How serious is sleep apnea?

[BollocksToBrexit]

Does anyone know?

Reading about it, it sounds terrifying. But is this really the case? How do you think it compares to asthma in terms of seriousness?

Sleep apnoea affects wakefulness through the day.

It causes the sufferer to effectively suffocate multiple times through the night causing them to lose oxygen and jerking them awake.

As they keep waking through the night, they are at risk of nodding off through the day.

A diagnosis can withdraw the driving licences of commercial drivers, especially HGV drivers.

Someone with that diagnosis can also have their driving licence withdrawn if they're a proven risk.

I'd say it's serious- they made a machine that stops you dying from it every night!

That's what I've read, which does make it sound rather serious. But then I had to wait months and months for assessment and more months for the results, which makes me think that the health service don't see it as particularly serious.

I have sleep apnea, albeit managed, and I have a licence if you're worried about that!

Can I ask how your sleep apnea is managed? And how that has impacted how you feel in the day compared to before?

Well, I've had it for over 10 years now and I use a BIPAP ventilator and usually I have sleep studies every couple of years or whenever my BIPAP needs its settings changed. How I'd know they'd need to be changed is if I get a stuffy nose, wake up frequently, have a bloated stomach the next morning etc. However, once fixed and managed, it's bliss - I fall and stay asleep without difficulty. You don't notice it after a couple of nights.

However, if I find myself napping or being without my BIPAP, I might as well be better of staying awake tbf. I wake up several times like about every 10 minutes to an hour at worst. I get a stuffy nose, sore throat from the snoring and definitely feel worse as if you've never slept. That feeling worse bit is obviously because you tend to wake up unexpectedly during your sleep cycle because your brain is like "Wake up, you're not getting enough oxygen and have too much CO2!"

I feel millions times better during the day, I don't fall asleep as much, I am more alert and it's just more comfortable than being sleep deprived.

My dh was recently diagnosed after a couple of sleep studies. He now uses a CPAP machine each night. He's still getting used to it and has had issues with dry mouth, air escaping, etc. He had a follow up appointment yesterday and has a different mask, humidifier, heated tube to try to see if it helps. He was crap company in the evenings as he would fall asleep on the couch really early. His snoring was really bad too and that has improved with the mask

I agree with the pp, a good mask, heated tube and a humidifier makes a big difference

DD has just been diagnosed. She's waiting for her CPAP machine. The neurologist told her she's not going to die from apnea.

No but you are at increased risk of heart attacks if you don't treat it.

You also need to inform the DVLA I think.

It's complicated and depends on the severity of diagnosis and whether it is controlled. You don't have to tell DVLA if it's mild, moderate, or severe apnea if you don't have excessive sleepiness. If you do have excessive sleepiness, you have to have it controlled and have the sleep clinic tell you so.

Source

It's not just the effects on the sufferer -

www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/nyregion/train-crash-sleep-apnea.html

thorax.bmj.com/content/56/7/505

My Dad found out he had it after a couple of collapses during waking hours. He wasn't allowed to drive for 6 months whilst it all got sorted. Turned out he was asking 200 times a night - no wonder he was grumpy. So yes it's fairly serious but like with other nhs priorities which do you treat first?

I suppose that in the grand scheme of things another week or 2 waiting is nothing, seeing as I've been complaining about these 'symptoms' for over 20 years.

Well, if you're currently in the care of sleep specialists then it shouldn't be too long, hopefully

I have seen several children with horrendous sleep apnoea. I don't know how their parents coped before they had their tonsils out. There can't be anything worse than watching your child's chest move but no air going in.