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[Diagnosis] Should I do sleep study again?
#1
Should I do sleep study again?
[*] Hi there. Recently I got a sleep study done and the results came back saying all was fine. I was absolutely crushed and in disbelief when I heard this.

I have been struggling with sleepyness and brain fog for a very long time and have been so desperate for an answer. I am unable to achieve anything in my life because of it. I want to study soon but I know if I can't fix this it will be like school all over again.

I have been checked and confirmed I don't have diabetes/hypoglycaemia, iron deficiency, ADD or chronic fatigue. I must mention I do have anxiety/depression but I'm am very happy and not stressed at present but still have these symptoms.

Sleep apnea seemed like my last resort. It made so much sense: I struggle to get out of bed, I feel I in refreshed and tired, I struggle to retain information and am easily confused, I have horrible memory and I recall waking up in the middle of the night recently and realised I wasn't breathing. I also should add that since I was a child I have had sleep terrors which I just discovered can be a result of a sleep disorder.

So my question is, does sleep apnea happen every night? Could it have been a good night during my study?
And if not, what else could it be? My doctor suggested a learning disability but from research it doesn't seem to line up.

I'm so desperate to find this out so I can get my life on track, any feedback would be great, thank you!
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#2
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
There are people here that should be able to give you some insight. Some people that have sleep apnea are not bothered by it, others like me cannot sleep without CPAP. I am pretty sure that if you have it, it is every night even if it does not bother you. Sorry I can't be more help, but others will chime in tomorrow
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#3
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
Welcome! I also think that if you have sleep apnea some of it manifests each night. With a sleep study they can tell if you are sleeping or not, so incorrect results seem unlikely to me. Did the study detect any abnormal breathing?

Most of your symptoms can be explained by depression regardless of your current emotional state. Depression symptoms can exhibit in a variety of unexpected ways. Are you on anti-depressants? If so, you might want to talk to your doctor about trying something else to rule this out.

Instead of another sleep study, I'd consider seeing if a CPAP equipment provider can give you an in-home trial of an APAP machine. At least then yo have a week's worth of data so you can rule out one good night.

Has your adrenal function been checked?
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#4
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
(06-09-2016, 12:05 AM)PoolQ Wrote: Some people that have sleep apnea are not bothered by it

That was me... hardly ever tired, unlike my wife who can't watch a movie at night without falling asleep.. However, she said I stopped breathing at night regularly. Eventually went for sleep study and yep, it's definitely true!


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#5
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
Hi, Hopscotch. Do you know if your sleep study measured the type of events known as "respiratory effort related events"? A stretchy belt around your ribcage is used to measure the effort that it takes for you to breathe.

It's possible to be awakened over and over by the respiratory effort events, but not to stop breathing for long enough each time for an apnea to be recorded.

If you have a copy of your sleep study results, you can look at that to see if RERA events were included. If they are, you will usually see an AHI reported (obstructive events) and an RDI (respiratory distress index) which is the sum of the obstructive events plus the respiratory effort related events divided by the length of the study in hours.

RDI = AHI + RERA

In my sleep study, I had 60% obstructive events & 40% respiratory effort related events.

If someone has only, or mostly only, respiratory effort related events, they technically do not have obstructive sleep apnea. They have something called Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). This condition has not been studied for as long as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It can be treated with CPAP therapy, just like OSA. CPAP therapy for the diagnosis of UARS is not even covered by many insurance plans in the US, as it's not yet a fully accepted diagnosis.

You can find articles about UARS if you do a web search. I particularly like this one, because it's easy to understand. Taking the Mystery Out of UARS

The suggestion to try to do a month-long trial of an auto-PAP machine is a good one. You may need a prescription to do that. If so, you'd have to talk a doctor or dentist (or whoever is allowed to prescribe CPAP therapy where you live) into writing one.

If you end up trying CPAP therapy, getting a good mask that fits you well is very important. I recently switched from the Wisp nasal mask to the AirFit P10 For her nasal pillows and really like them. If you normally breathe through your mouth or find that you must have your mouth open to breathe comfortably while sleeping, you may need a full-face mask.

With the symptoms that you describe, I would be inclined to try CPAP therapy if possible, regardless of what sort of diagnosis you got. I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome around 25 years ago, when I was in my late 20s. If current-day CPAP therapy had been available then, I would definitely have wanted to try it.

I hope you'll feel free to visit this forum any time and will let us know how things go with you. I hope you get some answers and some effective treatment.

(06-08-2016, 09:32 PM)Hopscotch Wrote: [*] Hi there. Recently I got a sleep study done and the results came back saying all was fine. I was absolutely crushed and in disbelief when I heard this.

I have been struggling with sleepyness and brain fog for a very long time and have been so desperate for an answer. I am unable to achieve anything in my life because of it. I want to study soon but I know if I can't fix this it will be like school all over again.

I have been checked and confirmed I don't have diabetes/hypoglycaemia, iron deficiency, ADD or chronic fatigue. I must mention I do have anxiety/depression but I'm am very happy and not stressed at present but still have these symptoms.

Sleep apnea seemed like my last resort. It made so much sense: I struggle to get out of bed, I feel I in refreshed and tired, I struggle to retain information and am easily confused, I have horrible memory and I recall waking up in the middle of the night recently and realised I wasn't breathing. I also should add that since I was a child I have had sleep terrors which I just discovered can be a result of a sleep disorder.

So my question is, does sleep apnea happen every night? Could it have been a good night during my study?
And if not, what else could it be? My doctor suggested a learning disability but from research it doesn't seem to line up.

I'm so desperate to find this out so I can get my life on track, any feedback would be great, thank you!

Post Reply Post Reply
#6
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
Hi Hopscotch,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions and answers to your question, and much success to you.
trish6hundred
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#7
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
Thank you very much for your insights.

I'm almost certain it's not from my medication, since I've had this problem before I was diagnosed. Maybe I'll do some more research in affects of mental illness.

I will definitely try the cpap/apap and see how I feel. Great idea.

I haven't touched on adrenal function, another thing to research.

Thank you for your suggestions, a very helpful post!
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#8
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
(06-09-2016, 12:22 AM)chill Wrote: Welcome! I also think that if you have sleep apnea some of it manifests each night. With a sleep study they can tell if you are sleeping or not, so incorrect results seem unlikely to me. Did the study detect any abnormal breathing?

Most of your symptoms can be explained by depression regardless of your current emotional state. Depression symptoms can exhibit in a variety of unexpected ways. Are you on anti-depressants? If you, you might want to talk to your doctor about trying something else to rule this out.

Instead of another sleep study, I'd consider seeing if a CPAP equipment provider can give you an in-home trial of an APAP machine. At least then yo have a week's worth of data so you can rule out one good night.

Has your adrenal function been checked?


Post: #7RE: Should I do sleep study again?
Thank you very much for your insights.

I'm almost certain it's not from my medication, since I've had this problem before I was diagnosed. Maybe I'll do some more research in affects of mental illness.

I will definitely try the cpap/apap and see how I feel. Great idea.

I haven't touched on adrenal function, another thing to research.

Thank you for your suggestions, a very helpful post!
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
It might be from your medication (assuming you mean anti-depressants). I have been on several over many years. Some just had no effect for me. Other ones had an effect for years, and then stopped. The latest ones that I am on had no (beneficial) effect until the night I first slept with a CPAP machine. I'd do an APAP trial first, but it is still worth discussing trialling alternative anti-depressants with your doctor.

My mother's doctor told her of a patient of his who had such severe stomach pains that an internal medicine doctor finally did exploratory surgery on her. He found nothing. A change of anti-depressants and she was relieved of the symptoms. The mind is a strange and powerful thing.

I am also trying to find relief form years of tiredness, sleepiness, and brain fog. A couple of months of CPAP have given me marked relief, but I still have a way to go to get back to normal. I hope you find your way back, this is no way to live.

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#10
RE: Should I do sleep study again?
Thank you, green wings for your detailed reply.

I am not sure if the study mentions RDI, AHI or RERA. If your interested, I'll upload the study itself.

I researched UARS , which sounds possible as I do feel sometimes I can't breath in enough oxygen. It lead me to the idea of breathing strips and Nozovent which I will both be trialing. If they aren't successful I'll look into cpap or apap.

Its a shame you were mis-diagnosed, it must have been a relief to discover it wasn't chronic fatigue! I can't think of anything worse. Although being untreated for the real cause is just as bad.

You have been much more helpful than any doctor I've visited and I'm glad I turned to this forum. Thank you very much!
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