There are many different sleep disorders: Snoring – this can be very disturbing for your partner or others in the house if it is very loud. Night terrors – feelings of great fear experienced on suddenly waking in the night. Sleep walking/talking – walk around and sometimes perform other actions while asleep. Narcolepsy – an extreme tendency to […]
Asthma can increase the risk of developing Obstructed Sleep Apnoea (OSA) and other sleep related breathing disorders. Obstructed Sleep Apnoea (OSA) being the most commonly known. Obstructed Sleep Apnoea happens when the upper airways are floppy and collapse. This results is loud snoring and can obstruct air flow causing short periods when breathing stops for […]
Using a Peak Flow meter and keeping a diary will show any early changes in your airways, allowing action to be taken. Using your appropriate treatments effectively: Steroid inhalers to reduced inflammation in airways. Reliever inhalers to prevent airway spasm. Try a bedtime routine: Avoid distractions like television, mobile or tablet use in your bedroom. […]
Minimise any flare ups by knowing what your triggers are and avoiding those triggers. The most common trigger for nocturnal asthma is the dust mite. No matter how hard you try you will not be able to make your bed or room completely dust mite free but you can try to reduce level of exposure […]
Increased exposure to allergen. Delayed response to a trigger: When the initial acute reaction takes place within 1 hour. Then a second response can occur between 3 to 8 hours after exposure to the allergen. Cooling of the airways such as : The breathing of cooler air for example air conditioning in the room. Extreme changes […]
When we sleep our breathing changes and the airways airway narrow: Mucus build up in swollen airways. You may cough which triggers more airway narrowing. Wakening you from sleep. Sinus problems can make sleep worse. During the night you may experience increased sinus drainage. This is when mucous drains from your sinus cavities into your throat. […]
There are 3 stages of sleep: Light sleep. Sleep where heart rate and breathing become regular and your temperature lowers. Deep sleep, where breathing slows and muscles relax. Airway resistance increases a night, whether awake or asleep. This increase is greater though during sleep. So airway function decreases as you progress through the 3 stages […]
Disturbed sleep can be common in asthma: 50% of adults with asthma report excess daytime sleepiness. It is often associated with more severe disease. Sleep and night time control can be useful in the evaluating how well controlled your asthma is.
Asthma symptoms you might notice at night include: Cough. Wheeze. Shortness of breath. Difficulty getting to sleep. Poor quality , un-refreshing , fragmented sleep. Wakening earlier. All of these cause you to have a bad night and can be very frightening, and results in an increase in day time sleepiness. This can be called ‘nocturnal asthma’.
