Hi, Thanks for being there for me
My husband has been having sleep apnea for many years now and it varies in degrees. Sometimes he has two apneatic nightmares a night sometimes one and at times none. He remembers the nightmares very superficially the next morning and describes them as demons approaching or a frightful face zipping past. I did not get much information on this subject on the internet, other than the fact that patients with sleep apnea wake up in terror  not because of nightmares but because of oxygen deprivation. He has been through a sleep study and the RDI was 16.2. There was 1 myoclonic event during REM and 31 myoclonic events with arousals during Non REM. Could someone enlighten me on these apneatic nightmares?

Thanks
Judy

Hi Judy,

Physically, each apneic event is exactly the same as being suffocated.  Oxygen levels usually drop starving the brain for O2 and carbon dioxide levels increase.  These two events cause the chest muscles to work in a futile attempt to breath.  Other physiological events occur including an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.  The panic response to a life threatening condition.  There is no doubt in my mind that that causes nightmares.  If I fall asleep without my CPAP, I dream that I can not breath, which is based on reality.  Usually this permutated to someone trying to kill me.  These dreams are extremely unpleasant and motivating for me to be sure to use my CPAP.

When is your husband going to be receiving therapy?

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.