Help me get a good night's sleep! - Page 4

iwant2bfit · 01-09-11, 01:46 PM

I recommend a sleep study just to know what you're dealing with. Snoring increases chances of apnea but does not necessarily mean you have it.

We all have extra tissue in our throat. While awake, the muscle tone helps to keep it pulled aside making it easier to breathe. When you're sleeping & lose that muscle tone, the extra tissue closes your airway. Gravity will further pull the tissue down & close the airway. More often than not, sleep apnea is usually worse when lying on your back. However, some people are just as bad on their side. Snoring is basically the extra tissue vibrating. The more weight you gain, the thicker your neck gets, the more tissue that can close the airway.

Sleep apnea is not just for those who are overweight. For some people weight is a factor, others it is their anatomy. Their tonsils, adenoids, a large tongue & upper palate, recessed chin can narrow the airway. Sleep apnea tends to run in families due to similar anatomical features. I personally have put cpap on women that do not even weight a 100lbs. For others, apnea could be a combination of the two. So they may lose weight but still have some apnea.

Sleep apnea can take years off of your life. It can lead to hypertension which increases chances of heart disease & strokes. Hormones that control metabolism & appetite are controlled in the deeper stages of sleep. (Leptin & Ghrelin are two) If sleep is fragmented due to apnea, the hormones may not be at the right levels which can cause a person to be hungry all the time regardless of how much they eat. They also crave sugary & salty foods. They increase their food intake, while their metabolism plummets, causing weight gain. The more weight they gain, the thicker neck, makes apnea worse. It's a vicious cycle.

Hypertension, diabetes, hx of heart disease, strokes are all comorbidities for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can contibute to them but it is like the chicken & the egg scenario. For that reason, pts with these conditions are now coming to have it ruled out. You can take all the meds in the world but if you have untreated sleep apnea, it's working against you. A sleep study is also being done prior to most scheduled surgeries. They want to know if a pt is at risk of their airway closing when extubating thereby creating an anesthesia risk. It's part of the pre op process for bariatric surgeries. Again, you can have the surgery, eat less because of it but apnea can work against you for long term success if the hormones are not leveled out.

I see alot of pts come in to the lab & tell me that their significant other is the only reason they are there. They tell me that they sleep fine. I've had some that stopped breathing 150 times an HOUR. FYI, 30 times an hour is severe apnea. Alot of people do not know what a good night sleep is especially if it's been going on for a long time. It's always better to have it ruled out than wait until a more serious health concern comes up. Alot of heart attacks during the night, some resulting in death, can be traced back to untreated or undiagnosed sleep apnea. The football player Reggie White was diagnosed with sleep apnea but did not get it treated. He died in his sleep.

They are prescription meds for restless legs. If on cpap, obviously the more you use it, the better the result. If a person has had their machine for a awhile & is comfortable with mask, they may need their machine checked to make sure it's operating properly or have their pressure checked to make sure it's not too low or too high causing them to pull their maks off at night. You can get new masks every six months. They do wear out for skin oils, washing etc that can contribute to a leak. If it's leaking, you're not getting the benefit of the pressure the machine is set at.

Sorry for long post. Hope this helps!

Sancho · 01-25-11, 08:56 AM

Just heard a promo for The Doctors that today they are discussing a procedure that takes just a few seconds and can "end snoring forever". They showed some inner, pinky, fleshy body part getting snipped (I assume it's somewhere in the throat???).

Not sure if it's hype or a solution but it made me think of this thread.

mel VF · 01-25-11, 09:08 AM

Another vote for a sleep study. It sounds an awful lot like sleep apnea, and as iwant2bfit said, getting that treated is really important for overall health. Sleep apnea can be associated with periodic limb movement disorder (related to restless legs) and the limb movement can improve with treatment of the sleep apnea.

Also, restless legs syndrome can be related to low-ish iron. However, I wouldn't recommend that he take iron unless his doctor is monitoring his iron, because it is possible to have iron overload.

Support VF
VF Membership Subscription
Shop These Vendors
Activa	Collage Video
Amazon.com	eBay.com
Amazon.ca (Canada)	Half.com
Amazon.co.uk (UK)	Junonia
Amazon.fr (France)	Onehanesplace.com
BN.com	Overstock.com
Buy.com	Road Runner Sports
CenturyFitness.com	Sierra Trading Post

01-09-11, 01:46 PM
iwant2bfit Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Greenville NC	I'm a registered sleep technologist I recommend a sleep study just to know what you're dealing with. Snoring increases chances of apnea but does not necessarily mean you have it. We all have extra tissue in our throat. While awake, the muscle tone helps to keep it pulled aside making it easier to breathe. When you're sleeping & lose that muscle tone, the extra tissue closes your airway. Gravity will further pull the tissue down & close the airway. More often than not, sleep apnea is usually worse when lying on your back. However, some people are just as bad on their side. Snoring is basically the extra tissue vibrating. The more weight you gain, the thicker your neck gets, the more tissue that can close the airway. Sleep apnea is not just for those who are overweight. For some people weight is a factor, others it is their anatomy. Their tonsils, adenoids, a large tongue & upper palate, recessed chin can narrow the airway. Sleep apnea tends to run in families due to similar anatomical features. I personally have put cpap on women that do not even weight a 100lbs. For others, apnea could be a combination of the two. So they may lose weight but still have some apnea. Sleep apnea can take years off of your life. It can lead to hypertension which increases chances of heart disease & strokes. Hormones that control metabolism & appetite are controlled in the deeper stages of sleep. (Leptin & Ghrelin are two) If sleep is fragmented due to apnea, the hormones may not be at the right levels which can cause a person to be hungry all the time regardless of how much they eat. They also crave sugary & salty foods. They increase their food intake, while their metabolism plummets, causing weight gain. The more weight they gain, the thicker neck, makes apnea worse. It's a vicious cycle. Hypertension, diabetes, hx of heart disease, strokes are all comorbidities for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can contibute to them but it is like the chicken & the egg scenario. For that reason, pts with these conditions are now coming to have it ruled out. You can take all the meds in the world but if you have untreated sleep apnea, it's working against you. A sleep study is also being done prior to most scheduled surgeries. They want to know if a pt is at risk of their airway closing when extubating thereby creating an anesthesia risk. It's part of the pre op process for bariatric surgeries. Again, you can have the surgery, eat less because of it but apnea can work against you for long term success if the hormones are not leveled out. I see alot of pts come in to the lab & tell me that their significant other is the only reason they are there. They tell me that they sleep fine. I've had some that stopped breathing 150 times an HOUR. FYI, 30 times an hour is severe apnea. Alot of people do not know what a good night sleep is especially if it's been going on for a long time. It's always better to have it ruled out than wait until a more serious health concern comes up. Alot of heart attacks during the night, some resulting in death, can be traced back to untreated or undiagnosed sleep apnea. The football player Reggie White was diagnosed with sleep apnea but did not get it treated. He died in his sleep. They are prescription meds for restless legs. If on cpap, obviously the more you use it, the better the result. If a person has had their machine for a awhile & is comfortable with mask, they may need their machine checked to make sure it's operating properly or have their pressure checked to make sure it's not too low or too high causing them to pull their maks off at night. You can get new masks every six months. They do wear out for skin oils, washing etc that can contribute to a leak. If it's leaking, you're not getting the benefit of the pressure the machine is set at. Sorry for long post. Hope this helps!

01-25-11, 08:56 AM
Sancho VF Supporter Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: My body is in Louisville but my heart is in Atlanta	On The Doctors today Just heard a promo for The Doctors that today they are discussing a procedure that takes just a few seconds and can "end snoring forever". They showed some inner, pinky, fleshy body part getting snipped (I assume it's somewhere in the throat???). Not sure if it's hype or a solution but it made me think of this thread.

01-25-11, 09:08 AM
mel VF Join Date: Apr 2002	Another vote for a sleep study. It sounds an awful lot like sleep apnea, and as iwant2bfit said, getting that treated is really important for overall health. Sleep apnea can be associated with periodic limb movement disorder (related to restless legs) and the limb movement can improve with treatment of the sleep apnea. Also, restless legs syndrome can be related to low-ish iron. However, I wouldn't recommend that he take iron unless his doctor is monitoring his iron, because it is possible to have iron overload.