Question:
I'm very worried about my lover. I believe I have had
sleep disorders in the past, but I seem to have been
getting a lot better in recent years. And what he is
going through, seems to be a lot worse than what I had.
He hasn't been able to get a full nights sleep for the last
month or so. His record so far is only getting up twice,
but mostly he get's up between 5-10 times.
This past week he was trying to get to sleep at around
10-12, and get up at 6am to get ready for work.
He comes home and is very tired. Sometimes he'll sleep for
awhile, and sometimes he won't. Regardless of whether he sleeps
for awhile or not, he's still very tired by 10-12 again.
This Saturday, we went to sleep at 11:30, and woke up at 9:30am.
We were up for about an hour, and he decided to take a nap.
The nap turned into a sleep, and he didn't awake until 2pm.
We were awake for about another hour, before he complained
of being tired and wanting to take another nap again. This time
he promised it would be just a half hour nap. I went to wake him
up after a half hour (at 4pm). Said he was too tired. Gave him another
half hour, and tried to wake him up again. Said he was going to wake
up.
Left the room, and when I came back 10 minutes later, he was still
laying there.
Said he was really really sorry, but he needed rest. I decided to see
what would happen if he slept longer, hoping he'd be awake at night. He woke up at
8pm, and was really dissapointed in himself. We were up until 10:30, and he was
falling asleep again, and said we had to get up and walk the dog. He got up, went to the
bathroom, and just layed down in bed again. Said that he didn't have the energy. I'm just going
to let him sleep all night now.
I don't know what else to do. He's stayed up all day some days, and
went to sleep at a good time at night.
Couldn't get to sleep then, and was very tired the next day. Other
nights he'll take a nap, and be fine for awhile,
then he'll go to sleep at night a bit later than usual. Still gets up a
lot, but has the same routine the next day.
He is frequently drowsy during work, and some days he falls asleep on
his job. He's afraid he's going to get fired.
He just started there, and doesn't have insurance yet, so we can't go
see a doctor :(
Answer:
Here is a collection of sleep and sleep-disorder links that I have selected from many
that I have seen because I think these are very useful for someone who is starting to
look for information about sleep disorders. Section A is general information that gives
an overview of various sleep disorders. Section B is about sleep apnea. Section C is
about narcolepsy. Section D is about sleep related movement disorders, such as restless
leg syndrome (RLS), periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), sleep starts, etc.
Section E is about sleep paralysis. Section F is about insomnia. Section G is about
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS). Section H is about night terrors (pavor nocturnus),
sleep-walking, enuresis, etc. Section I is about Night Eating Syndrome.
I am not a medical professional, but it does sound like apnea is a likely candidate. You
specifically mention irregular breathing. Does he gasp? If apnea is a possibility, he should avoid
anything that is sedating (alcohol as well as medications) because his life depends on his brain
waking him up if he has an apneic event that stops his breathing. Of course arousals like these are
what makes him sleepy during the day because he is getting enough sleep and the sleep he is getting
is poor, but if he did not wake up, he could have a stroke. In any event, apnea puts a terrible
strain on the body that can lead to permanent damage if not treated.
Of course he could be suffering from something else, but he really needs to see a sleep expert for a
proper diagnosis. Be certain that the doctor is board-certified for sleep disorders.
I periodically re-post a list of links to web sites that are about sleep disorders. I will re-post
it again as a reply to this note so that you can easily find it. Apnea is in Section B, but you
might wish to check out some of the other disorders as well to see if one of them might apply.
