sleep apnea and MS

[monotreme]

I have a question.  Craig had a sleep study done and it showed sleep apnea and lack of REM sleep.  He has been waking up soaked in sweat for several weeks, and he is always up two or three times each night.

Do any of you know if sleep apnea is more common in MS?  Do you think it may be related to the muscles in the throat and diaphragm getting weak and losing tone?  Or maybe it is a central problem?  The initial sleep report did not specify since they stopped the study after five hours of sleep.  The next sleep study he needs is a full night with a CPAP on.

How many forum members here have diagnosed sleep apnea?  Craig did have a study done in 2004, when all his symptoms started and it was "borderline" at that time.

Thanks for your help as always!
Elaine

[LiseRaev]

Also, to anyone who's worried, you might take a look at some of the info here: http://www.***********.com/

[LiseRaev]

I think I might have sleep apnea as well; I just took an  oximetry test for it, though I don't have the results yet. It's a scary thing!

[Fluffysmom]

I'm sure that the second sleep study will give more thorough answers; seeing how well the CPAP works and all that.  Hopefully it will work well, and help Craig out a lot.

Wishing you well,

Kathy

[monotreme]

Thanks for your responses.  Craig is not taking this well at all.  It's just another thing for him to deal with.  I hope they will do a more detailed report for the second sleep study next week.

Elaine

[MostlyShell]

Great question!  I've never asked anyone in a forum about that.  
My current neurologist did a sleep apnea test on me and found that I stop breathing 18 times per hour.  Called it borderline.  I worried for so long about that.  Scared me to death!  But, I just tried to concentrate on other things I could control.  Still frightens me to think about it....
hbananas:  when you were diagnosed, what were the parameters for having a CPAP.  I find that alot of times if I sit still long enough I fall asleep.
Just curious...
MostlyShell

[BOK2Bjan]

Hi - I have severe sleep apnea and ms.I have Central and Obstructive.  I've been unable to use the Bi-Pap (similar to C-Pap), due to it drying out my nose too much.  With humidity added, it bothers me too.   I've been so interested to learn how many things I've had for years are related or could be related to ms.  Jan

[hbananas]

I don't have MS, but rather transverse myelitis.  Anyway, I do have obstructive sleep apnea.  My MS specialist doctor is also a sleep doctor, and he's published a study about sleep disorders and MS.  My fatigue is pretty much gone now that I'm on CPAP.  I was falling asleep at work all the time before.  There's a lot of good information on the www.apneasupport.org site--I'd say those folks are just about as helpful as the ones here--very nice.

[doni54]

Hi Elaine,

You know me, if I don't know the answer I google....hahaha

Here are some things I found:


It has been suggested that sleep disturbances in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be related to periodic leg movements (PLM) during sleep, but to date polysomnographic studies were conducted only on small and unselected patient groups. Aim of this study was to evaluate 8-hour polysomnography in MS patients and to correlate sleep results with clinical and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Twenty-five clinically definite MS patients, without mood disorders and drug-free, entered the study. The patients were compared to 25 age- and sex-matched subjects. MS patients had significantly reduced sleep efficiency and experienced more awakenings during sleep. No difference was found in sleep architecture parameters between MS patients and controls. PLM was found in 9 patients (36%) and 2 controls (8%; p = 0.02). Of the six patients who complained of insomnia two had PLM and 2 others presented with PLM and central sleep apnea. In patients with PLM greater MRI lesion loads were detected in the infratentorial regions, particularly in cerebellum and brainstem. Larger studies in neurological diseases that produce focal lesions in these brain areas could provide useful information on the PLM pathogenesis.

Major causes of the Hypersomnias are Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) (apnea meaning breathing pause) and Narcolepsy. All of these can be operative in Multiple Sclerosis, the most common being OSA which is the leading cause of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in the vast majority of people with or without a concurrent disease. Sometimes, incoordination in breathing, which is more common in MS than in those without it, can worsen the upper airway obstruction. The latter is the major cause of OSA. Features include large tonsils, a narrow air space in the back of the mouth (often a normal variation) and/or neck obesity. Snoring is often present; men are more often affected. In MS, the central control of breathing can be impaired due to plaques in the brain stem. This can cause Central Sleep Apnea. MS patients, like many others can have combinations of OSA and CSA when tested in an overnight Polysomnogram (PSG) at a sleep center. The Hypersomnia is caused as a result of the night’s sleep being of poor quality due to frequent apneas, i.e. breathing stoppages.  


Take care,
doni

[monotreme]

I forgot to mention that Craig does not snore.  I wish the report was more complete, but this is delaware.  Can't expect much.
Elaine