Sunflower84

Good Morning from A chilly NW England UK.

I’ve been on this site many years now but had a break as I couldn’t click and stay stopped...

I’m 71 days sober today so feeling really good about this but I’m struggling with what I feel is some kind of sleep disturbance.
I know sleep is disturbed a lot when we stop but something different is happening here.

During detoxes many times I’ve experienced what indicates sleep apnea. I’ll be asleep then suddenly I’m bolt upright in bed and I can’t breath for a few seconds, I gasp in air and my heart pounds then I settle and get back to sleep.
I’ve never had it happen before other than in the early days of withdrawals so Im wondering if any of you experience this and if it can still be my brain just rebalancing???

I will call the Docs today but wanted to share here with people on the same journey.

Also when I researched sleep apnea another main indication is the unbearable tiredness during the day which I’m really suffering with badly.

Really appreciate any advice or hearing of any similar experiences...

Many Thanks and Much Love x

It’s great to be back on the forum.
hoping to come across some old friends from previous groups x

MythOfSisyphus

Welcome back, I'm another Octoberist! A sleep study done by your doctor is probably necessary but I do think alcoholism kind of masks sleep apnea but probably doesn't cause it. If you pass out drunk you're probably numbed enough that you don't notice the effects at the time. Good luck, I hope you can get it checked out soon!

advbike

I agree with MOS that quitting should not be causing sleep apnea. It is well documented that drinking makes it worse due to the relaxation of the sinus/throat area. It could be that you were actually sleeping through the events before somehow.. not waking up. However please get it checked out and make sure to sleep on your side to avoid cutting off your air supply.

Sunflower84

Thank you 🙏
todays a real struggle I feel like I don’t have a clue what’s wrong with me.
Ive cried and been in and out of sleep all day.
really struggling.
I won’t drink but I know I can’t cope with these real lows going on for ever.
it must be connected to the sleep problems I’m sure.
thanks for the replies.
Really appreciated right now!

Anna

I had sleep problems which were masked by alcohol and became clearly evident when I stopped drinking. For me, it turned out to be Restless Leg Syndrome which is something I'm still working on managing. What I can tell you for sure is that lack of sleep can be very destructive physically and mentally. I'm glad you're talking to your doctor and I hope that you can find some relief.

advbike

Hang in there Sunflower! You can really do it. Something always crops up when we get sober for awhile. The key is to deal with it and not return to drinking. My best wishes to you.

Dee74

Welcome back SFL

Hope the dr will be able to identify exactly whats wrong

D