had time (or energy) for.

I'm 28, 120 lbs and 5'5". I'm pencil thin and my doctor thinks without a doubt that I have OSA. My 7 year old daughter who is not overweight was just diagnosed with OSA with an AHI of 15/hr

My issues started when I was 18 and I suddenly started having SEVERE anxiety issues. REALLY severe. I stopped sleeping around this time. I couldn't sleep. I'd stay up all night, wake up gasping for air from naps. Was exhausted 24/7.

In 2008 or so I started having PVCs, in 2012 I was diagnosed with severe IBS. I'm BARELY sleeping still. I still wake up gasping and I'm barely functioning.

I'm 99.9% POSITIVE I have apnea. I just need the diagnosis to confirm what I believe