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How Treating My Sleep Apnea Helped My RBD

by Lucille
(Canada)

I think I developed RBD in my late 30's early 40's. Until then I barely moved while I slept - I could tell because the sheets were always still neat in the morning.


Later in life I started waking up with the sheets all tangled and I felt exhausted like I'd be working all night. Sometimes I would remember the very active or violent dreams I'd had. It wasn't until I met my second husband and we started sleeping together that I realized what was happening. He'd often wake up with me thrashing about and sometimes attacking him. In most cases, I would remember my dream and if I was hitting him, I was hitting a monster or some person who was attacking me. I once kicked him so hard in the leg that I sprained my big toe.

Some years before I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea (a condition where you stop breathing as you sleep) but had stopped using my CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure machine). After some consultations I decided to start using my CPAP again and much to my husband's delight my night activity virtually stopped. I still have the vivid and very active dreams but very rarely hit him anymore and when I do it's because my arm flopped down (I often sleep on my back with my arms over my head). He still wakes up occasionally to see me doing stuff with my arms and talking in my sleep but it's rare and not violent.

Kevin: Hey Lucille, Thanks for sharing that! Because of how many disruptions sleep apnea can cause during sleep, it can often contribute to triggering other sleep disorders, such as RBD in your case. Eliminate the consistent sleep interruptions, eliminate the RBD episodes. Nice work!

Cheers,
Kevin

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Sep 15, 2011
 stress in marriage
by: Lois Schleiger

My husband has had RLS since he was a child. The past 10 years or longer (didn't know) has sleep apena and on a CPAP machine. When we travel he refuses to take it with him.So noisy I can't sleep at night. Also he wouldn't believe me about his RLS, which is so violent that his whole body jerks also, arm, shoulders etc. He likes to lay his hand on my leg or waist when we sleep, or just touch me in some way. I try to tolerate this until he falls asleep, which is usually just minutes, because usually his hand just falls away as he dozes off. But occasionally I have to move his hand because of the violent jerking as he falls asleep and it doesn't move, and then he thinks I'm rejecting him. A recent sleep study with VIDEO has opened his eyes. The CPAP mask he has used all these years covered only his nose, and when he sleeps with his mouth open his oxygen level dropped 10 points below the lowest exceptable range ( don't remember exact #). Now has full face mask. He's hopeing this will improve his lack of energy, memory, and sleep quality. Married 50 yrs.

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