Posted by LostBoyinNCBecksDark on October 19, 2007, at 12:55:55
In reply to Sleep apnoea - what type of people does it affect?, posted by deniseuk190466 on October 14, 2007, at 4:15:27
> I thought sleep apnoea just affected large people so I've always counted myself out from that particular condition as I'm slim.
>
> Can slim people have sleep apnoea?
>
> DeniseDenise, sleep apnea is extremely common and awareness of it until recent years has been poor. It occurs in men, oftentimes men who are overweight and have thick necks...17" in circumference. But it occurs in women as well. One group of women who need to especially watch out for sleep apnea are those who have hypothyroidism. There has been some association between having hypothyroidism and sleep apnea. There is also some speculation that women are being underdiagnosed because women are self conscious about snoring and less likely to admit to their doctor they snore.
If you have depression/anxiety problems that seem to be chronic, a sleep study is probably in order no matter who you are. It can certainly make a lot more sense than the medication merry go round for years and years and years as so many do without success. A lot of primary care doctors are uneducated about sleep apnea and wont bother referring you to a sleep medicine specialist unless you take matters into your own hands.
There are two main groups of specialists who gravitate towards sleep medicine. The first are Neurologists...they tend to be focused more on restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, central sleep apnea and other nervous system based sleep disorders. The second type of specialist in sleep medicine are pulmonary doctors and these are the guys who have pioneered treatment for obstructive sleep apnea...anytime you arent getting proper oxygenation a pulmonary doctor is going to be interested. Personally, I prefer pulmonary based sleep medicine doctors, at least to start off with.
Eric
poster:LostBoyinNCBecksDark
thread:788423
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071019/msgs/790116.html