Garga Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 (edited) My husband snored at night. It was so loud I wore earplugs. It was miserable. The earplugs would start to itch my ears or dig into them when I laid on my side. And his memory was SHOT. I mean, it was bad. He couldn't remember ANYTHING I told him. It was having a major impact on our marriage. I stopped telling him anything. I mean, anything. We just sat around in silence a lot. If I ever did tell him something, a day later--or even an hour later, not only did he forget what I told him, but NOTHING could jog his memory that I'd ever said anything in the first place. At first I was getting highly offended, that he just wasn't listening to me. Then I started getting seriously worried. Was this some sort of early onset Alzheimer's? And then he started forgetting test dates (he's earning his master's degree) and forgetting to turn things in. And who KNOWS what he was forgetting at work, because he forgot that he forgot! He was so groggy that he could fall asleep while waiting for a traffic light to change. He felt constantly exhausted. So, his marriage was stagnant (because I couldn't share ANY of my life with him. He couldn't remember a word I'd said.), his degree was in jeopardy, and his job was going to be iffy if he kept it up. And we were both exhausted. I finally insisted that he get tested for sleep apnea. He arrived at the sleep study place at around 9:30 at night. They hooked him up to a billion monitors. He went to sleep. He left at about 6:30 in the morning. And the monitors showed he has sleep apnea. (which means you aren't breathing properly at night, and that you stop breathing entirely. He never made it to stage 4 sleep. He was only in stage 3 for a few minutes.) So, he got a CPAP machine. This machine will force air into you if you stop breathing. Here we are 2 months later. He doesn't snore at all (the machine instantly stops that), he's not groggy all day. We can have conversations again--and he remembers! He's been studying and doing all his school work fine, and I'm sure he's doing better at work. Just wanted to let people know, since it seems that a lot of people have sleep issues and don't bother finding out why. It might be worth looking into if you have troubles. We dragged our feet about it for soooo long and I'm not sure why. It's just great when something is solved so simply. (he's also losing weight, because being overweight contributes.) Edited September 15, 2009 by Garga_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 My FIL has sleep apnea, and getting his CPAP machine (he named her :tongue_smilie: ) made a world of difference for him! My dh has some risk factors for sleep apnea, so we keep a close eye on him for any indicators of developing it. I am so glad that you were able to get a Dx for your dh and that he is healthier and that your lives have improved so much! That's wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I also have sleep apnea; mine is mild, but even so, the CPAP has made all the difference in my life. Glad your dh is feeling better. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea a little over a year ago. Before I got my CPAP machine I was so exhausted and had a lot of memory problems too. Thankfully, I never dosed off while driving. But our homeschooling definitely suffered. Every time I sat down to read to my kids, I would fall asleep. And I didn't even realize just how tired I was, or just how much my memory and cognition were being impacted, until I actually started getting a good night's sleep. I second the recommendation to get a sleep study, to anyone having similar symptoms. I'm sorry I waited as long as I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Maybe that's what's wrong with me. :sleep: Actually I am pretty sure that contributes to my problems but I can't do the CPAP. My hubby has one and while it has worked great for him, just the thought of putting the mask on me is enough to give me a serious anxiety attack. I did try to do it once and the results were not pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan25 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 My hubby recently did a sleep study, though we haven't gotten the results yet. I don't think he would be able to sleep in the machine at all. He had a hard time settling in with all the wires they attached for the test. Plus it seems like it would be loud. That would keep me awake. sigh. Hopefully it'll come back negative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Maybe that's what's wrong with me. :sleep: Actually I am pretty sure that contributes to my problems but I can't do the CPAP. My hubby has one and while it has worked great for him, just the thought of putting the mask on me is enough to give me a serious anxiety attack. I did try to do it once and the results were not pretty. Each person has a different setting. Yours is probably totally different from your dh's. When my dh got his CPAP machine, *I* started feeling better! I could sleep again! I love the "white noise" (though his new machine is super quiet.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 My hubby recently did a sleep study, though we haven't gotten the results yet. I don't think he would be able to sleep in the machine at all. He had a hard time settling in with all the wires they attached for the test. Plus it seems like it would be loud. That would keep me awake. sigh. Hopefully it'll come back negative! My machine is very quiet. And sleeping with the mask on is much more comfortable than with all the wires they use for the sleep study. There are quite a variety of masks too. If your hubby needs one, he should have the opportunity to try on a variety of styles to see which he prefers. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan25 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 My machine is very quiet. And sleeping with the mask on is much more comfortable than with all the wires they use for the sleep study. There are quite a variety of masks too. If your hubby needs one, he should have the opportunity to try on a variety of styles to see which he prefers. :001_smile: Thank you for the info. I will definitely pass it on. The lack of short term memory is KILLING me! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova147 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I totally agree. DH had his sleep study done about a year ago and I've gotten better sleep than since before we were married! Oh, and he feels better too. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I found I had mild sleep apnea too. Even with mild issues treatment has made a world of difference for me. My mom was moderate and has had a profound improvement with CPAP. I think anyone with fatigue needs a sleep study (hospital lab, not home study). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've known a number of people whose lives have been by their CPAP. One friend has also been learning to play the didgeridoo. Apparently some studies have indicated that learning the circular breathing technique that is required to play the didj strengthens the breathing muscles and can help with sleep apnea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommy2be Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've been interested in getting a sleep study done on my husband - for other reasons... He has night terrors at varying degrees. I'm just curious how all of the sleep study stuff works... Is it covered by insurance? Is it expensive? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've been interested in getting a sleep study done on my husband - for other reasons... He has night terrors at varying degrees. I'm just curious how all of the sleep study stuff works... Is it covered by insurance? Is it expensive? :confused: Covered by insurance and expensive. For us the sleep lab set up insurance before the appt. (three times--once for my son and twice for myself). I think that's typical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 Maybe that's what's wrong with me. :sleep: Actually I am pretty sure that contributes to my problems but I can't do the CPAP. My hubby has one and while it has worked great for him, just the thought of putting the mask on me is enough to give me a serious anxiety attack. I did try to do it once and the results were not pretty. My hubby only has to put something under his nose. It's held on with straps, but it doesn't cover the face. The straps just tie around the back of his head. Like putting on an elephant trunk. I've heard that there are others that do cover the face, but his doesn't. It's very quiet. You can barely hear it. And the tiny bit you can hear is soothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I'm so glad you posted this, Garga. I've got to broach the subject with my dh. He snores like a buzz saw if he's sleeping on his back, and I actually hear him stop breathing. I dont' sleep well because of the snoring and because I've always got one ear open, waiting to see if he starts breathing again! Dh is very tired at night, and he doesn't have a physical job-- he works in the annuities division of a big insurance company. We've got to look into this! astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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