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Girlfriend worrying about my breathing while i sleep

Last night my girlfriend couldn't sleep and while lying there playing with her phone she could hear me breathe. She explained that I was taking short quick breaths and that I was also having spazams throughout the night. She also said that once she moved me slightly it would stop so I'm unsure if this was a dream or something else. I'm a 26 year old male and have had a heart condition before called Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome but had an operation when i was 17 to fix it and have never had a problem since. I had being to see my doctor over a year about my heart as it was beating very quickly and i was having what felt like skips in my heart beat and he suggested that I stay well away from caffeine or anything that could stimulate my heart unnecessarily which i was doing quite a lot before then.  Since then I have not quite stopped with but only the odd time I might have a bottle of Lucozde that has caffeine in it or the odd cigarette on a night out.  I was wondering if this is something I should be worrying about or should I go get it checked out?

I look forward  hearing anyone's past experiences or advice.

Kind regards

Ian
5 Responses
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967168 tn?1477584489
I had no clue I had OSA; I didn't feel tired, never napped, I always woke refreshed and peppy no matter how much or little I slept, never stopped breathing during sleep, plus I never snored, so it was quite a shock when I went in for the sleep test and I was 1 pt from being in the severe stage of OSA.

I was 42 at the time I was dx.  I needed to lose about 30 lbs but exercised and kept active daily - walking/running and weights, so I really didn't fit the "typical" sleep apnea profile except those drasted 30 lbs.

My daughter is 24 had asthma as a child and has always been normal weight or underweight; never exercises but smokes and has sleep apnea.

When she's here; she's always falling asleep on the couch, we can hear her snoring and gasping for air and sometimes wakes up with a headache and tired during the day...again - not the "typical" OSA patient but the dr thinks it was due to scarring in the lungs from Asthma and pneumonia and of course her smoking habit she picked up as an adult (ugh).

It may be beneficial to have it checked out just in case =)
Helpful - 0
1423357 tn?1511085442
I was diagnosed 4 years ago with very severe sleep apnea.  My blood oxygen levels were so low, that my body was producing excessive red blood cells to counter it, something called Secondary Polycythemia.  This is interesting because I was going to say that it doesn't sound like OSA.  With (at least) my OSA, I stopped breathing completely,  My wife often said she could see my chest rise and fall, but there was no sound of air exchange. Sleep studies are getting harder and harder for insurance companies to approve.  Quite often, you'll have to do other tests before a study is approved, or perhaps do a "home study" wich get s a rough idea whether you may have it or not.

One thing I definitely remember when I had it were my days were looong and I was sleeeepy!  I also remember awakening a few time each night with huge gasp for air.  It would awaken my wife with a start, we'd both laugh, and I'd go back to my troubled sleep not realizing what I was subjecting my body to.  Fortunately my GP saw the rise in red blood cells, asked me a few questions, and my OSA was revealed.  Today, I sleep great wearing a small nasal mask which covers only my nostrils.

A sleep partner will prove invaluable in noting any symptoms, because they are the ones who are ususally kept awake while you (may, but not always) snore away and appear to be a good night's sleep.

Here are signs that may point to OSA:
1) overweight
2) a male neck size of 18" or greater
3) dead tired feeling during the day.
4) loud snoring
5) awakening with gasping snorts during the night
6) periodic cessation of breating while asleep, usually followed by large gasp for air.
Helpful - 0
612551 tn?1450022175
COMMUNITY LEADER
I read with interest.  I don't have any answers, but some questions/comments.

I am a senior, so that may be my main problem, I also suffer from Atrial Fibrillation and have sinus stuffiness/congestion, especially when lying down..sleeping.

I wake often (more than twice a night) and while I have a need to urinate (age/prostate) I know I feel short of breath and when I take a few deep breaths through my throat I can feel the refreshing feeling of getting more/enough oxygen.  My wife says I sometime kick, and occasionally snore, but not on any regular basis.  Perhaps I too need to get a sleep study... I assume it is an over night (one night) in the hospital or clinic.
Helpful - 0
967168 tn?1477584489
you should def have a sleep study as Bob says; ask your g/f if she notices that you snore also...I didn't snore but still had OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) did you have asthma or other breathing problems when you were younger?

sleep apnea can be a very serious thing and can cause arrhythmia's and even cause VTach episodes according to the doctor I asked in the sleep forum and the heart disease forum here because of my OSA and Vtach episodes during sleep.

in the mean time; try to sleep on 2-3 pillows on your side and either put a tennis ball under your back in your shirt/pj's or take a pillow and tuck the end under your side to try and keep from rolling on your back...

I have it so bad even sleeping on my side and on 3 pillows my oxygen levels still go down to 75% and I can't use a cpap machine - it causes me problems
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's possible that you have sleep apnea. Ask your doctor for a sleep study.
Helpful - 0
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