11/28/2009 8:52:00 PM Untreated sleep apnea can be fatal
Dr. Rosenberg
Dear Dr. Rosenberg:
My husband was diagnosed with sleep apnea two years ago.
He never returned to the lab for treatment. He says he feels fine and does not want to be treated. I have been reading about the associated risks if sleep apnea is left untreated. He is 35 years old and we have two young children, so I worry. How can I motivate him?
A: You could start out by telling him the incidence of heart attack and stroke is about two to three times greater in people who have untreated sleep apnea. We also see an increase in diabetes and obesity in untreated sleep apnea. Most impacting, though, is a recent study that showed that untreated men live to an average age of 58, versus the normal lifespan for men: 78. So if your husband wants to see his children grow up and possibly grand-children, his chances are much better if he gets treated for his sleep apnea.
Dear Dr. Rosenberg:
I have severe fibromyalgia. I read on the Internet that there is a sleep drug used with narcolepsy patients that is helpful for fibromyalgia patients. Can you tell me more about this?
A: Yes. The drug sodium oxybate (Xyrem) is now undergoing final trials for use in fibromyalgia. The results are very encouraging. In a randomized trial, those reporting reduction of pain were significantly higher in the Oxbate group. The reason is that fibromyalgia may be more a sleep problem than just a pain problem. In surveys of fibromyalgia, patients show that pain lags behind sleep disturbances, fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. We now know this condition is more than a pain problem.
When taken, Oxybate acts by promoting very deep sleep.
It looks like Oxybate may soon be available for treatment of patients not responding to other forms of treatment for fibromyalgia.
Dear Dr. Rosenberg:
My wife talks in her sleep every night. This has been going on for more than a year. I find it disturbing to my sleep and I am worried that this may be abnormal. Should I be concerned?
A: Usually, sleep-talking is short-lived and benign. In your wife's case it would be defined as chronic, since it has been going on for more than a year. Although in all likelihood benign, it may be time to look for an underlying cause. I would report this to your health care professional. Things that may contribute to sleep-talking include stress, excessive alcohol intake, lack of sleep and depression. Underlying sleep disorders such as sleep apnea may be a factor as well.
Dr. Robert Rosenberg, board-certified sleep medicine specialist, will answer readers' questions by incorporating them in future columns. Contact him at askthesleepdoc@yahoo.com or via mail at the Sleep Disorders Center of Prescott Valley, 3259 N. Windsong Dr., Prescott Valley, AZ 86314.
