I was recently diagnosed with OSA; Mild only in Supine positon.  All of my episodes are Hypopneas as opposed to Apneas.  Not sure I understand the difference.  Also, I do not snore at all.  The respitory therapist said this is unheard of so I'm confused.  Has anyone heard of someone with OSA that does not snore?

kokefisher2 wrote:

I was recently diagnosed with OSA; Mild only in Supine positon.  All of my episodes are Hypopneas as opposed to Apneas.  Not sure I understand the difference.  Also, I do not snore at all.  The respitory therapist said this is unheard of so I'm confused.  Has anyone heard of someone with OSA that does not snore?

                                                         Caution Caution

Whatever you do, don’t consider this a qualified or informed opinion.  It’s me just rambling along to see if anything will stick.

Knowing that the O in OSA is obstructive it would appear to me you may be almost snoring.  â€œWhatâ€�, you say!  Sounds like when you turn over on your back you totally obstruct your airway in that nothing vibrates to make a noise like a snore.  But the obstruction does not appear to wake you to take a breath.  Instead, you have a hypopnea and your brain is sending a signal …… Breath kokefisher2!  Breathe kokefisher2!  Then you breath without an apnea.

How's that sound?  Believable?


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Success Nourishes Hope

Hi kokefisher2

I can assure you that people who do not snore have obstructive sleep apnea. No one in my family has ever heard me snore and I have no recall of ever waking due to snoring... yet I have OSA.

Also, I am not obese, yet I have sleep apnea.

My neck size is a full inch less than the typical size of women who have sleep apnea --- and I have sleep apnea.

So when you see these "symptoms" remember they are general guidelines and there are always outliers... people who do not fit the criteria... who have this disorder as well.

The most important thing is a sleep study done by professionals and a thorough follow-up with your doctor.

Good luck!
Donna

kokefisher2...I hardly ever snore...but I have sleep apnea. I had other symptoms but snoring was not one of them.



Last edited by lindas88 on Mon Sep 12, 2005 4:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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*** Linda ***

About 10 years ago, seemingly unrelated to any disease episode, I awoke one night with the out-of-breath sensation.  I rolled over and was able to sleep but only very lightly. After a few nights of the same thing, I went to my doctor at an HMO. He referred me to a pulmonologist who listened to me and prescribed a c-pap.  Besides being uncomfortable and difficult to sleep with anyways, it still did not stop me from stopping breathing. They did a sleep study and the diagnosis was still Obstructive Sleep Apnea.  He escalated to a pulsating c-pap that would take over the breathing cycles.  I still woke up out-of-breath.  

All along, I had been unaware of any part of my air passages that was closing on or restricting the airflow.  At its worse, I would be drowsing and know that it was happening and know that there was no restriction, because I could take over conciously and start breathing.  Also, even if I was fully awake but started to concentrate deeply on something, I would stop breathing.  

I asked the pulmonologist, why not central apnea, why insist that it is OSA. He said, and I must admit, snottily, that he could show me the results of the sleep test.  There were over 400 moments of apnea in 6 hours occurring in all phases of my sleep.  But, there was a column that was coded, I think it was even coded O and C, and I asked about that.  He hesitated, and said that was Obstructive versus Central. I insisted on counting them and there were over 300 Centrals and the rest were obstructive.  I guess they tell by comparing a moment of a dip in oxygen or rise in CO2 with noise or some characteristic of the air flow.

So I asked again about a cure for Central Apnea.  He got upset and said, do I want my brain operated on!  

Since I wasn't dying, I just told my GP what happened and said I can't live with the c-pap and I don't want the pulmonologist anywhere near me with a knife. The condition comes and goes.

I am telling all this to say there is Apnea that is not Obstructive, but Central, and it is harder to diagnose and cure. It is probably a lot more expensive for an HMO to handle, too, like brain surgery.

I am 65 and still alive.

Don