I was diagnosed with sleep apnea years ago, but I couldn't tolerate wearing a mask and my wife couldn't sleep in the same room with either the device running or me snoring. So, I left it basically untreated for a number of years. The drug store night guards gave me some relief, but not a real solution. During this time, I became diabetic and developed heart issues. About 6 years ago the problem grew worse. I was having bad dreams on a nightly basis to the point that it would take an hour or so before I could get back to sleep. It got to the point that I had to go back to the sleep center for another study. They found while the sleep apnea was moderate, when I stop breathing my blood pressure shot up causing an adrenaline surge. This process caused the terrible nightmares and a pounding heart that jolted me awake. The solution was a customized mouthguard or oral appliance that helps open the upper airway and greatly improves breathing. The result is that I now get about 5 hours of sleep until the need to visit the bathroom wakes me up. I now have vivid dreams like I did as a kid. Hardly ever have a bad dream that wakes me up. From what I've read here, it sounds like some may experiencing what I used to go through.
