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renrenbri
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
My hubby suffers from apnea, horrendous snoring, and periodic limb disorder. The apnea actually seems to be subsiding, but the jerking and snoring have reached the point where we are sleeping in separate rooms half of the time. My super light sleeping and tendency towards insomnia certainly don't help. Have any couples found ways to stay in the same room and still sleep well aside of using heavy duty meds? He is on pramipexole, and it works great for a few weeks, but then the dose needs to be upped. I hate for him to be on super high doses of that forever. Any natural supplements? I've heard of magnesium. If so, what dose?
My wife and I manage to stay in the same bed, but not without some issues from time to time. We are considering going to a king sized bed to give more room. We both use a CPAP so snoring has been eliminated for both of us. Is your hubby using a CPAP? If set up properly it should eliminate snoring.
You may find some of the tips on addressing insomnia useful at the link below.
I think that getting the CPAP working would be the biggest step you could make. What are the reasons for the failure of each type of mask? Full face? Nasal? Nasal Pillow?
I am on mask number 5 and so far the ResMed AirFit P10 Nasal Pillow has been the most comfortable. I have addressed the common mouth air opening and air loss problem with a Breathewear Halo chin strap and I tape my mouth shut. Sounds awful, but I find it much more comfortable than a full face mask.
If you could update on what masks have been tried and why they failed, you may get some suggestions on what to try. If you are in the US I believe CPAP.com has a mask return policy if it doesn't work.
SleepyMommy703
+1 point
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
Unfortunately, I don't have any good advice for you as we have our own separate bedrooms now. Although I'm the one with CPAP and I don't snore, I'm a very light sleeper and we don't have the same sleep schedule. I couldn't handle being woken up when he came to bed or during the night when he gets up to use the bathroom, sets his alarm an hour early and hits snooze. I have to say I kinda love having my own room, so if you don't find a way to make it work it's not necessarily a bad thing.
renrenbri
+0 points
·
about 6 years
ago
Original Poster
I hear you with the different sleep schedules! My husband falls asleep super early where I am a night owl. He then gets up around 4:45 for work, but starts to rootch anytime from 4 on. Then he has to let the dogs out and back in, and is in and out of the bathroom...ugh! Not to mention the loud snoring and jerking around half the night. I also sleep much better when we sleep in separate rooms, but it really does make us both sad. We may compromise with some nights together, and some apart for now.
renrenbri
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
He is a belly sleeper, so it's very hard for him to have all of the tubes and wires attached to his head. Due to a botched nasal surgery, he can't breathe from his nose well at all which is a huge part of the reason he can't tolerate the masks. He found that he would fall asleep ok, but would wake up an hour later feeling very claustrophobic and rip the mask off....every single one. He has tried full face, nasal, nasal pillow. He can't even remember all of the names.
Not sure what to suggest. The new Dreamwear Full Face mask was just released earlier this year and might be a possibility. It minimizes the hose protrusion in front of the face, and the mask itself is fairly small. To sleep on your stomach I think it is pretty much essential to sleep on the edge of a pillow with the mask extending out past the pillow.
Going to sleep OK, but waking up feeling claustrophobic an hour or so later might suggest the air pressure is not set high enough.
snuzyQ
+1 point
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
Hi renrenbri
You mentioned that you think the apnea is subsiding. What has led you to believe that? What was his AHI from his original sleep test? Having to get up frequently in the night to use the bathroom is one of the signs of obstructive sleep apnea. I'm so sorry for the failed surgeries. Has your husband had a more current sleep test done since he had the surgeries?
My husband and I are both on CPAP and share the same bedroom, but it's very quiet now that we are both being treated for our severe apnea. His apnea is worse than mine, but not by much.
If your husband wishes to wean off the pramipexole, you probably already know that the withdrawal must be done slowly and under his doctor's supervision. A good calcium/magnesium supplement would probably help him if it is balanced carefully (the ratio of calcium to magnesium is 2 to one, meaning twice as much calcium as magnesium. Milk of magnesia is used as a laxative and straight magnesium without the proper balance of calcium will have the same effect). Hopefully, the supplement will have some vitamin D in it to help with the absorption of the minerals. You don't mention whether your husband has impaired digestion or not, but if he does, my husband and I have found a very good cal/mag named Solaray (the brand) Calcium Citrate supreme, which you might find at your local health food store. This one is very easy on the digestion. If you can't find it locally, consider buying it online. I get mine through nutritionexpress.com (out of Redmond, Washington State). They've given me excellent service over the years and I wind up saving almost $10 per bottle. We never take more than 2 of the capsules at a time, each, 2-3 times per day.
snuzyQ
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
It's good that he doesn't seem to be holding his breath in his sleep as much.
He needs a follow-up sleep study to determine whether/how much his sleep apnea has improved since his surgeries. If the new sleep study shows that his AHI is still 5 or more, you'll need to decide what further treatment he needs. CPAP is the most effective and least invasive of all the treatments offered for obstructive sleep apnea. To be successful at it, the patient really has to "buy" into it. It takes time, persistence and patience to adapt to this entirely new way of sleeping.
Calcium Citrate Supreme has the proper balance of magnesium along with the calcium and also includes a small amount of vitamin B6. A great iodine supplement is sea kelp in tablet form, very inexpensive and 1 per day. Calcium and magnesium together, when balanced properly, is very calming.
renrenbri
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
I went and bought magnesium citrate and separate calcium and vitamin d/k3. I also got the Tri iodined with the 3 forms. I am REALLY hoping this works enough to get him off of the heavy duty meds and lets us stay in the same room. .We have been arguing over CPAP for decades now. He simply can't tolerate it long enough to even see the positive results :(.
snuzyQ
+0 points
·
about 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
I hope so, too. With the vitamin D, make sure the amount he takes per day is not over 1,000 IU..
He owes it to himself and to you to find out his sleep apnea status since his surgeries. He doesn't have to do CPAP to have a sleep study. He can ask to have a home study done. He'll wear a wristwatch-like device on his wrist and a thimble-like thing on his finger. Nothing will poke him and there won't be anything on his face or anywhere else. Plus, he'll get to sleep in his own bed. All the sleep study will do is provide information that he can use for his health and well being. No one is going to force him to do anything. No one is going to argue with him. It's for his benefit...and yours.
The sleep study numbers speak for themselves. They tell how low his oxygen levels go with his apneas. They show how fast his heart beats when he struggles to breathe. They display how many apneas happen to him in his sleep and what his average is per hour. This is news he could use....or not, but at least he could then make an informed decision for himself.
renrenbri
+0 points
·
about 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Hmmm..I'm guessing you probably can't take this with the Pramipexole since that works on the Dopamine receptors as well. Maybe it's worth a shot with the supplements he's currently taking.
There are some drug and supplement interaction checkers on line. One at the link below on a quick check. Your pharmacist should also be a good resource.
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