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Re: New to Apnea--need advice


Posted by Cue Miller on July 26, 2000 at 15:57:25:

In Reply to: New to Apnea--need advice posted by Gary on July 26, 2000 at 08:28:25:

There are (at least) two kinds of sleep apnea. One is physical, generally caused by sagging tissue in the airway or by your tongue sliding back into your airway ... or both. The other is neurological, caused by an unknown disfunction in the brain. Often people have a bit of each.

People with sleep apnea sometimes have other sleep disorders, such as the Sleep Paralysis you describe (awake, but cannot get up). Sleep Paralysis is also often seen in people who have yet another disorder called Narcolepsy, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness -- "sleep attacks."

All of these problems are measurable, and all are treatable to some degree. Obstructive sleep apnea is most successfully treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy (the mask and blower). CPAP blows ordinary air into the airway, which props it open while you sleep and allows you to breathe unhindered. Most people do NOT need oxygen. The masks are not the same as oxygen masks.

You need to find a certified sleep doctor (often a pulmonologist, sometimes a neurologist) and have an overnight sleep test performed. Your regular doctor may or may not know anything about sleep apnea.

Once you get a diagnosis, your treatment goes on from there. My advice to you is to try CPAP therapy first and to be very very careful about rushing into possible surgical solutions to your symptoms. Several surgical treatments have very poor long term success rates. Beware.

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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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