Teenager...Sleep apnea????

One of my daughters is 18 years old with terrible sleep habits. She is very bright/smart but has been rebellious. She failed her senior year in HS because of attendance issues. She has been on and off anti depressants for 4 years. She was treated with depression mostly because of her desire to sleep during the day and therefore missed a lot of classes. It was a nightmare trying to wake her up for school. When she finally went to school she would be tired and when she got home she went straight to bed for hours. She would force herself up for her social life, of course! With great sadness she did not graduate with her class because of so many missed classes. I am just starting to think that maybe she too has a sleep disorder. What do you think? She is otherwise healthy, all normal blood work. She is petite and skinny, not the typical patient. I think she would be willing to be tested, but wearing a cpap machine I just don't know. Can you imagine a beautiful/model type 18 yr old using a cpap machine?

It is very possible that she has apnea - many 'normal' size people do on an anatomic basis (jaw and palate configuration) if not weight, and it runs in families, so if you have it, it's quite possible that she does. Also, many of us have now come to realize that we may have always had it, but just didn't know it at the time - it wasn't considered as a diagnosis of anything until a generation ago, and maybe the majority of MD's did not refer patients for study until later when they stopped thinking of it as only something older and overweight men had. She certainly should be tested. But your attitude towards her wearing a mask will rub off and make it harder for her to accept even the idea of it, so I'd work on that if possible - it's a life and death business, not a cosmetic choice. However, technology is changing so quickly these days that I think it's unlikely she'd end up wearing it for very long in any case - I imagine far less obvious things will be used in not too long. But compared to having a stroke at ... 25, wearing a mask that delivers air with, if anything, only occasional minor discomfort at most is a lot more of an alternative.

At 18 - all you can do is present the facts and let her decide. A sleep study is a good start. Even at 62 it was an ego issue for me. The nasal CPAP doesn't seem so scary and maybe the idea of adding some lemon, vanilla or other natural light scent near the intake would make it seem more pleasant. Call it Aromatherapy. But - pressuring won't help. Usually does just the opposite.

trytryagain wrote:She is petite and skinny, not the typical patient. I think she would be willing to be tested, but wearing a cpap machine I just don't know. Can you imagine a beautiful/model type 18 yr old using a cpap machine?

So better a dead or disabled daughter then wearing a mask to help her sleep? She will not stay slim with OSA - most people put on weight chewing to stay awake so you will have a fat dead or disabled daughter soon.

You need to have her thyroid checked properly too, my daughter has a low functioning thyroid but it didn't show up on regular run of the mill tests. She also nearly flunked out of college and was on anti depressants.

I also think that if she has a decent test, and is hooked up with a good mask and gets a decent night's rest, she may be so shocked at how it feels to have slept well that she'll want to give it a try! But do one step at a time - get her tested.

Do you have an oximeter?

If not, buy one for $125. It will record your daughters oxygen levels during sleep. The sensor fits on the finger. If her O2 levels are going below 90% there is clearly a problem. Download the data into your computer. Then you have more information (data) to show the Dr before deciding on sleep study. Record her sleep for at least a few nights to get enough data.

Every family should have an oximeter like they do a thermometer.

Have you listened to your daughter sleep? If she stops breathing for more than 10 seconds or so and restarts with a gasp, a diagnosis of obstructive apnea is likely. But she absolutely should see a sleep doctor either way. You daughter clearly has a sleep problem, apnea or no apnea, and a good sleep doctor will help her find help with her problem.

I had 'running dreams' since I was a child; and have always had excessive daytime drowsiness.
And I was very thin.
To think that I was untreated for 62 years!
But then treatment didn't really exist at the level we have today.
I expect the rest of my life to be the best of my life.

trytryagain wrote:...Can you imagine a beautiful/model type 18 yr old using a cpap machine?

Uhh, yeah...me (and I did do some modeling). At 18, if sleeping with equipment might have helped my tiredness & depression, I'd have done it...strap marks would have been an issue but padding helps so much that on young, super resilant skin those marks might fade immediately. Unfortunately, my symptoms occurred because I sacrificed sleep for studing/reading...didn't know back then that sleep was essential to normal health. Don't let your imagination affect her attitude towards getting her life in some sort of balance...I knew had health problems I just didn't know why.

I also would have tried light therapy & blue-blocker lenses to see if that would have hepled.

Muse-Inc wrote:

trytryagain wrote:(and I did do some modeling)

You do have big, blue eyes, but modeling with that hair?

jdm2857 wrote:

Muse-Inc wrote:...(and I did do some modeling)

You do have big, blue eyes, but modeling with that hair?

I was super skinny (think Twiggy) back then and my eyes looked huge, a perfect pallet for eye makeup. The '60s saw the beginning of weird hair so I was naturallly ahead of the game

The peace of mind that a sleep test could bring would be priceless. If she were my child I would not hesitate to do it. In fact one of my children had one done at age 5!

It may not be sleep apnea--there are many other debilitating sleep disorders. Get her the help she needs now so she can function and fulfill her potential!

By the way, I have 2 sleep disorders that were discovered in my late thirties--symptoms went back as far as high school. What I wouldn't do for those lost years of foggy thinking and time wasted in unproductive sleep.

Do it ASAP! JMHO.

Jen

I know you must be so worried and concerned for your daughter, and you know her life can be better..

so, just start turning over every stone you can till you find out what will help her..

MANY MANY people who are tired who have osa are given anti depressents because they appear depressed.. who wouldnt, if they are not
getting any quality sleep..

I know I had OSA at eighteen, and I had it as a kid too.. I hated to go to school, I hated to get up in the morning... but I was also
an insomniac, but a very fit athlete too.. so I did not fit the profile either.. Im beginning to wonder if there is a profile?

Get her tested, are you insured? Then get a sleep study at a good sleep lab hospital.. if not they have home test kits for three hundred or less.

At least you can start with one stone, if sleep apnea isnt it, then you are that much closer to finding out what it is.. dont give up...

and dont just listen one, or two, or three doctors... I had a friend who went thru thirteen doctors before her daughter was finally diagnosed
with lupus..

I hope you find some help for her very soon, before she misses out on the best part of her life..
( If it is OSA, there are dainty new little nose pillow masks which come in pink, its not that bad really )
If she says she wont wear a mask and wont go to the sleep study, tell her for young folks there are surgical alternatives too..
(you dont have to go that route, but if you tell her, you might at least be able to get her into a sleep study)

Thanks for all of your advice, she has agreed to make an appointment with a highly recommended sleep doctor at our hospital. Hopefully referrals wont be a problem. I will call tomorrow and get things rolling. Wish me luck!

oh there is one more stone overturned for you! fantastic!

We sure hope all the best, and that she gets her life back very soon!

I know all you want to do is wrap your arms around her and make it better ....