Cork,
Cork,
I was just diagnosed with mild sleep apnea after having had a sleep study. I was told it may be something that I can remedy by lifestyle changes, such as having my septal deviation fixed and also sleeping on my side.
I have always been a snorer, am 46 years of age and female (in perimenopause). I have gained about 20 pounds since my heart surgery in November of 2003. I have a lot of belly fat and that is a contributor to sleep apnea, so I have read.
I have not seen the pulmonologist since my sleep study to see what he has to say. I wear oxygen at night because they (doctors) initially thought I just had hypopnea at night. We live at 7800 feet elevation in the Rocky Mountains and I had my sleep study at 5800 feet and saturated evenly through the night at around 94-95% - up here at elevation, I was saturating around 90% on average without oxygen.
I think a lot of things go wacky with our bodies after heart surgery (major understatement, huh?) - since surgery, I have also been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which is a contributor to sleep apnea - our bodies are very intricate and all systems work together - when one is interrupted, well...
Hypothyroidism also causes high stress levels and depression - I have always been a high-strung person, so I am not sure which came first...anxiety or hypothyroidism.
There is obstructive sleep apnea and also central sleep apnea - as stated before in this thread. Sleep apnea is truly not something to fool around with. It can cause heart disease if severe and left untreated.
They CAN and do treat sleep apnea easily with CPAP or Bi-PAP and lifestyle changes. It is treatable and a very common problem in a lot of folks - most don't even know they have it.
I am struggling with my diagnosis and the fact that I am wearing oxygen at night at 46 years of age. However, I am coming to terms with things and realize that thankfully I can be treated and will get better.
Christina L