Estrogen and apnea

[Wistful]

I have noticed an increase in my AHI the week before menstruation and was wondering if there was indeed a correlation. I googled it and found that there are several studies showing that low levels of estrogen can indeed aggravate apnea - one reason why men and post-menopausal women are more susceptible.

So I was wondering if anyone else noticed a difference in AHI during their cycle?

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting women run out and get hormone replacement therapy. From what I understand, anatomical considerations are the primary factor in influencing OSA. Infact, HRT only helped marginally, as things like narrowed airways cannot be overcome by hormones. It is really interesting, though. I have not included a link because there is a lot out there. I you are really interested you can search 'estrogen and apnea' and have a read.

[SelfSeeker]

Hi Wistful,

I do not know about my AHI changing during the cycle.

I do know that for many many years, I have noticed that for the week prior, I do not sleep well. I used to call it a light sleeper. Now I think it is arousals. Maybe, more of them. Right after it statrs, for a couple of days, I feel like either I sleep deeper or have less arousals, because I am not waking up as often or being aroused whatever may be the case. I guess a detailed sleep study will show the difference.

I think my pressure goes up. I am not sure if is consitant or other outside forces that may effect my sleep.

I wonder if I did not have an auto, would I see a difference in AHI.

I have brought it up at chat before.

I have noticed an increase in my AHI the week before menstruation and was wondering if there was indeed a correlation. I googled it and found that there are several studies showing that low levels of estrogen can indeed aggravate apnea - one reason why men and post-menopausal women are more susceptible.

So I was wondering if anyone else noticed a difference in AHI during their cycle?

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting women run out and get hormone replacement therapy. From what I understand, anatomical considerations are the primary factor in influencing OSA. Infact, HRT only helped marginally, as things like narrowed airways cannot be overcome by hormones. It is really interesting, though. I have not included a link because there is a lot out there. I you are really interested you can search 'estrogen and apnea' and have a read.

[snoregirl]

I am with you on the light sleeping the week before.

[RosemaryB]

I always had very light sleep the week before. Also, I was exhausted the week before, feeling very sluggish.

I will soon get a chance to find out more, since I'm on Bioidentical HRT and am getting an AutoPap next week. If this is the case (variability of arousals), it's another argument for using an AutoPAP for women who still have cycles naturally or who are on HRT.

It could also be related to an increase in progesterone, since that increases the week before also. Or a balance between progesterone and estrogen.

[Wistful]

So there are others out there

From what I've read estrogen and progesterone drop before menstruation - I even get nightly hot flashes during PMS (and migraines). I am planning on talking to my doc about this and seeing if there is anything we can do about it.

If one considers how apnea can screw up one's hormones and how hormones can aggravate apnea, it's quite a self defeating circle...

Oh Well!

[RosemaryB]

You're right, they both drop.

From what I've read estrogen and progesterone drop before menstruation - I even get nightly hot flashes during PMS (and migraines). I am planning on talking to my doc about this and seeing if there is anything we can do about it.

If you are thinking about HRT, you might want to see if she/he does bioidentical hrt. The difference is that you can be put on very low doses, much lower than the regular pills. There are a few other differences, too.

If you think about it, melatonin is also a hormone, so perhaps there's an interaction of some type with estrogen/progesterone and melatonin that causes this problem with sleep.

All my life I fell asleep anytime, anywhere with no problems (except perhaps sleep apnea ). The big exception was one or two days a month when I'd have insomnia. It always seemed very odd to me.

[DP]

Estrogen is actually a ventilatory driver. In other words it helps women breathe. This is very important when a woman is pregnant, otherwise almost all woman would have sleep apnea. This is also why there are more men than woman with sleep apnea. However, once a woman goes through menopause estrogen levels drop drastically. This is why we will tend to see woman develop sleep apnea post-menopause.

[NarcoApneac]

Believe it or not, men have more estrogen than women do. Some of a man's testosterone gets metabolized into estrogen. It is just that men tend to have more testosterone than estrogen, and women have more estrogen than testosterone. It is the ratio of these two hormones which differentiate men and women - not the absolute amounts.

I didn't know that estrogen enhanced ventilation, but as far as I can discern from the literature, testosterone reduces ventilatory drive.

[Wistful]

If you are thinking about HRT, you might want to see if she/he does bioidentical hrt. The difference is that you can be put on very low doses, much lower than the regular pills. There are a few other differences, too.

Thanks, I will mention that to my Doctor if she thinks HRT will be helpful. I imagine she will want to test my levels and see what is really going on before we go down that road. It is good to know what is available.

W