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Sleep apnoea? Or something else?

Posted , 5 users are following.

plooge
plooge

I've not slept well for the last 3 years and I'm at my wits end with frustration.

A bit of background about me first.  I'm 45, female.  Rarely drink alcohol. Keep to a regular bedtime routine. Sleep on my side. Overweight, but not obese. Work part time and have two teenage children.

It all started with a bout of insomnia which was triggered by a stressful event.  After some months of hoping it would resolve I went to my GP who assessed me and diagnosed me with severe depression (I had low mood but didn't consider myself depressed as such). I was prescribed Mirtazapine which helped me sleep well for the first time in months (at first I was almost comotose on it).  After 8 months my mood improved and I came off the anti depressants. However, since then, my sleep problems have returned.

I will usually fall quickly to sleep, but snore loudly almost straight away. My husband reports that during the night he is aware of moments when I stop breathing.  On occasions I have awoken choking.  Usually when I wake in the morning I don't feel well rested.  Most days I feel fatigued, although not excessively. Sometimes I struggle to concentrate at work. I only drive short distances and have never felt tired driving.  On my days off and at weekends I will sometimes nap during the day and have little energy to do things.  One of the side effects of the Mirtazapine was weight gain, but I have managed to lose some, but I am not yet what is considered a healthy weight for my height.

I also often find that I am up once or sometimes twice in the night to use the loo. Most often I will return to sleep but it my mind wanders to work I can lie awake for hours.  Every day i wake around 6am which is earlier than I'd like.

I have a doctors appointment next week. My husband is coming with me so he can describe what happens.  I'm almost certain he will say sleep apnoea.  My elder brother has it and uses a CPAP machine.  My twin sister had her tonsils removed as an adult due to a sleep disorder and reports that she has slept wonderfully since, and no snorting either.

Does this sound a familiar scenario to anyone suffering with sleep apnoea?

 

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • jim64727
    jim64727 plooge

    Posted

    It does sound a lot like obstructive sleep apnea. An overnight sleep study should give you a pretty good idea as to what is going on. If you do have OSA, I've heard a CPAP machine can give you great relief from daytime fatigue.

  • denisita
    denisita plooge

    Posted

    Sounds very similar to what happened to my aunt. Now she has a machine and sleeps well. You don't need to be obese to have sleep apnea. You also might want to see if you have a deviated septum. I have a deviated septum which can also cause breathing problems. Surgery usually fixes this.

    Anyway yeah, I'd do an overnight study at a sleep clinic so they can tell you for sure.

    You are on the way to better sleep again smile

  • Banjo58
    Banjo58 plooge

    Posted

    Hi pledge

    Although hubby dosent take same meds as yourself you could actually be describing him and his nights before CPAP use x

    He has sleep apnoea but since using his machine he's sleeping better and no more choking and or snorting !

    Good luck at docs I hope you get some answeres!

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