Asthma and sleep deprivation

Are you an asthmatic who feels sleepy all the time? Do you Run out of energy after brief exertion? How about your asthmatic child?



Severe breathing problems wake many asthmatics from deep sleep, but what if lower levels of asthma, or of swollen nasal passages due to allergies or infections, were also interfering with one's ability to get a good night's rest?

I would suggest that lower-level breathing problems can interfere with sleep even though the asthmatic may not be aware of that happening. Although you may become fully awake, my experience indicates that labored breathing may be taking a toll on your physical health.

You may not have had a major asthma attack, but what about your energy level? Do you wake feeling refreshed after eight hours or so of sleep, or do you just long to crawl right back into bed? Sleeplessness or tiredness can have many causes, and I am not a physician or medical expert, but I know from experience that asthma can deplete your physical resources without your awareness.

My experiences with sleep deprivation

For decades I never woke feeling refreshed. Physical activities would keep me from falling asleep, but as soon as I sat down, in a lobby for example, I would nod off. Many times I could not read a book for any length of time because the inactivity would put me right to sleep after just a few minutes. On camping expeditions, everyone else would be up and about, while I would be just groaning for another hour in the sleeping bag or tent.

It was, perhaps, about seven or eight years ago that I discovered my chest pains were asthma related. I was hurting bad enough that my late wife, Jeannie, took me to the hospital, and they would not let me go until the next day. All night long running tests, then monitoring by the heart specialist. Sure, he put me on statin drugs etc. But the cause of my discomfort was not heart trouble, it was asthma.

I was diagnosed by my allergist, who taught me how to use nasal rinses, medications and so on to control my allergies/asthma/rhinitis, but I did not learn the seriousness of this sleep deprivation  until I hit the wall after a bout of flue in 2013. I did not recover, and I could exercise at the most a few minutes before fatigue would send me back to bed.

I went to a sleep center to be checked out, but only after a course of Prednisone  combined with antibiotics. These knocked out the breathing problems, so my report from the sleep center was fine -- no sleep apnea whatsoever, and my strength started to come back, but then the allergies and asthma kicked in again and the fatigue came back. I had been sleeping only three, four hours at a time, and not all that well. No wonder I was so tired all the time!

I now pay close attention to my sleep and energy levels, and I use the nasal rinse even if I think I don't need it today. I find that brushing teeth religiously is important to keep the bacteria or viruses, whatever those little buggies are, to a minimum. And of course, controlling my asthma with my controller meds is vital.

Fine, but that is anecdotal, some will be thinking. Perhaps, so, but I believe my theory is backed up by other, more official reports, such as the following:

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/asthma-and-sleep

About your asthmatic child's fatigue

As a child, when my energy levels should have been at their highest, I never wanted to get up in the morning. Perhaps there were additional causes for my fatigue, but I was having many asthma problems at the time as well.

If your asthmatic child complains of fatigue, I would suggest that you might want to consider taking it seriously and following up on the asthma/allergies/sleep connection. When the causes of fatigue are controlled, your child might be more energetic and alert, might even to better in school, in sports, and might enjoy participating more in other social activities as well. It is well worth checking into, in my layman's opinion.