Effects of snoring and apnea on breathing

Before I got a CPAP, I had undiagnosed severe sleep apnea.

I definitely had the sensations you described. They went away once I started using the device.

Thanks for the reply. I'm just trying to figure things out. I've been feeling short of breath during the day but when I check my O2 levels everything is fine. I just have weird sensations in my chest and a feeling like I'm short of breath.

There is a high correlation between sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation. I am one such case. If your heart races during the night to try to keep you oxygenated while you can't breathe, it eventually develops a disordered state called atrial fibrillation. The sensation starts as a fullness in the chest, followed by thumping and bumping in the chest wall and a rapid, irregular, pulse. If you have a smart watch such as Galaxy or Apple, you can set it to detect your heart's rhythm constantly and to alert you if you have AF at the time. It uses up the battery charge in a few hours instead of a whole day, but for the two or three days it takes to get an indication, it is worth it. You can download the record from your watch and send it as an email attachment to your doctor.

There is a device, not very expensive, called a Kardia. You need to place a finger of each hand on its metal pads, but it does a good job of detecting heart arrhythmias as well.

If it turns out that you do have AF, don't panic. It won't kill you. It will make your life less worth living if you are constantly barraged by the sensations, especially if they interfere with sleep. Some sufferers find that it is during bed-time that their AF commences for the day. However, AF tends to be progressive, and you want it treated and managed before it progresses to more intractable forms such as persistent or permanent.

@gloaming
Besides one of the watches you noted above do you have any recommendations for a monitor for AF and O2 sat levels?

Thanks.

I actually don't, sorry. The Kardia Mobile AF detector is NOT a monitor per se...it just detects which state your heart's rhythm is in at the time you activate the device by placing your fingers on it. It doesn't monitor you full time as it is not a 'wearable' like the Garmin, Galaxy, Apple, etc.

What I do looking for novel assessments for materials and devices is to google 'Reviews, X', with X being whatever I am researching. Looking at two sites at least with reviews, you are likely to find something solid. TechRadar, CNET, NYT, even Consumer Reports, and other such sites often have credible assessments for 'Best Smart Watches in 2024' type searches.

Note that all modern wearables upwards of a couple-hundred dollars should have sleep quality monitoring and feedback, SPO2 assessment (on demand or while you sleep), heart rate, and arrythmia pattern detection. In my Galaxy's case, it also has blood pressure assessment on demand (not monitoring or done five or six times during the day). In the case of blood pressure, my Galaxy must be re-calibrated (for some reason) every 28 days, and I get a reminder on my phone app. This is done wearing a proper cuff and you take three measurements on the cuff in succession while the watch does so at the same time. You enter the cuff's verdict each time, systolic and diastolic, and then you're good for another month-minus.