I have sleep apnea (diagnosed in a sleep study). When I go to bed, I can fall asleep very quickly, but then I wake up. And after I wake up, then I can't fall asleep again for a long time.
Does anyone else have this same problem? I can fall asleep very easily initially. But after I wake up again, then I have so much trouble sleeping.
You need to train your body how to get great sleep. You'll sleep deeper and longer once you take the proper steps.
theres a good guide here:
http://www.getbettersleeptonight.com
that teaches natural sleep methods to get a great nights sleep.'
worked great for me. tossing and turning sucks. good luck. 
Habitual snoring and sleep apnea are two of the most common sleeping problems encountered by Americans today. People with sleep apnea often snore but not all snorers are suffering from apnea. Either way, they have one thing in common. The CPAP.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common mode of treatment for snoring and sleep apnea. This is also used to help neonates and critically ill patients who are suffering from respiratory failure. This is a more convenient alternative to tracheostomy, a surgical procedure done to apnea patients before the advent of CPAP.
A CPAP machine delivers air with a predetermined amount of pressure to your airway through a nasal mask keeping the airway open and free of obstructions while you sleep which allows sufficient amount of air to enter the lungs and preventing apnea episodes and constant wakefulness. A hose connects the mask to the blower or the machine that delivers the pressurized air.
Common features found in today’s CPAP machines, which are purchased separately and may not be covered by insurance, are: air humidifier, ramp (pressure adjuster), exhalation pressure relief (makes it easier for the user to breathe), and data logging (records pertinent data for later evaluation). These additional features help increase treatment compliance among patients. You can either rent or purchase a CPAP machine from a durable medical equipment (DME) company.
Other positive air pressure devices are the BiPAP and autoPAP. A bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) provides two air pressure levels, one for inhalation and a lower pressure level for exhalation. That way, breathing out would be more comfortable than when using a CPAP without an exhalation pressure relief. An automatic positive airway pressure (AutoPAP) automatically regulates the amount of pressure on a breath-by-breath basis.
Choosing the right machine for you comes after you have been evaluated. Your medical history, current medications and your lifestyle will be thoroughly evaluated by your doctor. He will also have you go though an EENT examination and a polysomnography or sleep study to evaluate your apnea and to determine the appropriate CPAP pressure for you. If it is apparent that you need to be on CPAP treatment, choosing a mask with the right fit, the right machine and the optional features follows.
Since the main consequence of sleep apnea is sleep disruption, a CPAP machine is used mainly at home to help with the breathing problems at night. It is also important that you know the proper maintenance your machine requires. The company where you got it from always gives out a detailed instruction manual for a specific unit. It is important that you keep the machine and its parts clean, and always have them checked for wear and tear to ensure optimal functioning.
A CPAP machine is undoubtedly an effective treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, but we cannot always rely on machines to do the job for us. CPAP is not as effective as when coupled with significant lifestyle changes like regular exercise, weight loss, and alcohol and smoking cessation. A positive attitude and a responsible mind will help us achieve wellness in no time
I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea ( a moderate one). I was planning to get my driver's license since I'm 18, but then the doctor didn't recommend it…
Does anyone know whether or not you can get a driver's license if you have sleep apnea? (Oh, I live in California by the way, if there are different laws…)
Also, if you do have sleep apnea, and you do drive, do you have any problems? Or have anyone ever told you that it's better if you don't drive because you're constantly sleepy?
I have know a couple of people with sleep apnea who did have licenses so it might be a state to state difference in laws.
I also have know 2 guys with narcolepsy…..and NO WAY will they ever get a license. I was driving with one of them….I was driving!….and he simply feel asleep while talking to me. Very weird the 1st time that happens.
You might want to check with the agency in your state that issues driver's licenses. Good luck.
A friend's brother beat the crap out of his girlfriend, went home and went to bed, and the next day didn't remember a single thing about the night before. He was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea, and his defense is using sleep apnea as the reason behind the beating. I've never heard of that, but I'm not an expert on sleep apnea. Does anyone know?
Here is a good link regarding sleep apnea and violence during sleep.
Hope this helps!
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/nightmares/a/sleepattack.htm
Layne Melzer awoke around 8 a.m. Jan. 6 and looked at his 6-week-old son, Shane, beside him. Most mornings, it was the baby who roused him at dawn with lusty yells for food, so Melzer was surprised to find Shane still asleep. Then he took a closer look. Shane’s skin was dusky, and he did not seem to be breathing. Melzer jiggled him tentatively, but the baby did not rouse. His color was darker now. Bluish.
Yelling to his wife to call 911, Melzer grabbed Shane and shook him — hard this time. The baby’s eyes opened at one point, but his gaze was blank.
Frantically trying to recall resuscitation techniques, Melzer put his mouth over Shane’s and puffed twice. Then he turned the baby over and slapped him on the back. He slapped him again, and then a third time. Suddenly Shane gulped for air and began to cry. A moment later, the rescue squad arrived.
The crisis, though, was far from over. By noon, Shane was admitted to Childrens Hospital of Orange County with a tentative diagnosis of severe apnea.
The term apnea comes from the Latin words a and pneuma, which means without air. Medically, it refers to pauses in breathing.
The main consequence of apnea is damage to the brain and heart because of repeated periods of inadequate oxygen. A baby with untreated apnea can, in later years, exhibit learning and behavioral problems, even cerebral palsy, associated with brain damage.
Shane Melzer’s problem was central apnea, exacerbated by a viral infection.
Shane’s breathing pauses were found to be frequent, long and responsible for repeated episodes of bradycardia — the medical term for an abnormally slow heart rate. He met all the criteria for a diagnosis of severe apnea. Two days after being admitted to CHOC, he was transferred to the intensive care unit.
He just got worse. At 3:30 the morning following his transfer, the Melzers were awakened by a call from a doctor in the unit. Shane’s apnea was so bad that he now required the assistance of a respirator to survive, the doctor told them. But Shane was fortunate to be in a hospital with expertise in the treatment of apnea.
Shane’s apnea has caused no more trouble. His breathing pauses have never been severe enough to trigger the monitor, his parents report, and in every other respect, he is thriving.
Are SIDS And Sleep Apnea Related?
A study suggests that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) might be more common in families that suffer from the adult sleeping disorder sleep apnea
Though the cause of SIDS remains mysterious, new evidence supports the idea that both disorders are caused by a narrowed upper airway resulting from the way the skull is formed, a characteristic that is inherited.
The study compared the number of SIDS cases in 29 families with sleep apnea and 35 families without sleep apnea. Researchers had families fill out questionnaires about the incidence of infant death. Subjects provided data from four generations of each family so that 352 sleep apnea family members and 408 control family members were covered.
The families prone to sleep apnea — in which breathing stops for short periods during sleep and can lead to snoring or disturbed sleep — reported eight unexplained infant deaths. The control families reported no unexplained, unexpected infant deaths, although one infant had died of mother-child blood-type incompatibility. Two of the sleep apnea families reported more than one SIDS death. In one case, a pair of twins had died without explanation. When researchers examined the facial structure of four of the six families that reported SIDS death, they found the shapes were significantly different from the normal families.
The results suggest that SIDS and adult sleep apnea are associated and that both could result from obstructive apnea due to facial structure narrowing the upper airway.
Sleep apnea runs in families. Other work has suggested that certain families may be at higher risk for SIDS, although like most things about SIDS, this remains debated. It is a thorny issue. The idea has been that sleep apnea may be the final common pathway of SIDS, but not necessarily the cause. The problem with SIDS research is that no one has ever witnessed a SIDS death.
In children who often appear tired or have trouble staying awake in school, check for potential obstructive apnea caused by abnormally large adenoids or tonsils.
Another study that found that babies considered at high risk of SIDS — those who had stopped breathing and were by chance found and resuscitated — had a higher chance of having a father with sleep apnea-like symptoms. This could support the idea that sleep apnea is related to SIDS. But how they are related and whether it is causative is another question.
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