Dangers of Untreated Sleep Apnoea

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on April 1, 2015 at 14:35

Here's a recent poster by the British Lung Foundation that was shared on this forum a short while ago showing how the NHS alone could save £55 Million by treating all those with moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (note this doesn't appear to include those with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnoea or Central Sleep Apnoea) so savings would no doubt soar even higher than this figure!!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Eacott on April 1, 2015 at 15:03

Kath. I received your email today title "Raising Awareness to the Dangers of Untreated Sleep Apnoea".

That triggered me to post on this forum after an absence of more than a year.

As people may see somewhere in these forums I started APAP treatment in December 2013, passed as in compliance in January 2014 and received my driving licence back later.

I still have the APAP machine after 15 months and have been asked by my hospital to collect an oximeter on 2nd June, use it overnight and return it to the hospital.

I am confident that my oxygen levels during the night will be within the healthy normal range because I have my own oximeter that I use regularly during the night. I have seen little difference in the oxygen graphs when forcibly sleeping on my side using the APAP machine and when not using it.

I have a follow up appointment at the hospital on 11 June and perhaps the hospital will ask me to return the APAP machine because I may not need it, they are expensive, in short supply and needed by another patient.

Regards, Mike

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on April 1, 2015 at 17:19

Mike, hopefully the hospital are just wanting to check that the APAP is doing it's job to keep your oxygen levels up.  Obviously, if they're asking  you not to use your APAP on the night of the pulse oximeter test then that's a different matter completely and could be what you suspect.  If this is the case and your oxygen levels do show within normal ranges, then you need to insist on a full sleep study measuring your breathing as well, as there are people with sleep apnoea who don't always have lots of 02 desaturations, yet the apnoeas/hypopnoeas are still causing interrupted sleep and pressure on the heart etc.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Eacott on April 2, 2015 at 11:53

Kath, When in December 2013 I persuaded my GP that I believed I had had OSA over many years I was soon given an Oximeter to use overnight (before I was allocated an APAP). The results (while sleeping on my back) were significant O2 desaturation. I have evidence that my OSA is positional whether I use my APAP or not. My own Oximeter shows no significant difference in overnight O2 saturations when I make sure that I sleep on my side whether I use my APAP or not.

As an aside I have volunteered to participate in a research programme into electrical stimulation in obstructive sleep
apnoea www.jthoracdis.com/article/download/2429/2988 and am in contact with Dr Martino Pengo.

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on April 5, 2015 at 19:53

That's good you're considering the electrical stimulation Mike, and if you take a look at the update I posted (if you didn't see it) there's a member on this forum who is also keen and I have other customers and contacts undergoing the trial http://hope2sleepguide.co.uk/forum/topics/survey-to-help-with-new-n...

You'll be in good hands with Dr Pengo, and will get a full sleep study as part of the trial, and they fully understand both Positional Sleep Apnoea and UARS at Guy's & St Thomas' so you'll get good advice there!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Eacott on April 18, 2015 at 9:57

Kath, results of some interesting research

"The researchers found that people who treated their sleep breathing problems with a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP) were diagnosed with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) about 10 years later than people whose problems were not treated - or at age 82 instead of age 72."

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Permalink Reply by Michael Eacott on April 18, 2015 at 10:44

Trumpet and clarinet players are less likely to develop obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)

Learning to play a wind instrument could be the key to stopping sno...

Maybe playing the Didgeridoo is better

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on April 23, 2015 at 21:07

Yes Michael a lot of people are getting alarmed by the link you put about the memory problems, and I've heard of a few people who are now compliant with their CPAP, which is a good thing!  The other article that's getting a lot of attention is the one stating that CPAP Reduced Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation.

(By the way, I have a didgeridoo and it didn't do anything for me, but I guess it depends what's causing the apnoeas).

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Permalink Reply by Michael Eacott on April 23, 2015 at 21:27

Kath. It was not my intention to alarm people but to stress how important it is that people who snore in their sleep check via an NHS overnight oximeter use or equivalent to go and find out if they have sleep apnoea.

Undiagnosed high blood pressure is called the silent killer and perhaps snoring may not be a silent killer but the loud long term threat to physical and mental well being.

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on April 23, 2015 at 21:32

I didn't mean you'd alarmed anyone Michael, I meant the article you linked to has been getting a lot of interest on the internet, and whilst it's worrying to hear these things, it's best that people know as not everyone gets 2nd chances.  There are so many conditions they're finding untreated sleep apnoea is causing that I for one would never consider going without therapy.

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