Ok....So I might be sick.

[Sebastian Kain]

Alright, I've had this on going problem for just about a year. At odd times of the year I have trouble sleeping at nite. It's because I'm suffering from troubles with breathing when i'm sleeping. My friends think it's sleep anpenia(sp?), I think it's nerves or something to that effect. I've had periods of time where I wake up violently and anyone next to me or what not..ends up having the shock of their lives. (I've attacked or appeared to attack two ppl at least..not intentionally. Just blindly). Another friend thinks I suffer from Night Terrors as well.

My mother thinks it's all mental and I need to pray about it...I hate to go the doctor and they tell me it's nothing..but I'm starting to be concerned cause I wake up with headaches.

Now note that my AC is blowing in my house now..and that might be adding to the effect (had the same problem with heating.) I've been sleeping so off that I've been going to sleep downstairs (it's colder or warmer down there depending on the weather outside (ac/heat) ).

So yea..that's about it I think.

[Cryogentic]

Are you allergic to anything around you, If your breathing problems are only at certain times it might be because your allergic to something around you.

[Sebastian Kain]

Are you allergic to anything around you, If your breathing problems are only at certain times it might be because your allergic to something around you.

Not that I'm aware of. The only real problems I've had with allergies is with pollen. But this year has been fairly good to me.

[Quakester]

Not that I'm aware of. The only real problems I've had with allergies is with pollen. But this year has been fairly good to me.

You should go see your doctor and get an allergy panel done. You might be surprised as to what your allergic to. People can develop allergies later in life, some existing ones get worse, or sometimes you grow out of them. Personally, I'm in the second category. Stress can also be a big factor in sleep depravation. It's kind of a catch 22 , though. The more stressed you are, the less sleep you get yet the more sleep deprived you are the more stresed you become. It's an ugly cycle.

[Poison]

I would have guessed 2 things:
-allergies
-asthma

2 years ago I had problems during summer at night, wasn't sleeping well. One night I woke up panicking, I couldn't breathe anymore. I cannot describe how it felt, like someone had replaced my lungs with a stone, it just wouldn't breathe anymore. Luckily I managed to snap out of it and breathe enough, whistling and coughing, to at least not suffocate. The next day I went to the doc and he found out I suddenly had asthma. I blame it on the smokers at my college...

[Sebastian Kain]

You guys might be right. I'll talk to some of my doctor folks around here. :(

my armour is getting all dinged up...i used to be invincible

[Quakester]

One of the rules of evil. Never say your invincible, after that death is certain. ;)

[Malibu Sally]

Wow. That sounds a LOT like sleep apnea. Definately see a doctor.

[Malibu Sally]

I would also ask you how much caffeine do you take in a day? Waking up with headaches may be a sign of caffeine withdrawal. I had similar headaches several years ago and it was because of that. If you are really consuming a lot of it, you may want to cut back(that is.. eliminate) your caffeine consumption for at least a week and see if anything changes.

[Sebastian Kain]

I would also ask you how much caffeine do you take in a day? Waking up with headaches may be a sign of caffeine withdrawal. I had similar headaches several years ago and it was because of that. If you are really consuming a lot of it, you may want to cut back(that is.. eliminate) your caffeine consumption for at least a week and see if anything changes.

That's the thing...I don't drink sodas enough to have large qualities of caffeine in my system. However I was drinking coke earlier this week..so it might be triggering it...

then again... :( :cry:

[TroubleWolf]

I'm with Sally on this one. Sleep Apnea is very dangerous, and often goes untreated. My uncle has it... he's 6'5" and 350 lbs, and has always had the most horrible snore you could imagine. Then on one family camping trip, we were at the campfire while he was sleeping. You could hear his snores loud and clear from the next campsite over, when all of a sudden they stopped... it was really really scary. When he started up again, it sounded sickening, like he was choking on his own throat.

Now he has a machine running next to his bed with a mask that pumps air into his mouth at regular intervals. Sure it looks messed up, but he actually sleeps all through the night now, and he's much healthier for it.

Do you sleep on your back, or on your side? He says it's worse when you sleep flat on your back, but better if you sleep partially sitting up, like in an easy chair.

Sally's right about the caffeine, too. Cutting that out will do wonders for your sleeping. Also not eating right before you go to bed and maybe buying an ergonomic pillow to support your head the correct way when you sleep on your side.

[Sebastian Kain]

Really? I hate to be strapped up to some machine... :cry:

I usually sleep on my side or on my back. I was sleeping straightup one day and kindof had a similar thing. Attacked my roomate who was sitting next to me outta my sleep. He fell to the floor cause he didn't know what I was doing. Then he said I was coughing pretty bad..but it still didn't look like I was aware of anything. I don't even remember doing it.

[Malibu Sally]

That's the thing...I don't drink sodas enough to have large qualities of caffeine in my system. However I was drinking coke earlier this week..so it might be triggering it...

then again... :( :cry:

Dosen't need to be a lot. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. If I drink more than one cup of coffee in any 6 hour period, my hands start shaking like I have parkinson's disease and I get lightheaded from the caffeine rush. Then I crash real hard when it wears off.

[Sebastian Kain]

Yea...people are always talkin bout how much I shake and tremble doing normal stuff.

[Tsarmina]

Please do get yourself checked out. Make sure you tell the doctor ALL your symptoms. The sooner you find out what it is, the better.
Even if it's something simple like a diet change or allergy/asthma meds... it'll make you feel so much better.

[suburbanhell]

Alright, I've had this on going problem for just about a year. At odd times of the year I have trouble sleeping at nite. It's because I'm suffering from troubles with breathing when i'm sleeping. My friends think it's sleep anpenia(sp?), I think it's nerves or something to that effect. I've had periods of time where I wake up violently and anyone next to me or what not..ends up having the shock of their lives. (I've attacked or appeared to attack two ppl at least..not intentionally. Just blindly). Another friend thinks I suffer from Night Terrors as well.

My mother thinks it's all mental and I need to pray about it...I hate to go the doctor and they tell me it's nothing..but I'm starting to be concerned cause I wake up with headaches.

Now note that my AC is blowing in my house now..and that might be adding to the effect (had the same problem with heating.) I've been sleeping so off that I've been going to sleep downstairs (it's colder or warmer down there depending on the weather outside (ac/heat) ).

So yea..that's about it I think.

Hit up a sleep clinic my friend, it'll be the best thing you'll ever do, nothing is more important than regular sleep.

[Blackbat]

You should get a refferal to a sleep clinic so they can do a Sleep Study. It'll tell you for sure whether you have Sleep Apnea or not. My dad has Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and has what's called a CPAP machine, which blows a steady stream of air into your nose at a certain pressure to keep the pallet at the back of your throat open so you have an unobstructed airway. There is also whats called a BiPAP machine that only blows the air when you inhale, it makes it easier to breathe that way. Some people have trouble adapting to having feeling of air blowing in your nose all the time.

In the Sleep Study, they'll hook up sensors on your head, legs and a clamp on your fingertip to measure the oxygen level in your blood. Then they have you go to sleep and they monitor you the whole night. I've heard it's uncomfortable, but well worth it.

Ask someone that has seen you sleep, these questions:

Do you stop breathing for 10 seconds or longer during sleep?
Do you snore?
Do your legs/arms twitch alot?

It's a very serious problem if you happen to have Sleep Apnea, when you stop breathing for those 15-30 seconds or more you deprive your brain of oxygen, which can result in memory loss, headaches and possibly a stroke not to mention any other numerous problems.

As you can see, I've gotten quite an education just by watching my dad go through this. Nowadays he has double the energy and doesn't doze off during the day. He swears by it.

Get it checked out, it's worth the piece of mind alone.

[Alumette]

SK, please get this checked out. If for nothing else than for peace of mind.

<hugs>

Keep us posted. Take care.

[Stalking Shadow]

If it doesn't turn up to be allergies or apnea, you might just me anxious. Alum put me on this months ago, and it's worked for me: try meditating fifteen-thirty minutes before you go to bed. Just concentrate on breathing smoothly and clear your head.

Oh, they say that reading your refrigerator's owner's manual also helps. :P

[Sebastian Kain]

I think I'll just kill over and die...considering how things are going for me around here...

[Poison]

:eyebrow:
Get a grip and see a doc.
:baseball:

[Tsarmina]

*hands on hips*You want me to come down there SK? I will. I will come down to GA and personally kick your butt all the way to the doctor's office. *waggles finger at SK* Sheesh. It's just a doctor. This is why you pay benefit deductions for... to get medical treatment when you need it. So, GO!

/mother hen

[Sebastian Kain]

There's nothing wrong with me...so you can call of your attack hounds now...

Note: Scheduled an appointment for next week.

[Tsarmina]

*Calls for the Prez's personal assistants* I will make sure they take care of you so you can rest until your appointment sir. ;)

[Gaia]

Good to hear you are going to the doctor. My best friend has both sleep apnea and naroclepsy. He has to sleep with a mask on his face and a machine next to the bed. (I also suspect the narcolepsy was what caused his one man motorcycle accident a few years back but he doesn't agree)

[Extractor]

Hey SK, sorry to hear about what's going on...

A couple points here,
1) lots of truths, half-truths, and falsehoods in the posts above (no offense to anyone) but lots of good concern for you!
2) apnea can be treated with a variety of modalities ranging from education and behavior management to dental orthopedic appliances up to machines that physically keep your soft palate open when sleeping and, most extremely, surgery.
3) the most concerning thing that was said/written is your headaches.
4) I can't/won't give you an official diagnosis, prognosis or even a list of possible treatments in this environment, other than to say PLEASE GO SEE YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER SOON.

and keep us updated.

good luck and God speed.

[Blackbat]

apnea can be treated with a variety of modalities ranging from education and behavior management to dental orthopedic appliances up to machines that physically keep your soft palate open when sleeping and, most extremely, surgery.


Of course the treatment all depends on which type of Apnea it is. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common, but there is also Central Sleep Apnea and Mixed Sleep Apnea.

With Central Sleep Apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe.

Mixed Sleep Apnea is a 'mix' between Central and Obstructive.

IMO, if I were to have to pick between the types, I would rather have Obstructive since it is the most common and can be treated rather directly.

[Extractor]

Thanks Blackbat. I mostly wanted to encourage SK to seek out care and not be worried that he was destined to end up hooked up to some scarry machine. You know:

"more machine than man, twisted and evil"
Ben Kenobi

[Blackbat]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Just disregard me... I babble. ;)

[Gaia]

Nah knowing SK if he was hooked up to a machine he'd be like Cyborg. And Cyborg is very cool! :cool: