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Sleep Apnea
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Obstructive becoming Mixed Apnea

Posted by SomeDudeinCali on July 17, 2007 at 08:18:28:

Hello, I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea about 8 years ago (I was 17). I was a bit overweight at the time. I was given a CPAP machine and I used it until I was 20 (by that time I lost a lot of weight and I figured I wouldn't need it). I felt fine for the next 5 years, however I would still snore at times. Right now I am 25 years of age and I am not overweight. I have no history of heart trouble or neurological diseases.

Since about 3 months ago I've been feeling pretty tired throughout the day. Sometimes in the middle of the night I'd wake up and would hyperventilate. The hyperventilating and shortness of breath that I'd get would last longer and longer throughout the day. Now, sometimes when I drive in traffic I start to hyperventilate. Or if I feel even the slightest bit of stressed, I start to hyperventilate. Sometimes I hyperventilate for no reason at all.

I changed my sleeping style (lifted the head of the bed to 4-5 inches up), sleep on my side, and put something on my bed such that I cannot sleep on my back. This fixed my snoring (I don't snore anymore) but I still had symptoms of the shortness of breath and hyperventilation throughout the day.

I went to my doctor and he did a chest x-ray and EKG on my heart, everything came back normal.

I was given a take at home sleep test and was re-diagnosed with sleep apnea (they didn't say what type) and was given an order for a CPAP machine. I'll be getting my machine in a few weeks. They gave me an auto-pap machine for 1 night and I slept well and did not hyperventilate at all the next day. I felt complete again.

Here are my questions:

1. Is the hyperventilation probably because of my sleep apnea?

2. Do you believe I have Mixed Sleep Apnea now?

3. If so, I've been reading that Mixed Apnea starts with Central then becomes Obstructive. But in my case, it seems to be the opposite.

4. If a CPAP machine works fine with my supposed Mixed Apnea, is that ok? I heard CPAP may not be healthy for those with Central Apnea symptoms.

5. How truly rare is my situation? I read Mixed Apnea is very rare and hard to treat. This really scares me.

Any help is appreciated, sorry for the long post.

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  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


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