Posted by Cece on February 16, 2001, at 1:16:27
In reply to Re: sleep hitting, posted by kellyR. on April 24, 2000, at 19:43:51
I suggest that you do some research on sleep apnea, which can cause the "hitting" symptoms you describe. If you identify with what you read, do anything you can to get a full-fledged work-up in a sleep disorders clinic (which usually includes the miserable experience of staying overnight all wired up and monitored), to rule out the possiblity of sleep apnea. It also can cause cardiac stress, and may account for many cases of nightime cardiac arrest, so it is not an issue to take lightly.
These studies are expensive, and not available too many places- big teaching/research hospitals mostly. I cornered my HMO into sending me to Stanford for one after reading a first hand story about sleep apnea that sounded in many ways like my experience. To force their hand, I paid out of pocket for a preliminary interview at the clinic, which diagnosed significant evidence of a serious, potentially life-threatening problem. As it turned out, I don't have full-blown sleep apnea, but a "lower continuum" condition (not fully recognized in all medical circles) called Upper Airway Restrictive Disorder. I slept regularly for about 2 years with a CPAP machine (Continuous positive airway pressure), and the quality of my sleep improved immensely. I have lost some weight since then- which may have been a contributing factor- and now use the CPAP as needed. For me, the sign that I need it is a recurrence of fibromyalgia symptoms.
I'm sure that there may be other causes for your problem, but whatever they might be, a sleep disorders clinic is the best resource for evaluation.
Good luck!
poster:Cece
thread:30914
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010212/msgs/54128.html