Sleep Apnea and Alcoholic beverage Consumptions

This is a real life question. Are we barred from alcohol beverage consumption because of Sleep Apnea? If you are presently consuming alcohol and is a confirmed Sleep Apnea Sufferer, what have been been your experiences? And what do the medical research say about alcoholism consumption by Sleep Apnea Sufferers?



mcpascaln

I have an occasional rum and coke (perhaps 1-2x/week) and it has not affected my cpap success at all. I'm quite sure that I have read that use of alcohol in obstructive sleep apnea in the absence of using cpap is not recommended. DEAN

Other people have tracked their events after consuming alcohol and they seem to increase due to the alcohol.

Quantity and timing is of primary importance in any issue with alcohol.
I find that sharing a "girlie beer" with DH after supper has negligible effect
on my sleep; slightly beneficial for him

I concur. Events definitely increase. But everyone's different. Timing before retiring is important. If I have a drink before dinner I can expect to see my pressure chart look like a roller-coaster.

My sleep doc at my last appointment was going through my charts and said, "What happened here?" I explained I had two blueberry mojitos before dinner with a friend who was having troubles. He said the increase of events was due to alcohol.

After a few drinks I sleep a lot better.

ozze_dollar wrote:After a few drinks I sleep a lot better.

No you THINK you sleep a lot better. Your nervous system knows better however, it feels depressed.

I have been on CPAP since August 2012. After bumping my pressure twice, I have gotten my AHI down to an average of 4.2.

On New Year's Eve, we went dining and dancing, had a midnight toast of champagne (2 glasses), and didn't get home till 3:00AM. My AHI for that night was 12.9. The next night was 3.7.

It may have been the alcohol, it may have been the unusual sleep sechedule, or it may have been something else. I don't know...

If you're drunk enough to do this, you'll probably have problems that night.



Other than that, I think each individual will have to find out for themselves how alcohol affects their apnea treatment.

archangle wrote:If you're drunk enough to do this, you'll probably have problems that night.



Other than that, I think each individual will have to find out for themselves how alcohol affects their apnea treatment.

You know, it doesn't matter how many times I see this picture, I still laugh like it is the first time... A Classic!!

I recall some posts from a few years back in which the writers found that a drink or two actually lowered the AHI; while others have observed quite the opposite.

I enjoy a glass or two of wine on a somewhat routine-ish, but not daily basis. (Always before dinner). Perhaps because I don't indulge later in the evening, but I haven't observed an effect on my AHI. (Average is below 0.4 for several years.)

Pre xpap therapy, I'm certain that any adult beverage I consumed made my (undiagnosed) OSA much worse. And, it didn't take much for me to feel really icky the next day (I thought it was a hangover, but it was really the after-effect of a night of hypoxic events made much worse by the alcohol-relaxed airway obstruction.


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I think people tend to forget that alcohol is pure carbohydrate (along with whatever mixers might be involved), just as taking a shot of straight sugar would be for a diabetic, and that it has calories, just as food (cake?) does, so adding that to your 'diet' close to bedtime needs to be taken into account, especially for those who have weight problems at all... I personally find that gaining or losing even 5 lbs can make a difference to how well I sleep and how well the mask fits (another thing you might not care as much about after a couple of drinks).

archangle wrote:If you're drunk enough to do this, you'll probably have problems that night.



Other than that, I think each individual will have to find out for themselves how alcohol affects their apnea treatment.

Whats wrong with this?

Sheriff

Sheriff Buford wrote: Whats wrong with this?

You haven't seen this before to spot what is wrong?
Several things...look at the neck and the face and the hands. I think the head has been stuck on someone else's body or that poor woman has some serious skin issues but the main thing is the mask is on upside down. Forehead piece is on the chin and the main part of the mask is covering the eyes.

Julie wrote:I think people tend to forget that alcohol is pure carbohydrate (along with whatever mixers might be involved), just as taking a shot of straight sugar would be for a diabetic, and that it has calories, just as food (cake?) does, so adding that to your 'diet' close to bedtime needs to be taken into account, especially for those who have weight problems at all... I personally find that gaining or losing even 5 lbs can make a difference to how well I sleep and how well the mask fits (another thing you might not care as much about after a couple of drinks).

I just want to clarify that having alcohol (unless it's with a sugary mixer) does not affect the body in the same way a shot of sugar would. In fact liquor and dry wine tend to cause a drop in blood sugar. You are absolutely right though that they do contain calories and can contribute to weight gain not to mention drinking makes you eat more too.
To address the original question, my understanding is that alcohol can worsen untreated OSA. Since I've been on CPAP, however, I have had a few drinks on occasion and have noticed no effect on my AHI ( which has never been over 2).