Snoring and epilepsy

March 5, 2006 12:50 PM

Snoring treatments for people with epilepsy.

I love my partner to bits, but his snoring is driving me crazy, and seriously impacting my ability to get a good night's sleep. (He has the wonderful ability to fall asleep at a moment's notice, in almost any situation - while I'm a spoiled sleeper who needs absolute silence and everything just right.) The trouble is, he has MS and a form of epilepsy that prevents him from taking over-the-counter snoring treatments - they all contain a chemical that, he knows from past experience, interacts with his epilepsy in bad ways.

So what to do? Earplugs don't offer too much help (my hearing is far more sensitive than I'd like, and the slightest noise - even heard through earplugs - can keep me from falling asleep), and I can't think of any alternative but sleeping in a separate room, which would be unpleasant and heartbreaking for both of us... but I'm tired of being so tired, having to stay awake until I'm about to pass out before I can fall asleep, then waking up several hours too soon, all because of his snoring. Thanks for any help...

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (12 comments total)

I am not a doctor, but snoring and falling asleep at a moment's notice, in almost situation - like driving - prompted me to get testing for sleep apnea. Turns out I had it, and I use a CPAP unit to treat it. Has your partner been tested for sleep disorders? I don't beleive CPAP therapy would interfere with epilepsy meds, but IANAD.
posted by Fat Guy at 1:05 PM on March 5, 2006

Sorry, but I have to say sleep in a separate room. Go to bed together and cuddle for a while, then go sleep alone, come back in the morning for more cuddling. Seriously. Short of sleeping pills, if you are really that light a sleeper (as I am), there is probably no solution which will really help you get a proper night's sleep (I have tried, believe me), and lack of sleep because of your partner's snoring will probably take a much greater toll on your relationship than sleeping apart will. Sleeping separately really doesn't have to be a big deal, and you will enjoy your awake time together so much more if you're well-rested rather than having spent the previous night lying there listening to him snore and wondering if there's a way to put a pillow over his face without going to jail for it.
posted by biscotti at 1:10 PM on March 5, 2006

Oh, and listen to Fat Guy about at least getting him checked for sleep apnea.
posted by biscotti at 1:10 PM on March 5, 2006

Definitely get checked for sleep apnea. IANAD, but a CPAP, which is just a fancy external air pump, would have zero interaction with any drugs or treatments for epilepsy.

I love my CPAP. It is Heaven's Crack Pipe.
posted by frogan at 2:03 PM on March 5, 2006

If the solution just comes down to reducing the noise for you and it's not a health issue, you could consider 31db earplugs with wax earplugs over them. You're getting pretty close to deaf with that setup.
posted by abcde at 2:16 PM on March 5, 2006

frogan writes....
I love my CPAP. It is Heaven's Crack Pipe.

Hear hear!
posted by tkolar at 2:29 PM on March 5, 2006

Have him go see an ENT (aka ontolaryngologist). It's possible he has a deviated septum or other oromaxillofacial issue.

Furthermore, have him sleep on his side. Sleeping on your back increases snoring and increases sleep apnea. How could you enforce this? Hmmm...hypnosis? Spooning?

Maybe those footballer nasal strips that look like treatment for a broken nose, that open the nasal passages more.

CPAP and BiPap are for sleep apnea and require a prescription from a doctor, usually based on a sleep study.

Curious--I have never heard of drugs for the treatment of snoring. What are they?
posted by gilgul at 4:56 PM on March 5, 2006

Both 'Breathe Right' strips (the generic versions aren't good) and Benadryl are surprisingly effective in my experience. I don't know if the Benadryl is out for you...
posted by crabintheocean at 7:44 PM on March 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

As an epileptic, I'd be curious to know what the bad interaction chemical is.
posted by samh23 at 10:04 PM on March 5, 2006

It's probably a vasoconstrictive decongestant like pseudoephedrine.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:07 PM on March 5, 2006

ikkyu2--with respect, while pseudephedrine porbably would dry up mucous membranes enough to prevent snoring, wouldn't the side effects (e.g. insomnia) prevent its use in this instance?

Benadryl and other first-gen antihistamines potentiate (make stronger) CNS depressants like those used in epilepsy. Loratadine and Allegra are second gen antihistamines used for allergic rhinitis, however they don't have decongestant activity, and they don't interact with CNS depressants, although Zyrtec does. Benadryl has long been used as a sleep aid.

I've remembered a snoring trick I learned in medical school--tape a tennis ball securely to the back of his t-shirt. Then he can't sleep on his back.

Let us know if it works.
posted by gilgul at 7:46 AM on March 6, 2006

ikkyu2--with respect, while pseudephedrine porbably would dry up mucous membranes enough to prevent snoring, wouldn't the side effects (e.g. insomnia) prevent its use in this instance?

Are you kidding? Insomnia is prevents snoring better than vasoconstriction does.

OK, so maybe I'm kidding.

The right answer, of course, is to see a sleep specialist. Given that the person in question has MS and epilepsy, a neurologist sleep specialist would probably be a better first bet than either a pulmonologist or an ENT sleep specialist.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:42 PM on March 25, 2006