I tried to have a sleep study done years ago because I stop breathing in my sleep and the
Recently Tim has urged me to get one done as he has noticed my breathing issues when I sleep. Kinda scary!
So exciting to be moving onto the physical aspects, at least for me. I had to remove the timers off my phone for the "are you tired, sleepy, fatigued" as it was sooooo annoying to assess myself that often. Not that I don't already assess myself because I do it naturally. What helped me most with that step was accessing the different states which I am now doing when I do an assessment. The timer going off so often was annoying my whole family and not just me.
Moving on :) On page 195 of Sound Sleep, Sound Mind Krakow has a thorough guide on tapering off of sleeping pills if that is an issue for you. I very rarely use sleeping pills and usually I take a pain/sleep pill mix for when my hip is keeping me awake.
"The Nasal-Oral Airway Exam Made Easy
A few minutes spent looking at your face, nose, and airway may yield important clues about your breathing. The pictures on pages 220 and 221 help to identify important oral structures.
Stand in front of a mirror with good lighting. Use a flashlight, too. Begin by gently pinching your nostrils, then let one side open and breathe naturally, without forcing or laboring air through that nostril. Then close off that nostril and open the other one. Go back and forth until you determine that the volume and relative force of breathing through each nostril is about equal or not. Next, put your index and middle finger on the tip of your nose and gently push it upward. Using the flashlight, see if the space inside one nostril looks smaller or larger than the other and whether the midline cartilage (the septum) is tilted or bulging to one side. Notice whether you seem congested in your nasal breathing. Many people suffer low-grade stuffiness due to allergies or dryness, which may affect breathing more than they suspect.
Now peer inside your open mouth but don’t say “Ahhh!” Look around at all the structures, top and bottom. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue, but again don’t say “Ahhh!” Usually you see a portion of the airway opening. If you cannot see any opening, the two most likely factors are related to your soft palate or uvula (the dangly tissue at the end of the soft palate) or the base (back) of your tongue. Excessive soft palate tissue, hanging down into the back of your throat, covers up the top of the airway opening; and in a few cases, the soft palate is so floppy it covers most of the airway. Some surgeons perform a procedure to remove this tissue (uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty, UPPP), which I advise against as a first-line treatment. UPPP not only has a mediocre success rate, but also emerging evidence suggests that UPPP worsens some SDB cases or makes it difficult to use other treatment options. Rarely is it a curative procedure for SDB, even if it stops the snoring.
When examining the soft palate, take note of the uvula; if elongated, thickened, or red, it indicates you snore or your breathing encounters lots of friction along these passages, which irritates and swells the tissues. Snoring vibration produces similar damage."
Krakow, Barry (2007-09-28). Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: 7 Keys to Sleeping Through the Night (p. 220). Wiley. Kindle Edition.
Doing the first step, the septum definitely bulges to the left and my left nostril is often restricted in some way due to allergies. When doing the second step, I'm not so sure, I think I have a mild excess of soft palate tissue. It will be interesting to see if the doctor checks these two areas.
Here is the second step that I'm trying out:
"The Power of Salt Water
Before starting, obtain a squeeze bottle of nasal saline spray from your pharmacy. Or obtain a suction bulb and make a solution of one-half cup of warm water and one-half teaspoon of salt (preferably without additives). Carry out these next steps for a few uninterrupted minutes near bedtime.
Station yourself in a bathroom with a sink and a shower. First, sit quietly and listen to and feel your nasal breathing. Notice if you hear a nasal whistle or other sign of congestion. If you suffer from obvious allergies, you will easily see and feel the congestion.
Now use the nasal saline spray while bending over the bathroom sink, and spend a few minutes cleaning out your nose. This step can be combined with a hot shower, during which, if you can safely manage it, sit or stand out of the shower spray and turn the temperature hot enough to generate steam. Please don’t burn yourself!
In the shower, initiate or repeat your use of the nasal saline spray to thoroughly clean out your nostrils again, which requires blowing or picking your nose. Most people discover mucus or other debris coming out of the nostrils. Once out of the shower and dried off, sit quietly again and listen and feel your nasal breathing. Most people notice a change for the better, with greater ease of breathing. Check this procedure out for a couple of days before moving on to the next step, and consider washing out your nose at least twice a day, first thing in the morning and within thirty minutes of going to sleep."
Krakow, Barry (2007-09-28). Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: 7 Keys to Sleeping Through the Night (p. 232). Wiley. Kindle Edition.
I broke down and purchased a neti pot for this step. I usually bathe or shower prior to bed so that my hair can dry naturally while I sleep which reduces the amount of frizz I have to deal with. This is a recent change in my habits, but it makes it so much easier getting ready in the morning and I can quickly style my hair this way.
When it comes to the nasal passages there are a myriad of issues that are raised in your breathing health. If you feel it is a structural issue, contact your doctor and seek out treatments. Same thing if it is allergies. I personally have had little benefit seeking out treatment for my allergies. Most allergy medication adversely affects my heart and can cause side effects much worse than my allergies. Krakow recommends some over the counter nasal sprays to try out (Nasalcrom) as well as seeking medical attention for nasal issues.
I personally picked up 1 nasal spray to begin with. Krakow recommends trying out several brands because some people are sensitive to certain brands.
"Monitoring Results
During the next two weeks, develop a plan to use these agents, with the aid of your doctor for prescriptions, and aggressively manage your nasal hygiene. It is essential to follow a directed plan, such as Nasalcrom two to three times per day for two weeks, then decrease to fewer doses. A large number of SDB patients need these treatments every day of the year. Plan on two to seven days to see improvements, but by two weeks at the latest, you should be near a 99 percent level of clearer nasal breathing. Thus, within seven days you could see improvements in sleep symptoms, assuming that a clearer nasal airway reduces SDB severity.
If you did not achieve an excellent nasal response, do not accept this fate. Various factors influence allergy, vasomotor rhinitis, or sinus conditions, and it is incumbent on you to further evaluate your condition. Some sinus conditions require special X-rays, such as CT scans or MRI tests, to more accurately define the full scope of the problem. A deviated nasal septum or less commonly polyps in the back of the nasal passages can be root causes of these difficulties. Again, do not hesitate to seek consultations, because failing to may prevent you from ever using advanced SDB therapies."
Krakow, Barry (2007-09-28). Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: 7 Keys to Sleeping Through the Night (pp. 233-234). Wiley. Kindle Edition.
So here we go on our 2 week test! Good luck!
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