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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is Sleep Apnea?

12 replies

Sheilaswheelz · 18/12/2023 11:14

So, My husband really struggles to stay awake, when driving, putting kids to bed, watching a film etc. His eyes go so red and I can tell how much he is struggling to stay awake. He had a sleep monitor on a few years ago and everything came back ok?.

He is terrible to sleep with as his snoring is so bad, he literally falls asleep as SOON as he closes his eyes. I have a video of him sleeping and he has episodes of not breathing and then gasping for breath after a minute or so. Can this be misdiagnosed as I just assumed all was ok after the sleep monitor and he was just lazy?

OP posts:
Catza · 18/12/2023 11:32

Being lazy and falling asleep uncontrollably are two entirely different things, OP.
Being lazy implies lack of effort and motivation to do tasks and is a very judgmental way to see your partner.
Yes, it sounds that he ticks the boxes for further referral to a respiratory sleep clinic. Just because he was cleared a few years ago, doesn't mean is condition wouldn't have progressed. There are also other neurological sleep disorders which are assessed by a different sleep clinic.

MrTiddlesTheCat · 18/12/2023 11:33

It sounds like you have a video of him experiencing an apnea but that doesn't necessarily mean he has the condition sleep apnea. Everyone experiences some apneas but it only crosses the threshold to a diagnosis if it's 10 or more apeas per hour.

meeplesmarples · 18/12/2023 11:35

You can do a private at-home test, which is what I did when I was convinced I had sleep apnea but the GP wouldn't refer me because my daytime sleepiness was basically at a normal level. My at-home test showed I had severe sleep apnea, and now I have a CPAP it's been life changing. Conditions like this do progress, just because he didn't have sleep apnea a few years ago doesn't mean he doesn't have it now.

MrTiddlesTheCat · 18/12/2023 11:35

Forgot to say, less than 10 an hour can still be exhausting. I can barely function if my rate goes above 1 an hour.

olderbutwiser · 18/12/2023 11:37

I suggest he takes the video to his GP, it sounds like a possibility.

Original poster
Sheilaswheelz · 18/12/2023 11:37

It is at Least 10 an hour, its like every 6 breaths or so?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sheilaswheelz · 18/12/2023 11:41

@meeplesmarples Can you explain what your daytime sleepiness was like? could you fall asleep at he drop of a hat? he cannot sit on the sofa, he will fall asleep. We separated briefly when our first child was born as he couldn't get up in the night to help me and I got so resentful as I just thought he couldn't be bothered. Now I feel so guilty that this could actually be a problem.

Can stress make the condition worse, as I noticed it was particularly bad when we had a new baby?

OP posts:
meeplesmarples · 18/12/2023 12:19

@Sheilaswheelz towards the end of my undiagnosed period, right before I did my home test, I was the same - if I sat on the sofa to read, I'd be asleep and there was nothing I could do about it. I also knew if I was driving anything over an hour I would feel sleepy, so I would plan in nap breaks for any long drives. I also really struggled to get up in the mornings and was not waking up til a couple of hours past my usual time (and I have always been an early riser so I was struggling with this). I also felt headachey and had no energy when I woke up.

Now I have my CPAP I am sleeping through the night instead of waking in the early hours (the machine data confirms it's eliminated the sleep apnea so my sleep quality is great again), I get up and feel full of energy, and I do not ever fall asleep on the sofa or feel sleepy when driving. It's honestly a huge relief.

This is the company I used, if you are interested: https://www.thebettersleepclinic.co.uk/bookhomesleeptest

Stoufer · 18/12/2023 12:28

You could always buy a Viatom Checkme online (I bought one a few years ago for around £100); it is a pulse oximeter that you wear round your wrist like a watch, and it has a thumb sensor. It monitors sleep, oxygen, and movement and other things. It is what my local hospital uses to do sleep studies at home. You download the viatom app to your phone and can read all the data off there. You will need to adjust the settings so that it doesn’t alert when the oxygen levels drop, so as to get a baseline reading of what is happening at night. After you have that data, you can request a referral for sleep apnoea, or pay privately. But, You could ask for a referral anyway, with the information you have. The viatom checkme is also very good as you can adjust the settings to vibrate when oxygen drops below say 85 per cent, so it rouses you before your oxygen levels drop too much.
it is really important to get this sorted asap - oxygen levels dropping below 80 per cent damages your organs (eg heart, lungs etc etc). And falling asleep (while driving) can have devastating consequences.

Fieldofbrokenpromises · 18/12/2023 12:28

Sounds as if it could be sleep apnoea.
You can get a private test with results for £195.

MrTiddlesTheCat · 18/12/2023 12:44

Yes stress makes it worse.

Berryberrywintermedley · 18/12/2023 12:56

He needs to stop driving

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