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Then let's be clear, atonia during waking is a direct result of sleep paralysis or REM atonia. It occurs usually when you wake from a dream(REM sleep) and in that microsecond or second before the neurons that are firing to keep you asleep and the waking neurons haven't been connected. Sometimes can occur when falling asleep. Two entirely different sets of neurons send either sleep signals or wake signals from the brain. It's perfectly normal. Who hasn't woken from a dream in which they were running away from someone and tried to make their legs run and yell but couldn't for a second? Nothing to fear. This is a pathway to understanding OSA and exactly what's causing the problem. The obstacle then becomes the way. It is possible , I believe, to drill down further and for all but the severe and high end moderate cases to wean themselves of CPAP and OAS like I did.
p.s. regular sleep can be described as an inactive brain in an active body whereas REM sleep is a hallucinating brain in a paralyzed body.
What is the difference between REM atonia and sleep paralysis? I understood one was just the fancy medical term for the other. In either case they both affect all the voluntary muscles in the body the same way. The tongue and the muscles that hold open the entrance to the larynx (windpipe) are voluntary and come into play as soon as you enter REM stage sleep. Smoking can irritate and contribute to blockage as can excess fat in the neck and tonsils and adenoids not having been removed (excess soft palate). Snoring is the sound made by air as it passes through these restrictions, causing them to vibrate. I was incorrect to claim total control when I should have said sufficient control. All warm blooded animals require a certain amount of REM sleep or they will die. Sleep study is a relatively new field and we are learning new things all the time. There are certain metabolic wastes that accumulate in the muscles and brain while awake that are only be removed during REM sleep. We don't really know why we dream but we do know it is a distinct feature of REM sleep. I like to compare the brain to a computer and REM sleep/dreaming to defragmenting your hard drive. It's a very complex biological system that has evolved over millions of years and requires a third of each 24hr cycle to rest and rejuvenate for optimum function. And like a computer if we don't get this our system will eventually crash.
Then I would have had to wear mine while driving...lol.
My point being 9 out of ten people with sleep apnea don't even know they have it. The reason most heart attacks happen between 1 am and 9 am? Think about that. Heart attack and stroke account for 33% of deaths in the U.S. Sleeping pills can override the signal the brain sends to jolt you out of REM sleep so you can breath. Otherwise you would suffocate, like my friend did. Middle age and older with blockage in your arteries? Blood oxygen levels get to low what's first thing to happen? Brain sends signal to heart to beat faster to get more oxygen. Heart works harder with less and less oxygen and can cause a heart attack.
Having suffered sleep apnea for decades, my first diagnosis recommended an OAS treatment. This worked incredibly well (lucky me!). Shortly afterward a friend who had been using CPAP for years died in his sleep. Age 60, 6'6 380lbs. Coroners report cause of death-sleep apnea. He was found on his bed, on his back. Apparently just flopped down to rest and fell asleep (without CPAP). This guy was also taking prescription sleeping pills! How in the world was this allowed to happen? Deadly combination. Just wondering if doctors warn of this when you have sleep apnea and especially before prescribing CPAP? If you don't understand this relationship with OSA, sleep paralysis, and sleeping pills it could prove deadly. I did my own research on what OSA really is and now that I understand what REM sleep and REM atonia (sleep paralysis) is I have total control through learned disciplines and no longer need the OAS.
Why do they live ten years less? Drill down. This isn't info doctors are privy to. REM atonia (sleep paralysis), sleeping on your back, tongue is a voluntary muscle. Dreams. Western medicine only treats the symptoms, not the cause. That way they keep you forever sick and forever a paying customer.
