One of the most well-known sleep disorders, sleep apnea is a fairly common condition. Marked by interruptions in breathing during sleep, sleep apnea causes the person suffering from this condition to wake up, or partially wake, several times during the night. Because of the frequency of these interruptions in breathing, a person with sleep apnea will have trouble getting a restful night’s sleep, causing them to feel the effects of sleep deprivation during their waking hours.

Two types of sleep apnea have been diagnosed: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea. OSA is caused by the soft palate becoming so relaxed that it actually blocks off the breathing passageway, while central sleep apnea is caused by the brain relaxing to the point that it does not remind the body to breathe. While both types can cause interruptions to breathing on their own, most people with sleep apnea actually have mixed apnea, which is a combination of both forms.

Sleep apnea is sometimes difficult to diagnose, simply because it only strikes while the person is asleep and won’t notice that it is happening. Because most people with sleep apnea awake only partially – not fully – so they do not actually notice that they have had their sleep cycle interrupted. Thus, if someone wants to determine if they have sleep apnea, they will have to look for the symptoms.

The most common symptom of sleep apnea is excessive sleepiness upon waking. Because the sleep cycle is being interrupted, the person is not refreshed during the night and will wake up feeling lethargic, fatigued, or even feel like they need to go back to bed for another round of sleep. Also, people with sleep apnea almost always snore; often very loudly. However, a person does not necessarily have to show these symptoms to have sleep apnea. In fact, a bed partner may be the only person to notice the interruptions in breathing during the night.

Additionally, people with sleep apnea are often overweight to obese, so treatment usually involves helping people to lose weight. Treatment can also include eliminating alcohol or other substances that help people relax, quitting smoking, using special pillows or other appliances that help keep the airways open, or even special apparatus that uses air pressure to keep the airways open. This last form of treatment, continuous pressure airway pressure (CPAP), uses a breathing mask to pressurize the airways and inflate them, almost like a balloon. Though this form of treatment is more than a little disconcerting at first, they quickly get used to the mask and find that they feel much more alert in the morning.

Sleep apnea is very difficult for a person to self-diagnose but, once the problem is found, there are treatments available. But for people who are overweight and have large necks, smoke, use sedatives or muscle relaxers, or just drink too much alcohol, lifestyle changes would be the best place to start either keeping sleep apnea away or treating it before it becomes a major health concern. After all, not breathing is a problem whenever it happens. So by treating sleep apnea now, sufferers can keep performing the one act they need to perform every day and every night.

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Sleep HQ: your guide to sleep apnea and getting a good night’s sleep.

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Eat healthy. Avoid going to bed hungry. Avoid caffeine 5 hours before sleep.
Remember that, although it can feel dangerous, it isn’t.
Some may find that the more they try to move, the worse it gets and the longer it goes on for. If so simply relax for a few seconds, stop trying to move and after a few seconds have passed, try moving an arm or leg, then you should be out of the paralysis.
Most episodes can be stopped by coughing the word ‘cough’ repeatedly. Although you may still go into another episode if you try to immediately go back to sleep. Coughing is both a voluntary and involuntary response, which such responses break the sleeping state.
Note: Some may not be able to speak under sleep paralysis, rendering this method useless.

Talk about it with others.
An improper sleeping schedule can be a cause of sleep paralysis. Try to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night at the same time of night every night, and sleep paralysis may go away.
Concentrating on trying to move or “shake” yourself may break you out of it in no time.
Sleep paralysis is most common while sleeping on your back. Try to avoid sleeping this way
Try to avoid coffee or medications that affect your heart rate.
Consider having a sleep study to diagnose whether the cause of the sleep paralysis may be sleep apnea. With proper treatment of a diagnosed sleep apnea condition, the sleep paralysis events may subside and/or disappear.
If you find you are experiencing paralysis as you are falling asleep try sitting up and staring at a bright light for a minute or so before lying down again. No one is sure why, but this does help some people.
Always remember to relax because sleep paralysis last only a few seconds or minutes and will fade away momentarily.
Some people that frequently deal with sleep paralysis have found the following technique to be helpful. Take a moment each day to relax and imagine the sensations of your sleep paralysis. Focus on your breathing, then take a deep breath while picturing that breath lifting you up to consciousness as you open your eyes. Practicing your escape procedure when not experiencing the paralysis can greatly reduce the anxiety that can accompany an episode.
Make sure that you are actually awake. Sleep paralysis could very well be a dream, and you will likely be able to discern whether or not it is a dream by moving into the next room. Focus on moving into the next room, or in general, away from the location of paralysis.
Although you may feel that you are not able to move, you can try concentrating on moving one finger (or any small part of your body) – when this succeeds and you experience the small movement, the paralysis recedes. Of course, you need to be lucid to do this.
Inhale deeply then exhale forcefully (do not hyperventilate). Repeat this several times; most of the time this can get you out of sleep paralysis.
Medical marijuana has been proven successful in preventing episodes in states that allow its use as prescribed by a doctor.
Always remember that sleep paralysis is a medical phenomena and just that. Do not associate it with supernatural things like ghosts and evils. It will only make it worse. Keep reminding yourself that it’s just a medical phenomena.
If you experience disassociation( “out of body” feelings), Try to “feel” the texture of your sheets, clothes, or furniture around you- you’ll find that you wake up faster from tuning into a sense. Alternately, ignore the sense of paralysis, and allow yourself to follow the “out of body” feelings; you can turn an unpleasant surprise into an enjoyable lucid dream, which you may be able to control. Try visiting friends or pleasant spots you have visited. No harm can come to you, so don’t be afraid.
If you can ‘fall asleep’ in your dream, when you wake up, you will wake from your dream as well. Almost like falling asleep twice – except when you wake up in your dream, you wake up in real life.

As a child I was tested on at least one occasion for Tourettes at the insistence of my teachers. I don’t know the results but they did not confirm the diagnosis.

Growing up I developed odd repeat behavioral activities.
1. Plucking hair.
a. widows peak
b. navel
(became ritualistic and I would catch myself feeling for potential hairs to pluck. Used tweezers for hours on end often digging for ingrown hairs.

2. As a grew older I became less concerned with hair but repeated many behaviors
a. now my main physical repeat is to rub my thumb and pointer finger together in circular motions as if rolling a tiny ball.
I do this contstantly throughout the day and it is always when I am disengaged from an activity and engaged in thought.

3. Go through repeat actions of touching my face.
1. Temple
2. Nose
3. Lips
4. chin

4. I have auditory outbursts.
1. These are somewhat controlled depending on my surroundings.
a. If I am in a formal situation I will not outburst
b. If I am in a semi relaxed setting I will outburst in a muffled voice
i. happens all the time when I’m in my cubicle and think I’m alone yet others are just on the other side of the partition.
c. If I I’m alone than It is a full out agonizing screem
d. I don’t know how I differentiate as it is only after the outbust that I recognize I have said what I have said.
e. The outburst is always repetative and changes over time
1. jesus have mercey (was Christian at the time)
2. no, no, no, no, no
2. yaiy, yaiy, yaiy, yaiy, yaiy
3. love , , (very loyal of me but this is nonsensical compared to the thought at hand)
4.the key to the outburst is that at that exact moment I am daydreaming of something from the past which am ashamed of or completley regret. The outburst comes at that realization and is expressed before I relize it has happend. In infrequent cases this calls for a cover up to explain the non-nonsensical terms which came out. These are usually easily dismissed as “I was thinking out loud”. In the car however I am alone and the full effect is unleashed. I will scream the phrases in an agonizing way and often slam the roof or window with my fist. Afterwards I realize that my flailing may have been noticed and look around to see if anyone adjusts their driving around me. The things on my mind at the time of the outbursts usually have nothing to do with anything current but rather occurred many years in the past.

Sleep disorders:

Apnea
Paraysis (suffocate and regain control of my lungs just in time to gasp for breath
sleep walking – partially aggrevated by drinking but prevalent non the less.

Anxiety:

Have had full blown to my knees anxiety attacks.

Overall most people would say I’m ok. I have a good job, fiancée and am things are on the up but I drink too much, and suffer from extreme anxiety. I’ve taken away the drinking and the symptoms still persist although can’t ever shake the anxiety.

Recently, however, she has been experiencing a multitude of health problems. She has lupus, and I have suspected that many of the issues of pain and other symptoms she has been experiencing throughout her body have been due to a flair up of lupus. However, she has also been experiencing some sexual difficulties as well. Occasionally, intercourse has been painful, especially if we are using a condom, although there have been many times where it has not been, and one time recently where it was painful in one position, and not so in another we tried a short time later. But very recently, she has also stopped lubricating naturally- she has become very dry even when very aroused. Just 6 months ago none of these things were issues.

My wife’s sex drive seems unaffected except for anxiety over experiencing pain during intercourse. She is as unhappy as I am that this has become a barrier in the sexual aspect of our relationship.

But more than that, I am concerned for her overall health. I have prodded and prodded her to go see doctors about this, but due to our financial situation and lack of health insurance she has been dragging her heels. She keeps “toughing it out” and often won’t proactively tell me when she isn’t feeling well.

I will keep prodding her, but I was hoping someone with some knowledge might be able to tell me some possibilities of what we might be dealing with. Maybe it’s just the lupus, which is serious in itself, or maybe its something else entirely. I know that no one could (and no responsible person would attempt to) make a diagnosis of a disease in a forum like this, but I am no gynocologist, and I am trying to get any lead or fish for any information that could help.

Some other information that might be relevant:
- She is NOT taking any contraceptives, either oral or otherwise.
- She was recently on some antibiotics for a dental infection, for which she also recieved two root canals, but these problems began well before she began taking the antibiotics, and I don’t believe the dryness began until after she stopped taking them.
- Other than the above, she is not taking and has not taken any medication for quite some time.
- Just in case it’s relevant, she has severe obstructive sleep apnea.

And please spare the “she needs to see a doctor” line, as I already know this, and am trying with everything I have to get her to act on it.

Thank you for any answers in advance, and God bless.
Other relevant information I forgot to add:
- Neither of us have noticed any unusual vaginal discharge from her.
-The pain she experiences during intercourse comes in two forms, as best I can tell from how she talks. One type is where her vagina feels irritated, but she also seems to experience a pain like as pushing against a bruise on the skin would feel, but deep inside her and only during intercourse. Neither of these occur all the time.
My wife is 22, and she was diagnosed with lupus about 3 years ago.
I do not know what type of lupis she has, and I don’t think she does either. She kinda ran from the diagnosis instead of doing something about it. She doesn’t like doctors, hence part of my difficulty getting her to go to one.

I slept for a night at the lab, and they tried me on with a CPAP mask. The next morning, they told me I slept well. I still don’t have any more information about how severe the apnea is, or when I’ll be getting my mask.

All I can say is, I’m sick of being obese, I’m sick of being tired, and I’m sick of always being sad and depressed. Do these sound like symptoms of sleep apnea?

I am very curious about this, since CPAPs save lives all over the world. I think we all need more education on CPAP machines, and we need to spread the word that if people snore or stop breathing at night, they should have a sleep study done.

Sleep Apnea causes high blood pressure, can cause strokes and heart attacks. It sometimes makes people have heartburn at night, and makes them sleepy during the day. People can become forgetful or irritated. This is just a short list of all the damage that having untreated sleep apnea can cause.

Product Description
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects millions of people but which has only recently come to widespread public attention. Fortunately, an effective therapy called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can treat it. Simply blowing air into people’s noses at night gives them new, improved rest and silences their characteristic snoring. Unfortunately, the adjustment period for this therapy is not of short duration, and most people give u… More >>

This Book Blows: A CPAP Bedside Companion