Hello there,

For the past two years I have had pretty poor quality sleep and thought I would come to this board for some feedback. Please note, I am not looking for a diagnoses and doing that online would be irresponsible. I am only looking for some possibilities on what I may be suffering from, if anything.

I should note this all started about two years ago, about the same time I got my bracers on. I am not saying my problems are caused by them; it was just around the same time.

I will list the symptoms I have had below:

Non-restorative sleep
Night sweats (occasionally)
Sleep paralysis (rarely, that I can remember)
Vivid dreaming every night
Stiff joints and generally sore in the morning
Cramps (serve during the night time only, in the claves only)
Mouth breathing at night (comfortably nose breathing during the day)
Anxiety
Depression
Irritability
Daytime sleepiness (never fall asleep randomly, deny myself fatigue)

I have also been using a sleep application on my phone for the last few weeks (the legitimacy of these I don’t know) and it shows I am getting between 33% and 57% deep sleep, with an average of 42%. I don’t know what the average amount of deep sleep for a good night’s sleep is but these graphs do peak 3 or so times a night indicating I do wake up and I can correlate with them.

I have also suffered from this anxiety and depression concurrently over the last two years and it feels like the chicken and the egg. What came first, poor quality sleep or anxiety and depression? More and more I feel like it is my sleep affecting my ability to operate and my mental health.
Any opinions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I do have an appointment with a sleep specialist coming up in the next few months but I wondering if I am pursuing the right path.

Thanks again!

How does a cell phone app record your sleep intervals? Try to get a sleep study at a clinic. I have some of the same issues (sleep speaking) after I had a concussion. I am sure depression anxiety play rolls but I dont lie awake thinking of stuff I just wake up and as the morning goes along I feel as if not more tired then when I went to bed the night before

Tiger, I was originally diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, commonly OSA, in May 2010. Obstruction is the most common reason for sleep apnea although the obstruction itself may differ from person to person. Mine is a little extra flap of skin in my throat that "falls down", "relaxes", whatever you want to call it, it blocks my throat and stops my breathing. The solution is a sleep study that verifies your apnea and the degree to which you have it. Then you get this lovely machine that comes with a hose and face mask that you wear at night that forces air into your mouth and nose to your lungs to keep you breathing. The machine is commonly referred to as a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). I know this doesn't sound like fun, and for the first few weeks, it isn't. But, about 2 months later, I wouldn't trade that mask and machine for anything in the world. My sleep apnea symptoms included: taking 30 min to an hour just to get out of bed; complete exhaustion throughout the day; and insomnia (although that is a rare side effect, most people randomly fall asleep throughout the day, apparently, I'm just backwards). I will put it this way, I was working a part time job from noon to 5 and my wife worked overnight. It took every ounce of energy to get out of bed and get my son ready for school. His mother got home just in time to take him, so I would shove him out the door as she pulled up. I then lounged on the couch for about 4 hours unable to get up. Not unwilling, but unable. My brain simply would not allow my body to move and my body was so exhausted, it didn't care. 6 months after using the CPAP machine, I was waking up immediately, full of energy, improved mental status, and ready to go. I even lost 15 pounds without doing a thing! If you think you might have sleep apnea, you really can't afford to wait a few months to meet with a sleep specialist. People die from sleep apnea. This is a far more serious condition than I realized back when I had it. Whatever happens, I wish you luck.