garyb1st said:
Sorry if I missed it but can someone tell me what health condition causes difficulty breathing at night and the need for a C-pap machine. I've seen it come up numerous times on the forum and am thinking maybe I need some help. If I'm not able to sleep with a window open and fan blowing directly on me it can be difficult to get enough air to breath. This is more of a problem traveling when we can't open the bedroom slide. Also much more of a problem during the summer when the temps are higher.
Never connected it with drinking but MissMeraid may have something regarding alcohol. I quit drinking 8 months ago for financial reasons. I'm cheap and was drinking almost a bottle of wine a night.
Actually It was like taking a sleeping pill. Only problem I'd wake up after a few hours with a headache. Long story short, my sleeping has improved quite a bit since. I quit candy about a month ago since I'm trying to lose some of the 35 lbs I've gained since RVing. I quit smoking more than 35 years ago. Relatively easy as was quitting alcohol. But quitting sugar, that's a huge problem. The craving is less but I'm still thinking of my favorite candy and ice cream. Aside from sleeping, I'm pretty sure the extra weight is contributing to my growing back problems. Then again I never connected the weight with difficulty breathing. So maybe another benefit from losing weight. Time will tell.
Hey, Garyb1st, DISCLAIMER: I am not a sleep expert! OTOH, I am a retired dentist and have struggled some with sleep issues. The primary concern in this problem area is sleep apnea (lack of breathing). Some of the things you mentioned can definitely contribute to sleep problems.
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[*] Excessive weight contributes because the tissues in the head and neck region become enlarged. When that happens the spaces surrounded by those tissues become smaller. CPAP, jaw-repositioning appliances and other breathing aids are designed to help open those passages mechanically. CPAP forces air through the passages under pressure rather than the body drawing air into the lungs via vacuum pressure, which tends to close the relaxed airway. The appliances reposition the jaw, which advances the tongue so that it doesn't close off the airway when it relaxes and drops back during sleep.
[*]Alcohol contributes to sleep apnea (and snoring, which is my main problem...or perhaps, I should say it is DW's main problem!) in that it relaxes the tissues surrounding the airway, making them flabby and more likely to block the airway. DW (a life-long non-sleeper) also finds that, whereas a little wine helps her go to sleep, she awakens later either with headache or restlessness that prevents her falling back to sleep.
[*]Smoking contributes by irritating the tissues along with all the other negatives associated with it.
[*] I have never seen any references in the literature to sugar intake directly leading to sleep apnea, but there are enough problems associated with refined sugar intake that I applaud your efforts to reduce your intake. Indirectly, of course, excessive sugar intake can exacerbate the weight problem.
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Your description of needing the window open and a fan blowing on you sounds suspiciously like an indication that your are experiencing compromised air flow during sleep, if not sleep apnea. I would recommend you continue your weight loss plan and look into having a sleep study done. Be aware that sleep apnea contributes to heart disease, so it is well worth exploring. BTW, I have lost 45 lbs in the last year using a phone app called Lose-It. If you don't already have a specific weight loss plan underway, you might check it out. Good luck, and congrats on giving up cigarettes and alcohol.