Thread: Sleep apnea

Well, it turns out that I have severe sleep apnea and on the night of my sleep study I was waking up 55+ times an hour...which explains a lot of how I feel lately.

Now I get to sleep with an air tight mask over my face that forces air down my throat.

Can I still have lucid dreams when there is a mask on my face forcing me to breathe?

I have sleep apnea and my girlfriend has developed a few tricks to getting a good times sleep beside me. First of all most people only snore when on their backs. So when I'm drifting off she will ask me (I never remember in the mornings) "Will you roll over?" And I usually do. If not, she gives me a 'helping hand' and rolls me on my side or sometimes stomach. In these two positions, I rarely snore. The only problem is I find it incredibly difficult to fall asleep initially on my side. So she must wait until I'm drifting off to do it. There are things that make it worse and should be avoided. For example, avoid drinking alcohol before bed as it seriously increases the volume of your snoring.

Sleeping position is a huge contributor to sleep apnea. Have you tried sleeping on your side, or using different pillows? Sometimes changing the elevation and angle of your head is all it takes. It is common to see this in people who have recently been injured (like a back or shoulder injury) or gained weight. You reflexively change your sleeping position to adapt to your new physical limitations. When this happens, you can try treating the root cause of the problem.

You definitely can still lucid dream if you have sleep apnea. Try training yourself to use the breathing mask as a dream sign. Every time you notice it or focus on it, remind yourself that you are in bed sleeping and dreaming.