Central sleep apnea

[Amie223]

Hi guys

My boyfriend is 22 years old.

He has just been diagnosed with central sleep apnea.

His symptoms are such as: feeling hungover, headaches, fatigue, dizziness but the main concern he has is his eyesight which he describes as "trippy".

Does anyone have any information or insight that could help him as his doctor has mentioned that he is one go the youngest patience that they have had diagnosed with this type of apnea.

Thank you x

[denis]

22 years old is very young to be diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, we tend to be approaching middle age and little overweight without being too unkind to my fellow sufferers. Weight is a big issue but not the only issue, I have a contact that’s lost sufficient weight to come off the treatment altogether. However it’s not a one size fits all problem and I feel for you boyfriend, the first challenge he has is getting used to his CPAP machine (Whichever type he has), as it does take time, be patient, the thought of wearing a mask each night is daunting at first but it does get better believes me. I have a full face mask and wouldn’t be without it and all the symptoms that you state will in time be alleviated. You do have good nights and bad nights but generally speaking you treat your machine as your best friend.

Obviously if any of the said symptoms persist after say three months go back to your GP. Good Luck.

[freemanboats003]

I have Opiate induced central sleep apnoea which is one of the rarer causes but you need to be taking a really high dosage of morphine, fentanyl or methadone or in opiate toxicity, for it to cause central sleep apnoea, from my understanding obstructive sleep apnoea has some medical causes but is more commonly found in older people and linked to weight, whereas central sleep apnoea is completely different, youngest person I came across whilst doing my own research was a 7 yr old girl who had autism.

When I was first diagnosed 2 years ago my sleep doctors initially said I had obstructive sleep apnoea even though my sleep test results didn't match any profile for it and I pointed out that I can be making a hot drink at 4am in the kitchen and my SPO2 alarm is going ballistic as my blood oxygen level is less than 80% and often drops to 72% at night when I'm fully awake and out of bed. My epworth score was 24 out of 24 my excessive daytime sleepiness was at the extreme end of the scale but then I also have chronic fatigue and narcolepsy which can also cause similar symptoms so may not have been all down to the sleep apnoea.

I use a resmed Airsense 10 initially with an F20 full face mask but now alternate it with the F30 which is a much smaller full face mask but like denis has said it's a case of finding which type of mask suits,, we're all different and I totally agree it takes time and patience to get used to a CPAP but it is lifesaver and I'm no longer so anxious about my high risk of not waking up. The cause of mine is unusual and the risk to life much higher than normal central sleep apnoea but regardless of the cause my CPAP

I've been in constant severe pain for 48 years, I'm 52 now, it's quite likely that I had central sleep apnoea for at least 15-20 years before I was diagnosed maybe longer as I've been taking prescription painkillers since primary school. In the last 4 months I have cut my medication by 90% and in the last month my SPO2 rarely drops below 90% and my breathing events have dropped from an average of 97 / night to 2 in last 10 nights so for me it's quite possible that I will no longer need to use a CPAP in the future. But I've known all along that my sleep apnoea was a direct result of the extremely high dosage of morphine I took, so stop that and it's quite possible that I'd no longer need a CPAP.

If you know the cause of his Central Sleep Apnoea then maybe he can ask his Doctors whether there is anything he can do to improve or minimise it's impact. It's worth asking.

I have a complex medical history, I was born with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Classical Type and have been in pain since the age of 3, constant from 4yrs old, I also have chronic fatigue, narcolepsy and complex regional pain syndrome. , I also have 2 other genetic conditions.

Good luck, keep persevering with the CPAP, try different masks if he doesn't get on with the one he has and it will get easier. Good luck ...