weird sleep apnea problem (alcohol helps)

	Asked by Unregistered (Male; 30; high blood pressure; Relevant drugs:none ) on Fri 26, Dec 2008 01:36pm
	so, i get sleep apnea when i don't drink...this has led me to be quite a drinker. Yesterday, i drank during the day and stopped about 3 hours before bed. I was exhausted and went to sleep. I could feel my self lose my breathing pattern even before i became unconcious...I woke up gasping for air and having a heavy, maybe even irregular heartbeat. I could tell that my tongue wasn't obstructing my view due to the fact that i was able to fall asleep within a minute or 2 over and over again before being woken gasping for air. (my breathing rythym just seemed off). I did an experiment and drank 1 shot of whiskey and then went back to sleep...it seemed to help my breathing, but i didn't fall asleep yet due to my experiment...i then drank two more shots and fell asleep with normal breathing and slept throught the night. I normally consume about 15 drinks 5 times a week, but have been know to drink 30 shots in a mattter of 3 hours without being obviosly wasted...so the 3 shots that i had before bed didn't give me buzz, it just relaxed my breathing for some reason. I believe that my high blood pressure may be partly due to my sleep apnea. I read somewhere that vervain may be good for sleep apnea. Sometimes i take melatonin to sleep when i don't drink heavily...but that leads to sleep apnea in some cases also. I'm trying to figure out a way to sleep well without having to consume alcohol. I know alcohol is bad for sleep patterns, but it is alot more efficient for me than sleep apnea. Help please. thanks.
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	Answer by Dr. Malathesh K (doctor) on Fri 09, Jan 2009 02:01am: Hi, Thanks for your posting. It’s good that you know alcohol is injurious for sleep apnea patients. As you know Sleep apnea is a symptom characterized by difficulty in breathing during sleep, in deep sleep you suddenly get up for air and you feel like your chest is congested or discomfort in chest. You didn’t give any history of smoking! If it is there, better to quit that. Don’t worry. If you are an obese you need to reduce your weight, Stop drinking alcohol, tobacco or sedatives, maintain regular sleep hours, elevate the head of your bed 4 -6 inches, use nasal dilators. And consult one physician. Take care!
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