
Sleep Apnea Can Have Deadly Consequences - pseudolus
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/well/mind/sleep-apnea-can-have-deadly-consequences.html
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yati
My father has a very severe form of obstructive sleep apnea, resulting in
really loud snoring. In my home country, snoring generally isn't seen as a
symptom for a deeper problem, and is just accepted as an annoyance, sometimes
even associated with sound sleep.

During a recent visit, I was sitting next to his bed as he fell asleep, and I
could literally see him choking for 4 out of 5 attempts at breathing. When I
asked about his sleep quality, he said he tends to nod off when he has not
much to pay attention to, and sometimes also while riding his scooter (!). We
arranged for a sleep study, and there it was, pretty clear. Since then, he's
been using a CPAP[1] machine when sleeping, and his life hasn't been better.
He reports much less fatigue, better digestion, and an overall positive
feeling.

If you have a family member who snores loudly, please pay attention.

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_positive_airway_p...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_positive_airway_pressure)

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ilaksh
I have heard that APAP is better than CPAP.

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repolfx
I have a modern CPAP machine that can do both. At first I found it quite hard
to stay asleep with my initial prescription. Altering the machine to use APAP
mode with a lower max pressure fixed things right up (with the doctor's
approval of course).

APAP, for readers who are blissfully able to sleep without issue,
automatically alters pressure depending on whether you're breathing in or out,
so you aren't breathing against high pressure. It's a lot more comfortable.

CPAP machines are quite interesting from a computing perspective. They record
a ton of data that can be visualised with an open source tool, and they use a
lot of predictive algorithms to figure out how you breath and when to
increase/decrease the pressure.

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jkereako
I’m not overweight and I have sleep apnea. My case is considered mild, but
when I have an apnea event I am jolted awake gasping for air. It is
terrifying.

I had heard some doctors years ago wouldn’t bother treating mild sleep apnea,
but I think that attitude has changed.

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onemoresoop
I have the same thing and this more likely a laryngospasm caused by GERD. By
now I got used to it and after the incident I calmly go to sleep but every
time it is happening I wake up terrified and in panic. Again this is caused by
acid reflux and can be prevented by not eating before going to sleep, sleeping
at an angle exercises to strenghten the upper stomach sphincter. Sleep apnea
doesn’t fully wake you up and silently killing your brain cells by depriving
them of oxigen.

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cosmie
The article is very specifically talking about _obstructive_ sleep apnea,
which is caused by a physical obstruction of the airway. It has the hallmark
symptom of snoring, as that's the body's attempt to force air past the
obstruction.

There is another form of sleep apnea it doesn't mention at all called
_central_ sleep apnea, which is caused by your central nervous system _just
deciding not to breath_. Either on inhale or exhale, it just stops the
breathing process as abruptly as hitting a breakpoint in code, before starting
right back up after a compiling break[1] like nothing happened. There's no
obstruction, no (or little) snoring, and no breathing. Other than the periodic
absence of chest compressions and a potential irregular breathing pattern (as
your body tries to adjust O2 levels back to normal), there isn't really any
external signs that it's occurring.

Their long term symptoms[2] are roughly the same, since they both result in
chronic blood oxygen deprivation. But they present in polar opposite ways. And
it's far less obvious for a partner to pick up on central apnea, since
abstaining from breathing for 15-45 seconds is slightly more subtle than loud
bursts of snoring.

[1] [https://xkcd.com/303/](https://xkcd.com/303/)

[2] [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/central-
sleep...](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/central-sleep-
apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352109)

