Fibromyalgia is hard to live with. Sleep apnea is hard to live with. Combine the 2 . . . well, let's just say it's not pleasant. While we're not exactly sure what the relationship is between these conditions, we know that they frequently go together.
Sleep apnea, like any other sleep disorder, can make fibromyalgia symptoms worse. However, that's not the biggest problem you could face as a result of sleep apnea. It's dangerous to stop breathing in your sleep, and it can actually cause:
- Stroke
- Heart disease or heart failure
- Sudden death
Other conditions linked to sleep apnea include:
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Acid reflux
- Erectile dysfunction
So you can see why it's important to get proper treatment for sleep apnea. However, fibromyalgia can complicate that. The most common treatment is called a CPAP machine -- you wear a mask over your nose (and sometimes mouth) that straps around your head and is attached to a machine that basically blows air into your air passage. That causes continuous pressure that keeps your airway from becoming obstructed when you relax. (CPAP stands for "continuous positive airwave pressure.") As you can imagine, this setup isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, and it makes it hard for some people to get to sleep.
Other treatment alternatives include losing weight (which, of course, is difficult and takes time), dental devices (but only if jaw position is responsible for the problem), and surgery.
Surgery is never fun, and we don't recover nearly as fast as "healthy" people. If you're considering any surgery with fibromyalgia, read this: Fibromyalgia & Surgery: How to Reduce the Pain & What to Expect.
Also, sleep apnea can be especially bad when you're under anesthesia. Be sure your medical team knows about it and ask about bringing your CPAP for the surgery.
All of the complications of sleep apnea aren't medical, however. I was recently denied life insurance because I'm overweight and have sleep apnea and high blood pressure -- all heart-attack risk factors. I'm working on the weight, I'm religious about my CPAP, and my high blood pressure is well controlled on treatment, but the insurance company doesn't care about that; until one or more of these things is gone, they won't cover me. The only good thing is that weight loss could help with the other 2 problems as well.
I've recently update my article on sleep apnea with fibromyalgia to include more information and resources about treatments, especially surgery. You can find that here:
Do you have or suspect you have sleep apnea? What treatments do you use? How effective are they? Leave your comments below!
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I read about sleep apnea and fibromyalgia quite awhile ago. I had to really think about this concept as there is so little of theories I believe. My take on this is that it is self-induced due to deconditioning. If I do not push myself to exercise and stay active my breathing become difficult. Think about it – have you ever seen an active person wearing oxygen mask?
Sandra,
Sleep apnea doesn’t really have much to do with other kinds of breathing problems. While it’s usually tied, at least partially, to weight, a lot of people with fibromyalgia who are NOT overweight have it, too. Some doctors think we’re more prone to it because we generally have lax connective tissues, making it more likely for something to obstruct our airways when we’re relaxed. The CPAP doesn’t provide oxygen, it just keeps enough pressure on the airway to keep tissues where they belong.
I have Fibro and Sleep Apnea and I hate the cpap I can’t get used to it. We have tried all kinds of mouth pieces and nose but I just can’t sleep with it on. I also have a mouth piece which I think helps. Lately I haven”t used either one and my husband says I am snoring a lot from my throat? Julie
Julie,
Adjusting to CPAP can take time for mild to moderate cases.
as a registered sleep technologist I can tell you there are many tips and tricks to help you adjust to wearing your CPAP. Sleep apnea is caused by the airway(throat ) collapsing upon exhalation so your husband is correct.
Try wearing your CPAP if you watch TV at night you use your Computer anything you do that may be sedentary. When the pressure starts to ramp up push your ramp button again or turn your machine off and then back on again. if you can wear your CPAP awake you can wear it asleep. Try this for a period of time see if it helps, if you need any more help you can contact me at khoffman @lifecaresleep.com.
While I agree that conditioning is beneficial for good respiration, I must say that there are other reasons for needing oxygen…..A year ago I found I could no longer keep up my walking program and was out of breath all the time. It was discovered that my right diaphram is paralized and my lung function is at 52%. This is all recent and has had an enormous impact on my fibro symptoms. Also I have been on supplemental oxygen at night to keep my concentrated oxygen levels from going below 75% while sleeping. It’s not always about not being fit!
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea two plus years ago.
I have a CPAP. From the first night (in the sleep lab) I had no problems sleeping with it. I told the technician, who regulated the airway pressure, that I wanted to dance when I woke up that morning…I was totally refreshed and felt GREAT!
Two plus years later, I still use it religiously; my biggest problem now is getting into bed at a reasonable hour so I can benefit from the sleep.
I was asked if I wanted to try the dental appliance. But after hearing how it works, I was concerned that I would develop TMJ from using it, and frankly, with Fibro, MPS and a host of other syndromes, I was not willing to risk developing yet another problem.
There really is a better way to deal with sleep apnea than CPAP or surgery. I spent 4 years studying sleep apnea and I believe that the root cause is due to the attenuation of the signal from the brain to the diaphragm muscles when the sleeper enters stage II sleep. This un-intended side-effect of the “reduction of muscle tonus” that occurs during this transition causes breathing to stop. Then, when the CO2 level gets too high, the sleeper makes a rapid inhalation DRAGGING the soft tissue into the airway, obstructing it and waking them up. The reduction of the signal from the brain is causing the problem.
So… I found this herbal combination product that INCREASES the signal and keeps the breathing going. This addresses the root cause so you don’t make a rapid inhalation and drag the sagging tissues into the airway. The stuff is called Sleep Apnea Relief and I buy it from Nature’s Rite. I’ve been using it for 4 years and it is really great. So you don’t have to use CPAP. I just wanted to let you know.
Sometimes at night I can hear every breath I take when I have my mask on. What causes this? It actually woke my husband up the other night it was so loud.