Aside from going and getting ths sleep study done and getting the air machine, is there anything I can do? I have a tendency to roll on my side/stomach when I sleep because of my back issues. Even when I am comfortable sleeping on my back I wake up in the middle of the night with intense charlie horses. Pretty well been that way regarding the charlie horses since I was 18. Haven't smoked since February so I guess I can rule out tobacco at this point.

Same problem. I wake up literally dozens of times a night and go back to sleep seconds later. Only thing that works for me is alcohol lol. I know that's not the answer you're looking for, but I've had this problem since I was like five years old. Not so much muscle spasms, just wake up for no reason. I sleep on average less than four hours a night. Incredibly annoying. I got to the point where I slept in a different bed than my ex for a few months. Tried a few sleep aid drugs. No improvement.

No, it's not the waking up that bothers me. I'm literally not breathing while I sleep. I wake up completely numb and it feels like I took a shotgun to the chest. You bring up a good point though, I did drink a lot of alcohol this week. It was probably that.

Apnea can have many long term effects which aren't good, sleep study will tell you what's going on. Don't worry too much until you know what's actually going on. There's a mask that looks like an oxygen nose piece (used to be called an Adams circuit) that works better for some that move at night, some people have more luck with a full face mask.

I'm so, so sorry to hear about your health problems, brother. Here's a few things to look into.

The Charlie Horses sounds like a potassium deficiency. Have you tried potassium supplements or maybe a banana or two right before bed?

I have also read a lot about the benefits of Turmeric. I read a claim yesterday that Turmeric can actually reverse lung damage due to smoking. True? Beats me, but there is a lot of buzz about it, and it couldn't hurt. You can find recipes for Turmeric tea or Turmeric latte on line. Just make sure the one you use contains black pepper, as it really boasts the effectiveness of the Turmeric.

Now, let me tell you about what I've been using for the past 6 weeks and the changes I have seen. My 65 year old Chiropractor recommended Deer Antler Velvet Extract. He's been taking it for 5 years, is as strong as an ox, and looks ten years younger then I. It is suppose to contain high levels of IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor) and IGF-2. Something our bodies stop making as we get older. The first thing I noticed was more energy. I have arthritis in most of my joints. It did nothing for my torn meniscus in my right knee, but the rest of my joints are now pain free, and if it wasn't for the knee, I'd feel 20 years younger. The next thing I noticed is that my gray hair started to fade. 6 weeks ago, my beard was solid gray, and my hair and chest where 80% gray. Now the back of my head is completely black, I have a touch of gray on the sides, my beard is salt and pepper, and most of my gray chest hair is gone. For the past year or so, I've developed "old man" ear hair, where I have had to clean the hair out of my ear channels and pluck long hairs growing off the tips of my ears (yes, I know it's gross, ha, ha). Since taking the velvet extract, the "old man" ear hair is gone.

NOW TO THE PART THAT YOU SHOULD FIND INTERESTING
For the past several years I have had problems taking deep breaths, and had difficulty yawning, as I didn't seem to have enough lung capacity to do so. I am also convinced that I have undiagnosed Sleep Apnea. I would wake up at night, gasping for air, and realizing that I was not breathing. My wife said that I stopped breathing multiple times during the night, and she would sit there listening to make sure I started up again. Since taking the velvet extract, I can breath far deeper then before, and I haven't wakened up gasping for air. Donna says that I still sometimes stop breathing at night, but I start back up normally, without gasping for air, so things are improving.

One other little benefit I noticed. I used to have to get up a couple times a night to pee. Now I'm sleeping through the night.

After seeing the changes to me, Donna started the extract and she has noticed major changes also. There are several brands available, but we use the one from Nutronics Labs, as it's the one my Chiropractor uses. We started out with the 10,000 ng spray for 2 weeks, and then jumped up the 25,000 ng spray for the past 4 weeks. Yesterday, I started the 100,000 ng drops.

David (dpnewell)

Dang JJ sorry to hear of the issues you are having. The sleep study will tell you a great deal. They will be monitoring your heart, brain activity, breathing, and muscle activity. As Z said "Apnea can have many long term effects that are not good." It is one of the few medical issues that if fixed can remedy a multitude of other medical problems. The type of apnea could just be obstructive or Central Apnea or both called Complex Apnea.

The chest pains is what concerns me the most. Severe obstructive sleep apnea can simulate angina or chest pains as if having a heart attack but to say strictly that is the problem could be terminal. It could be actual cardiac issues. I would get that checked ASAP.

The numbness could be some sort of nerve damage from the back issues to lack of oxygen during sleep from not breathing to lack of profusion or blood flow. In other words it could be something more serious than apnea causing issues. Again, Get this checked ASAP.

I know it's not the answers you want to hear but I tend to go by the fact of following advice from people that are just pulling at straws and that have not been educated in medical can get you 6ft under brother.

As far as advice on the apnea I will say this.

Once you have the study done and IF your Dr decides a machine is the way to go. I will tell you now, you most likely will have issues sleeping with a mask or a cannula on your face at first as this is typical.

Fight it! Make sure you do not consciously take the mask off at night. Make yourself get accustomed to it. Go through all the BS and red tape to get there. It is tough to do for most people but, if you do have apnea and go to a machine and if you get use to having it on at night it can make a huge difference in your life for the better.

My best friend uses the full mask. Says it's a pain but better than not using it, by far.

So this sounds like something that definitely needs to get looked into. Thanks Ewok, at first I was gonna write this off since I figured it was from lethargy/decadent lifestyle/smoking but I've been incredibly active over the past couple weeks.

I have a full mask Auto-Pap and love it. I struggle to sleep without it now. It took about 3 months to get used to it, but it is worth it. I sleep so much better and wake up so much less.

Do you have issues with reflux? That could be part of the issue too. I generally have to sleep on my left side to help relieve it. Gets so much worse on my back and right side.

Also, my apnea is a billion times worse when I am on my back. I barely snore if I am on my side.

I used to be a stomach sleeper as well. It was easy to change my habits with the full mask on.

Are you overweight? I had a buddy in the Navy who had sleep apnea. Snored horrible, woke himself up a lot. He was falling asleep all the time because he never got a good night's sleep.

He got down to a healthy weight, and the problem went away. Completely.

Yeah, it is pretty much only overweight people that have apnea...one of the many reasons I need to lose weight.

I've been losing weight. Came down 20lbs but still have a long way to go. The chest pain I think could be due to reflux because when I actually put a lot of physical work in I feel great.

Chest pain could also be low 02 sats.

Diagnosed with sleep apnea in 06. Never knew what a good nights sleep was until I began wearing the CPAP. I pretty much sleep on my left side and occasionally on my back. Conditioned myself to do this to keep from pulling the unit off of the night stand. Prior to being diagnosed, if I woke up during the night then that was it as far as sleep goes. Now, if I get up to get water or take a leak mask back on and asleep in a couple of minutes. I use a Phillips Respironics which is really not a mask. It has what they call nose pillows and works great. I did not want a full mask or extra BS hanging off the face while trying to sleep even though I can/could sleep in a gas mask if needed back in the day. Good luck with the apnea and I think you will find that the CPAP will be worth the initial discomfort.

And for the record, I was not overweight when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

It is my pleasure sir.

Burner is correct. A person does not have to be overweight to have sleep apnea. If a person should have central apnea that has nothing to do with body weight or neck size. It has to do with the brain. It is where your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control your breathing. Hence the hypopneic events where one stops breathing which I believe you mentioned?

Only with obstructive apnea "Snoring" typically deals with weight or a fatty neck but this also can take place with a skinny person who was born with a large tongue, large tonsils and adenoids. Skinny persons with a deviated septum or sinus problems can have a reduced airway which puts them at higher risk of having obstructive sleep apnea etc and so forth.

Polysomnography was part of my study in college and also part of my career before my stroke. Gots to love neuro stuffs.

Also, my average according to my sleep study, I would stop breathing 70 to 80 times during a night's sleep for lengths up to 3 minutes. 👍 as I have complex apnea. What this would calculate out to is in 8 hours sleep (this is if we figured at max) 80 times in 8 hours at 3 min each 80*3=240min. /60=4 hours a night I was not breathing. This only put me in the moderate range. Those with server apnea have over 30 or more events per hour.



Yes I got bored sorry for the novel.

Been using the CPAP machine for over 20 years (3rd machine). Can't live without it. Had the problem when I was 175 - 6 feet. Not a weight issue. Only started smoking 6 years ago- its not that. My advice.. get it and use it.

As for Charlie horses. I get wicked cramps after physical activity/sweating. I use little calcium and potassium. Few Tums (calcium) and some alligator piss (gatorade- potassium).

I aint no doc but it was recommended at me by a doc and it works.

Started CPAP when I was 6’1”, 195 pounds and a competitive cyclist.

I thought I was overtraining because my times were going the wrong direction. Turns out I had apnea.

Weight contributes but isn’t always the cause.

I’m still 6’1”.

I thought I had sleep apnea.........it turns out I have an electrical problem in the left side of my heart(called the left bundle).I have not received a pacemaker yet,according to the cardiologist we're waiting for the complete short circuit.I'll wake in the night gasping for air.......at that point I get my first implant

I keep model glue on my nightstand for when I can't sleep... 😟

Yeah, I had one patient that I found it was a cardiac issue and not seizures. Hooked him up for an EEG noticed during one of his events his heart would stop. Quick call to the cardiologist and pacemaker went in that night. Amazing how some issues tend to show as something else.