Wellness

[HonnyBrown]

On 2/10/2015 happy housewife said:

OP - when they do a sleep study they can tell if you are getting deep enough into the sleep cycle to get to REM sleep - which is vital.

Thanks again, HH! REM is the dream state. My dreams are vivid and disturbing. Not all the time, but I do dream.

[HonnyBrown]

On 2/10/2015 wagirl said:

Been there and done that. Hubs not interested. Not knocking the sleep study for those who genuinely are at risk but can't drag a grown man kicking and screaming to somewhere he doesn't want to be. Surgery was discussed as well.

Does he sound like he's drowning? That's what mine sounds like. Pair that with a light sleeper.

Maybe he (my DH, not yours) should do the sleep study.

[RedTop]

My husband had to go to the VA in Richmond, Virginia for his sleep study last year. This is a man who can fall asleep in a heartbeat if he's not walking or talking, but he could not fall asleep in the bed for the sleep study! After 4 hrs of being hooked up, he finally fell asleep in the recliner long enough to chart his sleep rhythm and verify he has sleep apnea. My husband chose a face mask that has elastic bands over his head, and fully covers his nose and mouth. The machine is small and quiet, and doesn't keep me awake, but multiple times thru the night, my husband will move and dislodge the mask, creating various squeaky air noises that awaken me, and keep me awake until he readjusts the mask and stops the air leakage. There are still many nights I would sleep in another bed if there were an empty one in the house! I do see an improvement in my husband since he 's been using a Cpap, but essentially we have traded snoring for leaking air noises. My husband cannot hear the phone ring, the doorbell, or a vacuum cleaner when he's asleep with his Cpap on!

[Toppers]

My husband has it.

I was the one out of us who figured that something was starting to go "very wrong" when he was sleeping. He had always snored, but then he started making even stranger noises while he was sleeping, and I was starting to get very concerned about what I was hearing.

He would go to sleep before I did, due to his early work schedule, and I would be up later.

Our main computer is out in our living room/dining room area, and sometimes I am just typing on it, without on any other music on in the background-nothing.

So, I would hear him snoring in the bedroom, and then I would hear these other strange nasal and breathing noises, too.

I told him about it, plus he told me that he was not sleeping well, and that he felt really tired.

He said that he would also take naps at work on his lunch break and on his other breaks, which was very unlike him.He also told me that he never felt like he was "rested," either-that he always felt constantly tired.

He went to see one of our doctors, who ended up referring him to a Sleep Specialist. He went through a physical first, and also had to fill out a detailed history, and then did a sleep study which indicated that he has sleep apnea.

He uses a C-PAP, too, and he is good about using his. Sometimes he will accidentally take off his mask while sleeping, and he doesn't realize that he does that, and I will give him a gentle poke so that he can put it back on again. He notices that he sleeps better with it on.

He has been using a C-PAP machine for about eight years now.

[maggishops]

YES, have it done! My husband had been after me to get one done, and I finally did, 4 years ago. I have moderate sleep apnea and use a CPAP every night. It works wonders. there was a time I would feel tired ALL day, even tho I slept at night. And I would take LONG naps, but they wouldn't help.

[HonnyBrown]

Everyone, thank you for sharing your experiences.

I thought a sleep study would help with my insomnia, but it sounds like my husband would benefit from it more. And that would benefit me.

[luvsbulldogs]

On 2/10/2015 luvsbulldogs said:

Since I do not fall asleep until 3am or later they had me do a sleep apnea study at my home. They give you everything that you need. Can't remember because it was so many years ago but I think you did it for 7 or 10 days and then sent it back. After they determine if you have sleep apnea they set you up to get a CPAP. Good luck with your test.

I just wanted to add that the CPAP I ended up with kept me awake most of the night. I just could not get use to it. I ended up after 1 month of trying to use it putting it away in the closet.

I spoke to my Dentist about it and he fitted me for a mouth piece that is for snoring and Sleep Apnea. I used it for about a year and it did stop me from snoring and somewhat helped me with my Sleep Apnea but since then had to stop using it as it was causing a lot of pain in my jaws. Insurance did not cover it so I had to pay for it. I hope to start using it again after all the jaw pains are gone.

I think that you should get the test done.

[kittymomNC]

If you have insomnia and just can't get to sleep, that doesn't sound like sleep apnea, which is mainly what a sleep study is for.

I take a lot of things said on these medical boards with a grain of salt. For instance, just because a person has sleep apnea and doesn't use the CPAP machine does not mean they will develop pulmonary hypertension. That may be a possibility, but a blanket statement like that is wrong... and it can scare people. Neither does it necessarily affect everyone's kidneys. These are possibilities, not absolutes.

My brother has sleep apnea and tried the CPAP machine many years ago. He couldn't use it and never has tried it again. He had a heart attack at age 60 and had quadruple bypass surgery, was diagnosed with sleep apnea, he's now almost 78 and healthy as can be, does his own yard work for his primary residence and a lake house, with no problems.

I was diagnosed several years ago with sleep apnea/hypopnea. Apnea is when you stop breathing many times during the night. Hypopnea is when you wake many times during the night struggling for breath, you don't completely stop breathing. You're not aware that you're waking or that you stop breathing, but it keeps you from getting to the most restful state of sleep, which is why people with this condition are so sleepy and tired during the day even though they think they slept all night.

My diagnosis was mostly hypopnea, but mainly if I'm on my back. I tried the CPAP but I couldn't use it, so I put a pillow at my back to keep me from turning over while I'm asleep. I think it works for the most part. My doctor said some people sometimes take a t-shirt and sew a tennis ball in the pocket, then wear it backwards to sleep. If they try to turn over and lie on their back, the tennis ball won't let them! And I haven't developed pulmonary hypertension, and I have no problems with my kidneys that I'm aware of.

I hope you and your husband will talk to your doctor so you can find out who has the main problem and can take care of it.

[LilacTree]

I have never seen anything wrong with separate bedrooms in this kind of situation. After all, when the mood hits it's not like one has to take bus to get to his/her spouse.

[adelle38]

I dad a sleep study done many years ago. They had a whole group come in at the beginning of the study to watch a video on sleep. There were 7 men and I was the only woman. The men were all dosing off during the video. My problem was difficulty falling a leep and sleeping through the night. Once they hooked me up, I had great difficulty falling asleep and I had to take a xanax to complete the study. They diagnosed me with periodic limb movement and my neurologist was able to prescribe an appropriate medication. A sleep study can definitely diagnose disorders other than sleep apnea. I think it's important to have the right doctor interpreting the results and treating you. In my experience, only a neurologist has helped me.