Milk and sleep apnea

April 25, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I don’t have a question but I would like to share this “cure” with you.

My husband had been officially diagnosed as having sleep apnea at a sleep test center, so imagine our surprise when he stopped having sleep apnea soon after he quit drinking his nightly glass of milk. In fact, I thought I’d gone deaf because for the first time in years, I was able to sleep through the night without interruption. We know this is the direct cause since he will still have an episode of sleep apnea on the rare occasion that he indulges in milk or iced cream before bedtime.

DEAR READER: Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that occurs when sleeping and causes the sufferer to stop breathing for extended periods, causes snoring, waking up gasping for breath and more. Severe cases can be potentially fatal without adequate treatment.
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Is CPAP to blame for hypertension?

October 17, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Over the years, I’ve been amazed at what I’ve learned from your column. I’m hoping you can teach me something now.

My husband was diagnosed with sleep apnea and has been using a CPAP machine for nearly four years. A year and a half ago a physical showed his blood pressure to be 173-90 and he was prescribed amlodipine. At this time he also had a follow-up sleep study and as a result the pressure setting was reduced.

Over a month ago he suddenly stopped taking the amlodipine. He forgot to take it one evening and was amazed at how much more focus and energy he had the next day. [Read more...]

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Partial sleep apnea?

October 19, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: A person I work with says he has partial sleep apnea. He has never fainted in front of anyone; he just says he needs to sit down and sleep for 15 minutes to an hour. Can this be true? Other people have to pick up his slack.

DEAR READER: I have never heard of partial sleep apnea, but that does not mean that it isn’t a legitimate diagnosis. However, I have some doubts about your co-worker’s story.
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