The patient picks up a small monitor that fits over the index finger.
After a night or two of wearing the monitor the patient returns it and
information is downloaded.
Sleep Apnea: Adjusting to CPAP With Fibromyalgia
By Adrienne Dellwo, About.com Guide December 3, 2011
Do you have or suspect you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) along
with fibromyalgia? Before I was diagnosed with OSA, I was sure I had
it because of how frequently I would wake up gasping, feeling the rasp
of a snore in my nose and throat.
When I realized the most common treatment is being hooked up to a
machine all night, I was worried. I had enough problems sleeping - how
was I ever going to sleep with a rubber thing over my nose? I was
certain it wasn't going to work for me.
The machine most often used to treat OSA is called CPAP (pronounced
see-pap), which stands for continuous positive airway pressure.
Basically, it blows air into your nose (or nose and mouth, depending
on the machine) and creates pressure that keeps the walls of your
airway from coming together and cutting of your breathing.
Each time you stop breathing, which is called an apnea, it pulls you
out of deep sleep and may even wake you up. In my sleep study, I
averaged 1 apnea every 5 minutes. No wonder I felt like I never got
any sleep!
After my first night on the CPAP, I was amazed at how deeply I'd slept
and how much better I felt. In just a few weeks, I'd gotten to the
point where it was tough to fall asleep without it.
Sadly, not everyone has that same experience. I recently got an email
from a woman who'd gone on CPAP and had some minor difficulties in the
beginning. However, she's concerned about 2 friends who probably
should be on CPAP but aren't:
"Two months ago, my physician ordered a sleep study. It registered me
as having mild/moderate apnea. I've been on the prescribed CPAP
religiously every night and nap for the past month.
I began having many more normal person-living-with-fibro days almost
immediately. Two the first week, 3 the second, and 5 this past week.
And the number of days I feel that way continues to increase. If I
work steadily for 5-8 hours, I may need some extra hours of sleep at
night, but nothing like I was needing.
I have two friends with fibro who would be good candidates for a CPAP
or AFLEX. One has had a sleep study in the past and a machine was
recommended. She never got into actually using hers though because she
didn't like the way the mask felt. The other close friend, who has
symptoms similar to what I was experiencing, confides that she is
pretty sure that she has apnea but that she can't imagine sleeping in
a mask because she thinks she would have panic attacks about
suffocating.
So are there tips to help people who need this therapy adjust to it?
I've been lucky that I took to my mask with no trouble. It is pretty
tiny, just covering the end of my nose. I did have scabs on the
bridge of my nose and on my upper lip for the first 3 weeks from the
plastic part of the nose piece, but now my facial skin has toughened
up enough that it looks as if that adjustment is over.
With the enthusiasm of one who has found something that is making such
a positive difference, I'm now wondering why no one thought to check
this out sooner. I would have requested the testing if I had known."
-Claudia
Sleep disorders are common enough in fibromyalgia that I believe we
should all have sleep studies as soon as we're diagnosed, and possibly
even as part of the diagnostic process. Chronic sleep deprivation can
actually cause fibro-like symptoms, so an early sleep study could save
someone years of debilitating problems. (The same goes for chronic
fatigue syndrome, which shares many symptoms of sleep disorders,
especially narcolepsy.)
With OSA, treatment is essential. It not only prevents you from
sleeping well, it can kill you. The interruptions in breathing can
cause a stroke or heart attack. It also raises your risk of diabetes
and depression.
Once you're diagnosed and faced with CPAP or another machine, there
are a lot of things that can help you adjust. My About.com colleague
Dr. Brandon Peters, Guide to Sleep Disorders, is an expert on CPAP
usage.
http://chronicfatigue.about.com/b/2011/12/03/sleep-apnea-adjusting-to-cpap-with-fibromyalgia.htm
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/bio/Brandon-Peters-M-D-51292.htm
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