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Hi everyone, have read a lot of the posts on here and they have been invaluable!! I have also been watching another website, but it is very US orientated. I am really looking for info with a British persepctive.
I am a 42 year old male. I attended an overnight sleep study on Wednesday 20th Oct in the Sleep Unit at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. I was immediately referred by my GP after I went for a consultation having had OSA brought to my attention. Although I haven't as yet been diagnosed with OSA, I will be gobsmacked if this isn't the conclusion as everything i've researched recently seems to point towards it. I'm starting to feel like a hypochondriac as all my troubles seem to be aligned with the the known effects of apnea.
My Story
As long as I can remember, I reckon I have suffered with extreme daytime tiredness and lethargy but I didn't think of it as a symptom - it is just something I live with and have become used to. It has always been the case that I:
- snore like a rhino
- feel an overwhelming need fall asleep, even as far back as high school
- am quick tempered and easily irritated (or a grumpy moody git as my wife says)
- fall asleep on return from work as soon as my butt hits the sofa
- often fall alseep when visiting relatives at the weekend
- never feel refreshed in the morning
- feel 'muzzy' and slightly drunk during the day, especially mornings
- have no energy to exercise or even play with the kids
- pull over when driving because I felt tired, and have a cat-nap
- go to the toilet at work and catch a quick 20 minutes
- have an increasingly low libido
- struggle with memory, finding it difficult to recall names and words
When I stay in bed longer, as is often the case at weekends, I feel even worse the next day; more tired, more need for cat-naps etc. Interestingly, my 'better' days are where I have had less sleep the night before, perhaps out partying, or watching a movie until very late. I am guessing this is because although I am getting less rest, my oxygen sats are better. Still leaves me even more knackered by the time bedtime comes round again.
This all came to a head recently when I collapsed at work and was taken to hospital. The obs found nothing remarkable and I was discharged, but my employer was so concerned that they referred me to an occupational health specialist who suggested OSA and insisted I approach my GP to talk specifically about it. I suppose if this hadn't happened, I would just have continued to live with the symptoms.
I only presented to my GP a couple of weeks ago as all my symptoms have worsened and I felt enough was enough. I have a 90 minute drive to work in the morning and, obviously, similar in the evening. That day I had to stop TWICE on the way to work for a rest and then fell asleep in the toilet for 20 minutes!
Perversely, I am really hoping that the diagnosis is confirmed since that will explain why I am the way I am. I look forward to trying CPAP in the hope of a panacea. I know the reality will be that it isn't, and that it will be difficult to get used to.
I found the sleep study a bit of a disappointment. I didn't sleep well-I was in a basic hospital bed in a side room off the main ward (which was empty and quiet thankfully). I was awake by 05:10, but reckon I fell off to sleep about 11pm. I probably woke between six and eight times during the night. So, it wasn't a typical night for me. Not sure if that will hinder diagnosis. The 'American' website I had been following talked of hi-tech wizardy and morning de-briefs with the sleep-technician who would have been monitoring you all night. None of that on the NHS. Just get up, take off your 3 wires and go when you're ready. "We'll be in touch in about 3 weeks if there is a problem".
Anyway....I will post again to let you know my results.
I am a 42 year old male. I attended an overnight sleep study on Wednesday 20th Oct in the Sleep Unit at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. I was immediately referred by my GP after I went for a consultation having had OSA brought to my attention. Although I haven't as yet been diagnosed with OSA, I will be gobsmacked if this isn't the conclusion as everything i've researched recently seems to point towards it. I'm starting to feel like a hypochondriac as all my troubles seem to be aligned with the the known effects of apnea.
My Story
As long as I can remember, I reckon I have suffered with extreme daytime tiredness and lethargy but I didn't think of it as a symptom - it is just something I live with and have become used to. It has always been the case that I:
- snore like a rhino
- feel an overwhelming need fall asleep, even as far back as high school
- am quick tempered and easily irritated (or a grumpy moody git as my wife says)
- fall asleep on return from work as soon as my butt hits the sofa
- often fall alseep when visiting relatives at the weekend
- never feel refreshed in the morning
- feel 'muzzy' and slightly drunk during the day, especially mornings
- have no energy to exercise or even play with the kids
- pull over when driving because I felt tired, and have a cat-nap
- go to the toilet at work and catch a quick 20 minutes
- have an increasingly low libido
- struggle with memory, finding it difficult to recall names and words
When I stay in bed longer, as is often the case at weekends, I feel even worse the next day; more tired, more need for cat-naps etc. Interestingly, my 'better' days are where I have had less sleep the night before, perhaps out partying, or watching a movie until very late. I am guessing this is because although I am getting less rest, my oxygen sats are better. Still leaves me even more knackered by the time bedtime comes round again.
This all came to a head recently when I collapsed at work and was taken to hospital. The obs found nothing remarkable and I was discharged, but my employer was so concerned that they referred me to an occupational health specialist who suggested OSA and insisted I approach my GP to talk specifically about it. I suppose if this hadn't happened, I would just have continued to live with the symptoms.
I only presented to my GP a couple of weeks ago as all my symptoms have worsened and I felt enough was enough. I have a 90 minute drive to work in the morning and, obviously, similar in the evening. That day I had to stop TWICE on the way to work for a rest and then fell asleep in the toilet for 20 minutes!
Perversely, I am really hoping that the diagnosis is confirmed since that will explain why I am the way I am. I look forward to trying CPAP in the hope of a panacea. I know the reality will be that it isn't, and that it will be difficult to get used to.
I found the sleep study a bit of a disappointment. I didn't sleep well-I was in a basic hospital bed in a side room off the main ward (which was empty and quiet thankfully). I was awake by 05:10, but reckon I fell off to sleep about 11pm. I probably woke between six and eight times during the night. So, it wasn't a typical night for me. Not sure if that will hinder diagnosis. The 'American' website I had been following talked of hi-tech wizardy and morning de-briefs with the sleep-technician who would have been monitoring you all night. None of that on the NHS. Just get up, take off your 3 wires and go when you're ready. "We'll be in touch in about 3 weeks if there is a problem".
Anyway....I will post again to let you know my results.