Just my two cents. My boyfriend had sleep apnea, he still does, but doesn't use his machine now.
The snoring is very different than "regular snoring." A lot of people confuse "snoring" for sleep apnea symptoms. I noticed my boyfriend's mouth would open and he would get silent, then repeat, like he was gasping for air, and it wasn't normal so I mentioned to him years ago. I finally convinced him to go see a doctor because he didn't realize he was actually exhausted from not getting a restful sleep. In fact his doctor at the sleep study he did said that most people don't realize it because they think they are not getting a restful sleep because of other reasons.
The snoring is also, loud, louder than what I consider normal snoring because my in my boyfriend's case he was trying to breathe. In his test, he was told that he stopped breathing literally 48 times in 60 seconds. This all night means you are not getting a restful sleep. His machine allowed him to sleep and weight loss does help. He doesn't use his machine now, but he has recently gained weight so he snores, but no where near what he used to. He probably should use a machine, but he doesn't want to brave another sleep study for now, so he sleeps on an incline and that does help. The problem is I wake up a lot more than usual now and make him turn over, sleeping on his back is worse for it.
I'll tell you that from being the one who heard the snoring, it was horrible. I couldn't sleep it was so loud. My poor cat and I would sometimes crash out on the couch and she would go in there and scream at him and come back to me. He was so loud lol. So, we weren't getting sleep either.
The machine was a nice sound though. Kind of like a fan sound, so it was nice to hear when I would go to bed. Then he actually had a good night's rest and he was happy and pleased with it. A very nice change for all of us. I mean who wants to stop breathing while they sleep? no one!
Last edited by Jacquie668; 07-12-2009 at 07:08 AM.
Jut want to clarify that it's not only true that people who snore may not have sleep apnea, but also that people with sleep apnea don't always snore (or may not snore loudly).
I agree that sleep apnea snoring generally has (or can have) a very characteristic pattern, but an absence of snoring or loud snoring, doesn't mean an absence of apnea.
Jut want to clarify that it's not only true that people who snore may not have sleep apnea, but also that people with sleep apnea don't always snore (or may not snore loudly).
I agree that sleep apnea snoring generally has (or can have) a very characteristic pattern, but an absence of snoring or loud snoring, doesn't mean an absence of apnea.
His brother actually also had sleep apnea, his snoring was a lot quieter in fact I don't think it kept her up at night, but had a distinct pattern that made his wife question if it was normal. Pretty much, if your partner wakes up because of snoring and you feel it isn't what one would consider "normal" I would say try to get your partner to go see a doctor. You never know, it is better to be safe than sorry.
From what I know, in speaking with the doctors involved in my boyfriend's case, most of the people who have sleep apnea exhibit some sort of breathing sound (snoring) that isn't the norm. I think my boyfriend's regular doctor said he personally had not had a patient who didn't have some sort of snoring, but he also said that there probably were cases out there of people who had sleep apnea who didn't have the snoring issue. We asked a bunch of questions obviously lol.
I mean you have other symptoms, not just snoring, in my boyfriend's case the snoring was literally so loud it was totally NOT the norm and when I observed him, I could tell something was seriously wrong. The thing is, from his side of things, he was waking up exhausted and had no idea he wasn't breathing during his sleep. That was quite a shock to him when he found out because he would stop breathing for only a split second, then back again. However, he also had the longer periods where he wouldn't breath (when he was silent) and then he would gasp for hair and that was when the snoring was the loudest. Obviously all snoring doesn't mean sleep apnea, however if the snoring is concerning anyone I would suggest getting things checked out. He did like the machine though, which was good as not everyone likes the breathing machine.
Just clarifying what I know about it and my experience...
Last edited by Jacquie668; 07-12-2009 at 02:09 PM.
My point was just that the lack of symptoms or the lack of very noticeable symptoms, can be misinterpreted. It's very easy to assume (but wrongly) that if there are no noticeable symptoms or if symptoms are mild, that there is no sleep apnea, or that the apnea can't be severe, which isn't always the case.
Noticeable symptoms are a red flag, but it's very common for people to think that because there aren't any red flags it couldn't possibly be a problem, and that's just not true.
I think because of the posible severe health consequences, it's better to suspect sleep apnea and find out there is none, than to assume it can't be apnea because there's no snoring, or because the snoring isn't loud enough, or doesn't follow a particular pattern (which is why my normal snoring, syster had her sleep study done, because it could have been apnea, but turned out not to be) or because one isn't experiencing symptoms like fatigue, etc.
If a person snores, even if it's a normal sounding snore, I would encourage them to be tested for sleep apnea.
If a person doesn't snore (or isn't sure whether or not they snore), but experiences significant and unexplainable fatigue, I would encourage them to be tested for sleep apnea (and other sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, as well as measuring sleep stages).
Sleep disorders have such a significant impact on health and are largely undiagnosed. Personally, I would love to see sleep studies becoming part of routine health care. Not that everyone would need one annually, but maybe at least one in early adulthood for a baseline and maybe every 10 years or so if a person has no symptoms, and maybe every 5 years if they have risk factors.
Honestly the CPAP company didn't say a word about my weight. And when I asked the guy who showed me how to use my CPAP "will this go away if I lose weight" he looked surprised that I'd mention that and said it may or may not, he can't say for sure.
If your bf still has sleep apnea why isn't he using his machine? He's really hurting himself by not using it
Oh yes my CPAP just sounds like a small fan, it doesn't bother my husband or me at all.
It's difficult the first few weeks getting used to it, you have to adjust your mask for your face and I would knock it off in my sleep then wake up with my mask on the floor and so on lol. Now I sleep so well I don't even MOVE at night- I wake up in the exact same position most of the time and fully rested. The first night girl you will notice a difference!
Oh and at first the air seemed very strong but with time now it seems like nothing They explain it all to you when you pick up your mask and machine
I have a friend who is VERY stubborn about getting a CPAP- he OBVIOUSLY has sleep apnea as he's always falling asleep and I worry one day he's gonna fall asleep at the wheel! Every gf he has had wouldn't sleep with him cuz of the snoring.
I mean I just don't get the stubborn-ness of him and others I have known. YES the doctor is scary, yes it can cost some money- but what is scarier? The doctor or death? I want to be around for a long time! I don't want to die!
Then he actually had a good night's rest and he was happy and pleased with it. A very nice change for all of us. I mean who wants to stop breathing while they sleep? no one!
