Hypopnea syndrome

I had my sleep study last night.  Wires were hooked all over from legs to scalp.  I was mostly concern as to why I am having headaches, talking in my sleep and what I called mild snoring. I did do all 3 in the night study.  I was diagnosed by the tech with Hypopnea syndrome which is not as bad as Sleep Apnea and I am so glad I do not have that.  I did not think I did...anyway here is an article on the Hypopnea syndrome.  I guess it will be decided what I need to do when I see my Neyrologist. I was told he would call once he looked over my results.

Hypopnea syndrome refers to episodes of extremely shallow or slow breathing during sleep. These episode interfere with the body’s ability to get enough oxygen. They may induce repeated waking up during sleep, though the sleeper is not always aware that this happens.

This disrupted sleep cycle causes symptoms similar to those of sleep apnea, in which the sufferer has trouble feeling rested during the day and may be depressed or forgetful.

This sleep disorder is not identical to sleep apnea, however, since some air is flowing through the respiratory system at all times.

Up to a quarter of men between 30 and 60 years old and about 9 percent of women in this age group suffer from this problem, but it can be hard to estimate the true number because most people never get diagnosed.

While this problem isn’t as serious as sleep apnea, it can still worsen over time and increases a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke.

SYMPTOMS:
This condition tends to disrupt sleep patterns during the night, causing patients to get poor quality sleep and to miss vital deep and REM sleep stages.

That leads to a number of unpleasant symptoms:

• Daytime drowsiness
• Ease of fatigue
• Lethargy and low energy levels
• Reduced ability to concentrate
• Headaches upon waking
• Irritability
• Strong mood swings
• Loud snoring and snorting
• Forgetfulness
• Nervousness
• Low productivity

People who suffer from hypopnea often spend a lot of time asleep, but they wake feeling unrested. They may also find themselves sleeping at unusual hours or suffering from insomniadue to unusual sleep patterns.

Their loud snoring, punctuated by periods of silence, can be an irritation for partners and family members and may cause serious strain on relationships.

CAUSES:
A person may suffer from hypopnea syndrome for a number of reasons, including:

• Congenital defects of the throat and nose
• Tonsillitis
• Adenoid infections
• Obesity or high weight
• Weakened respiratory muscles
• Age
• Airway obstruction
• Smoking
• Alcohol or sedative use

Like sleep apnea, hypopnea happens more often in people who are overweight or obese. It can also happen in some people who have relatively low levels of body fat, but who naturally have thick necks or who have a high body weight due to muscle gain.

Many of the same factors that influence sleep apnea and snoring are also causes of hypopnea syndrome.