Sleep Apnea
 

I recently learned that a kid who I take care of, who is now 12 has sleep apnea. He is always tired, and always sleeps when he comes home from school. Does anyone here have this right now? How will this effect his overall life? Is there anything I can do for him?

My mother has it. She went to a hospital about two years ago to get tested, since she too, was always tired.

You probably already know this, but a common way of dealing with SA is breathing through a mask connected to a machine called a CPAP at night while they're asleep (I know there are different types that I think have different acronyms, but I'm not positive as to what they are.) My mom said it took a while to get used to, but once she did, it wasn't something she really thought about too much. It doesn't really affect you at all when you're not asleep, so I guess it's not a tremendous life change, overall. But talking to him and giving reassurance will always be helpful, I'd imagine.

I don't know what else to tell you since I don't have SA myself, but I thought I'd post and let you know I do have someone close to me that has it and if you have any more questions, I can ask them and maybe help out more.

I have it. I have had it for well, over 6 years now and been sleeping with a CPAP everynight. I basically turn into a TIE FIGHTER pilot for like 8 hours of the night.

Yama, who are you referring to HUH.

:FIGHT FOR THE EMPIRE:

If he has a bad enough case and he doesn't use the machine, the tiredness is just the beginning. Most people with untreated sleep apnea are at a much, much higher risk of chronic heart diseases.

Was he just diagnosed? Most people who have their sleep apnea being treated stop being tired during the day and certainly stop falling asleep.

Most cases of sleep apnea anymore, by the way, are caused by obesity. If he is a large kid, going down to a normal weight can make it so he doesn't need the machine (though, if that is the case, I'm sure the doctor told him that already).

Most of the people I saw prefer the gel masks and, depending on his insurance, he might need to take really, really good care of his equipment. United Healthcare, for instance, will only pay for a new mask/hosing/etc. once every three years, while most other carriers allow for three months.

Hey, I had over 142 "interruptions" per hour in my sleep. Talk about NOT a good nights rest.

Look at it this way. I went for my very first testing right before a math test which was the next day. I never scored higher than like 70s on the test. Note that I still studied the same amount, but this time, after happening to do the sleep lab, I felt AWESOME, and scored like 90%. So yeah. A good sleep helps.

I like how AIRPORT SECURITY doesn't fret about those CPAP machines anymore, which means they certaintly aren't "RARE".

I have this also, but it is a mild enough case that treatment is not necessary.

My grandfather has it too.

I suffered through what I would surmise was a mild Central Sleep Apnea back when I was going through a very bad flare of ulcerative colitis. A combination of opiates, dehydration, and malnutrition left me unable to sleep at all. I found that just as I would drift off, I would simply stop breathing and begin to have nightmares of hot burning oil filling my mouth. I would then wake suddenly with a jerk and begin breathing rapidly again.

I thought I had it. But then I found out that staying up until 2:00am and napping throughout the day after classes and whatnot is the real reason why I always feel tired.... But the bed feels sooooo nice.