Sleep Apnea?

[Kitsune06]

My girlfriend has (or probably has) sleep apnea. I'll wake up occasionally and listen to her breathe, and sometimes there are longish pauses.

She deals with depression and fatigue on a regular basis. Good luck to you, let us know how things turn out. Getting DGF to go to the doctor for/about anything is like pulling teeth.

[Offthegrid]

I thought I had sleep apnea and had the test. I was constantly tired, I woke up with headaches and sore throats, depression off and on, and I gained about 30 pounds in a year.

But I don't have sleep apnea.

If you regularly fall asleep while watching TV or a movie ... if you struggle to stay awake during meetings or mundane work stuff ... if you fall asleep at the drop of a hat, then you probably have it.

I had a very difficult time falling asleep during the test, not because of the wires (there are a lot of them, but they really weren't that bad), but because the bed was so hard. I'm a side sleeper, and my arm kept falling asleep because the bed was hard as a rock.

The fatigue for me is probably a combination of diet and not exercising (at the time). I've cut out caffeine as much as possible (a HUGE sacrifice, but I was drinking 3-4 sodas and maybe 1 cup of coffee to try to stay awake during the day, but then couldn't sleep at night). And now that I'm exercising my fatigue is much better.

[pooks]

Oh, the fatigue can be awful. Today was an example for me. My sleep patterns are so screwed and sometimes I can sleep all night and sleep for hours during the day -- other times I don't get enough sleep at night and it's worse. Today I really should have ridden my bike but I was just so tired! I also was gone most of the day. But usually I would have been eager to work in a short ride at some point, anyway. Not today.

[makbike]

I was scheduled to have one several years ago but cancelled it when I found out my out of pocket expensives were going to be over $500 (this was just for the study did not include machine, mask, etc). It turns out I suffered from hypothyroidism and the thyroid medicine has given me back my life.

My BF just completed a sleep study. He said he did not have any problems falling asleep (you must sleep 2 hours before they can determine if you have a sleep disorder). He said he did panic some when they woke him to fit him for a mask to begin the titration study (this takes approximately 4 hours). He picked his machine and mask up today.

Check with your insurance company as to how much they will pay and how much you must pay for the study, the machine, mask, etc. I am totally amazed at the expenses that one must face with this disorder. According to his policy he must rent the machine for 10 months at which time it becomes him. He must be compliant for 12 months, if not he must reimburse the insurance company all of the money they have contributed. After listening to him and his mom (she also has a sleep disorder) it appears that if one is not careful this could drain one's bank account rather quickly.

It also appears that some adjust fairly quickly to the machine while others fight it tooth and nail for quite some time. It does, however, appear that regardless of how one adjust to the machine their overal health does improve. I think like anything it takes time for your body to "heal" itself and feel normal after being deprived of sleep for an extended period of time.

The upkeep of the machine also appears to be pretty detailed - you must clean it daily with vinegar, the hose must be cleaned and dried daily, the mask must be washed and dried, etc. You have to use "gentle" soaps to clean the hose, your face, mask, etc. You can only use distilled water in the humidifier. You may experience dry eyes, a sore throat, gas, etc from using the machine, etc so be prepared. I've been visiting a site/forum -http://cpaptalk.com/ - that he has been reading to get a better handle on what he is going to experience from this point forward. You might want to take a look and maybe join so that you can learn about what to expect, the machines, mask, maintenance, etc.

I wish you the very best and I hope you sleep study goes well.