Recently Answered Questions
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I use a CPAP machine but have difficulty in breathing. Why?
Query: Hello doctor, I have fibromyalgia and have been using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for my severe sleep apnea for a month and seeing a respiratory therapist once a week. Yesterday she increased my CPAP pressure to 9.5 from 8.6. I struggled to sleep last night, but I think just... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. The increased pressure of the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine may have caused the soreness in the lungs. If pneumonia is suspected there will be fever, cough, sputum, and rapid breathing. And also mention how severe is your fibromyalgia pain. The m... Read Full »
Will untreated sleep apnea affect my cognitive abilities?
Query: Hello doctor,I am a 24-year-old male with mild to moderate untreated sleep apnea for two years. Will my cognitive abilities (ability to think, learn and concentrate) return to baseline after the initiation of CPAP therapy, or will there always be some permanent deficit? I took the Covid vaccine thre... Read Full »
Dr. Saraswat Kumarshri Shriniwas
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I do not see any reason for your cognitive abilities not to return to baseline after treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The first thing to do would be to confirm obstructive sleep apnea and get proper AHI (apnea-hypopnea index) from a polysomnography study. I wou... Read Full »
What can do to help my neck relax while I sleep?
Query: Hello doctor, I suffer from positional sleep apnea. My neck collapses (falls to the side) during REM sleep and narrows my airway. It is causing me to have a lot of anxiety and weakness during the day. In addition, I have shortness of breath when doing anything strenuous. I believe the high CO2 level... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. While CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine is often the first-line treatment for OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), it may not be effective in all cases, especially if the collapse of the airway is due to anatomical factors such ... Read Full »
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 30-year-old male, six feet six inches and around 266 lbs. I think I have had something wrong with my health for a few years. I have been suffering for three years now. Especially with the extreme fatigue in the daytime, and reports of loud, very heavy snoring is present. I get b... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I read your query and understand your concern. Feeling sad about your past experiences with doctors but do not generalize this. Most likely, the cause of your symptoms is your weight. Being overweight or obese is a cause of obstructive sleep apnea, which causes snori... Read Full »
A male with muscle spasms is tired and sleepy throughout the day. What could this be?
Query: Hello doctor, This is regarding a male aged 48 with high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, and overweight. He has muscle spasms or shakes, drops things because of this, and cannot stay awake during the day. It affects his driving and family life. He can nap for a few hours and when he gets up ... Read Full »
Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed Abdelrahman Abouibrahim
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. It is clear that he has obstructive sleep apnea which causes interrupted sleep during the night due to obstruction of the nasopharyngeal air flow. As a consequence, he becomes sleepy in the daytime. Confirmation of the diagnosis requires: Polysomnography. Over the... Read Full »
MRI shows stroke and brain changes. Is it due to untreated sleep apnea?
Query: Hello doctor, The patient underwent extensive routine physical examination including MR/CT (computed tomography) imaging and laboratory analysis earlier this month. The magnetic resonance (MR) Brain shows evidence of lacunar stroke and ischemic brain changes. Please advise if these might be connecte... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I carefully went through your question and the patient's medical history. I reviewed her medical report and the uploaded brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study (attachment removed to protect patient identity) and would explain that those changes are indicative o... Read Full »
What is the reason for chest pain after using CPAP?
Query: Hi doctor, I have obstructive sleep apnea and using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for a year. I feel chest pain in the mornings. The same kind of pain is felt whenever I sleep without the mask. My blood pressure (BP), sugar and echocardiogram (ECGs) were tested before six months back an... Read Full »
Dr. Amol Kumar Wasudeorao Diwan
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that is obstructive sleep apnea happens when something partly or completely blocks your upper airway during sleep. The common symptoms of the disease are snoring and intermittent pauses in your breathing during sleep, daytime sleepiness, ... Read Full »
How does a CPAP machine work to treat sleep apnea?
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 41-year-old male. My height 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and weight is about 253 lbs. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about five years back. During the sleep test, the AHI (apnea-hypopnoea index) recorded was around 35. Now I use the ResMed Escape Auto CPAP (continuous positive ai... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. So, for sleep apnea, I will not tell you theoretical points. Instead, I will help you with practical solutions only. We have the following options: 1. If you are overweight, just reduce it. Reduce 20% of your weight, and you would probably even not require a CPAP... Read Full »
My heart rate increases with exertion. Should I be worried?
Query: Hi doctor, I have a severe doctor phobia. I am unable to go in for care, but I need to understand something happening better and if it is normal for my health. I had an episode of something a couple of months ago. I got extremely sick, started vomiting and sweating horribly, has chills and massively... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. First of all, there is no need to worry and relieve your anxiety. In all probabilities, you are having obstructive sleep apnea as all your data fits into it. Do you have any symptoms like snoring, interrupted sleep, unrefreshing sleep, morning headaches, daytime sleepin... Read Full »
Why do I have excessive daytime sleepiness? How to treat it?
Query: Hi doctor, I am a 16-year-old female. My weight is 85 kilograms, and I have a height of 5 feet 3 inch. I have excessive daytime sleepiness for the past three years. It got started in me before three years, and my parents took me to the local GP immediately. They did blood tests and told that I have... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. You have obstructive sleep apnea. Please say about other symptoms whether you had snoring, interrupted sleep, unrefreshed sleep, and morning headaches. If you had these symptoms, it supports the diagnosis. It is a condition characterized by obstruction of upper airway esp... Read Full »