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Sleep disorders

arcticpenguin

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=422687

Brain scans showed people with two kinds of sleep problem - sleep apnoea, in which the person stops breathing while asleep, and REM behaviour disorder (RBD), which can lead to flailing during dreams - produced abnormally low levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine.

The lower the levels of the chemicals, the worse the sleep problems were, said a team at the University of Michigan Health System.
...
RBD is less common but more dramatic: patients in the "rapid eye movement" stage of a dream will act it out, moving their arms and legs, getting out of bed, talking, shouting and even hitting or punching things. It can endanger the patient and any bed partner.
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:s2: :slp:
 
Anecdote: I have a friend with obstructive sleep apnea. He eventually got a tracheotomy - and yet his sleep improved very little. Which leads me to believe that a significant percentage could well be some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain...
 
Tez said:
Anecdote: I have a friend with obstructive sleep apnea. He eventually got a tracheotomy - and yet his sleep improved very little. Which leads me to believe that a significant percentage could well be some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain...
Click to expand...

Was the tracheotomy a treatment for the sleep apnea? Seems a little extreme...
 
yeah - he'd tried everything, believe me.

Whats amazing is that he's in med school and getting through fine, although 9 days out of 10 he's dragging himself around like koala bear....
 
Luciana Nery said:
You only needed an excuse to use these two new smilies. :cs:


(interesting link, thanks)
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No, actually I thinking along the lines of "mind = product of brain activity".
 
I was recently diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea (brain doesn't signal muscles to breath or signal not received). My doc says surgury not always effective. I am being fitted for BiPAP titration air mask, which forces air in and out of nose during sleep. I don't think I've had a good night's sleep in 10 years.
 
Tez said:
yeah - he'd tried everything, believe me.

Whats amazing is that he's in med school and getting through fine, although 9 days out of 10 he's dragging himself around like koala bear....
Click to expand...

I believe that sleeping is frowned upon in med school anyway. :)
 
Obstructive sleep apnea is not the result of a chemical imbalance or anything of that nature but it can be exacerbated by alcohol ingestion and muscle relaxants. Sleep apnea is a disorder caused by the physical obstruction of the upper airway in the posterior oropharynx by a wide and low hanging uvula, tonsils and adenoids. It is treated by nasal continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP or NCPAP which splints open the airway with a stream of air pressure routed through the nasal passages.
It can also be treated by removal of the tonsils and adenoids plus a procedure called a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UP3 for short.
However, the outcome of such surgery is unpredictable and many candidates have a return of their problem in six months due to shifting of tissues following the healing of the surgical site.
NCPAP or its variant, BIPAP are the gold standard for obstructive sleep apnea and works in 99% of he cases over the long term in those who tolerate the intervention. There is another type of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea which can be caused by respiratory depressant drugs as well as neuromuscular diseases. This type of sleep apnea may have a neurochemical component.
It is often treated by a trach and mechanical ventilatory support.

A tracheostomy is indeed an extreme cure for OSA but it is a cure since it bypasses the upper airway altogether. The stoma can be plugged when awake so the patient can speak and just unplugged at night so they can breathe while asleep. I have only used it once in nearly 12 years for OSA.

The reason alcohol, even a single beer at night, can make OSA worse is because the first muscle alcohol affects is the one at the base of the tongue. This is what causes slurred speech in drinkers. This muscle allows the tongue to become floppy while alseep when relaxed by alcohol and contributes to the blockage of the upper airway.

There are plenty of good websites on OSA out there if you want to learn more. Try the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation for starters.
 
I know a fellow artist who has a trach at night for her sleep problems, she is quite heavy, though she claims that has nothing to do with her problem.

I once joked with my child's doctor that my 4 year old had a snore that shook the house. When he asked how long she had snored, I said I couldn't remember her not snoring. Within 2 days she was having her tonsils out! Seems snoring (even when daddy does it) is NOT normal for a child! Hasn't snored in 15 years. If only taking the tonsils out would work for her dad...:c1:
 
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