Posted by Breathless on April 07, 2002 at 00:20:05:

I'm waiting to get tested for sleep apnea, but as I've mentioned in previous messages, I currently have daytime breathing episodes that seem to resemble apnea or hypopnea. I recently attended an introductory class on OSA which mentioned the tongue and soft palate. Since then, I've noticed that quite often, my neck and throat muscles have a tendency to tighten up, and my tongue presses hard against the roof of my mouth. (Sometimes I consciously try to touch the tip of my tongue to the back of my front teeth or the gumline just above them to make sure my tongue doesn't slip backward. I remember that once when I had pneumonia, I felt I had to do that to keep from "swallowing" my tongue. That probably was the effect of the fever on my MS, but it made me much more aware of my tongue's position in my mouth, and after attending the OSA class, I was wondering whether a less severe form of that sort of thing might be responsible for sleep apnea or maybe even my daytime breathing problems.)

As I said, I've also been aware of a frequent tightness in my neck and throat. This may be related to my tendency to clench my teeth in response to stress (I have TMJ dysfunction, too), but I was just wondering whether what happens when I clench or tighten my neck muscles might have some effect on my airway as well.

I also have noticed lately that I have more nasal congestion than I thought I had. Sometimes, when I'm having trouble breathing, I can overcome it if I switch from nose breathing to mouth breathing. (Except that dries out my mouth and throat, which isn't exactly pleasant.) So maybe it's just the nasal airway that's affected.

The more I think about this stuff, the more questions I have, and the more frustrated I get about not having any explanation for what's going on, much less a way to correct the problem. I guess I'm just getting a little spooked, because while I've had the daytime breathing problems for 8-10 months, I haven't been aware of any breathing problems associated with falling asleep or staying asleep until the last few nights. The daytime breathing problems seem to be getting worse, too.

I'm on a waiting list fora sleep test, but they aren't even booking appointments for May yet. So it's a case of hurry up and wait.

People on these forums have been wonderful at educating me about apnea/hypopnea far beyond the usual academic and medical information. Thank you so much for your support in the past, and I thank you in advance for anything you can tell me about sleep apnea, tongue position and a tight throat.

Follow Ups:

• Heated Humidifier. Doug H. 04:08 4/07/02 (0)

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