Becca17, I see that you, like me, still don't have this thing beaten yet. I'm frustrated as well.
I came across a very helpful post from user Velacook on this thread: (https://myapnea.org/forum/sleep-onset-apnea-01/1#comment-28352).
Maybe you haven't seen that yet. The role of nutrition was something that struck a chord for me. The poster believes "adrenal fatigue" is a prime culprit, and recommends bolstering intake of magnesium, calcium and potassium. I know there are also many supplements that are specifically formulated to restore adrenal health. I once suffered from frequent bouts of heart palpitations and taking magnesium pills and Vitamin D solved that issue for me almost overnight, so I am a believer in the power of the vitamins. The post also recommends eliminating caffeine, chocolate and sugary foods. I suspect that my coffee drinking, limited as it is, might be a causative factor in my TSA episode. Coffee and/or caffeine have a strong effect on the sympathetic nervous system, and transitional sleep apnea might be a symptom of an overactive sympathetic nervous system.
Best of luck and don't give up!
Hello, I still occasionally suffer from this, but I have gathered some insights that may or may not be helpful.
I am more likely to experience transitional apnea if I have been staring at a screen for an extended time in the evening. Try limiting your screen time.
I find that I naturally want to fall asleep at 11pm or so. Those nights where I stay up much later for whatever reason are nights that I have difficulty falling asleep and I will also often wake up gasping when I finally manage to do so. If I simply let myself fall asleep on the couch watching TV I seem to have no apnea episodes. So following your body's preferred sleep schedule might be helpful.
Finally. I read somewhere that practicing holding your breath for as long as you can can be useful. The sudden waking we suffer is a result of our body's CO2 sensor being too easily triggered by the slightly elevated CO2 in our blood following that short period of paused breathing that normally occurs as we transition into sleep. By training yourself with breath holding you are decreasing your body's sensitivity to carbon dioxide and giving your brain the time it needs to fall asleep and return to automatic breathing. I haven't put this into practice yet but I thought it made sense.
If anyone has their own tips I'd love to hear them.
Good luck out there friends.
Hello Charming Coyote and fellow transitional apnea sufferers,
This thread is over 3 years old but I'm going to take a shot in the dark and post here in the hopes that someone will read this.
I have begun suffering from the same issue. Just as I fall asleep and transition into a dream state my breathing either ceases or becomes extremely shallow. I immediately pop awake, probably as an instinctual fear response to the threat of suffocation. Either the condition or my fear of it keeps me awake all night long despite changing my sleeping position, changing beds, or attempts at relaxing myself. It's maddening. Thankfully, this doesn't occur every night but I worry that it will eventually.
I have not yet seen a doctor or undergone a sleep study but I have scheduled it. My wife tells me that i am restless at night and frequently wake up gasping (although i have no memory of these episodes), so I believe I suffer from general CSA. I am otherwise healthy as far as I know, with the exception of frequent acid reflux, for whatever that's worth.
Has anyone in this thread suffering from this found relief since it was posted? Has anyone determined the cause? If so, please share what solution(s) finally worked for you. I suspect stress plays a role in this but it cant be the only reason as I'm not particularly stressed these days and the vast majority of people endure stress without feeling like they will die in their sleep.
Thanks in advance for any help or advice. -Marc
