Rib pain and daily headaches, suspect shallow breathing.

[anjmur]

I am a side sleeper and wake from pain in  side of rib cage every night usually after about 4 to 6 hrs sleep. Rscently i experimentes with breathing through my diapraghm which gives some relief. This amkes me think i shallow breath a lot. I also suffer from anxiety. How can i monitor my breathing ond oxygen levels. My doc is worried about my heart as she says it is racing but blood pressure is always good. Mystified really but tired of headaches, pain and fatigue.

[ajack]

the elite can use the sleepyhead program at the top of the page. get a chart up to see if the cpap is working, it will also show how much air each breath, for any shallow breathing.

there would be a lot of reasons for sore ribs

Being anxious can race your heart, if you are concerned see a cardio, it may give you peace of mind. you sound like you are wound up like a clock

you can buy an overnight recording o2 meter off ebay for $50 cms50f with cable and software. If you are very anxious, this may reassure you and $50 well spent

[justMongo]

Download the Sleepyhead software. Install it on your computer; and read your S9 Elite's SD card.
Look at your Tidal Volume. On average it's about 500 ml per breath. Some smaller individuals may have a TV of 400 ml.
That will give you an historical perspective of how deeply you breathe.

Blood oxygen levels are measured with a fingertip oximeter.

Racing heart? How fast? Over 100 beats per minute at rest?
There are medications that can be used to slow a the heart rate. Beta blockers are one class.
If your doctor was concerned, I'm sure the doc would put you on an appropriate medication.

Permit me to be honest, I think you may be overly concerned due to your anxiety.

[trish6hundred]

Hi anjmur,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck to you with CPAP therapy, hang in there for more responses to your post.

[anjmur]

Thanks ajack I shall try out Sleepyhead to see if I can learn more. I listed anxiety as i feel i maybe shallow breathing more than i realise due to stress in my life leading to hypoventilation

[anjmur]

The doc is concerned about my heart for sure. Only diagnosed this week. I thought it may be relevant to diaclose the heart info. I am posting on here though as i am in pain every morning like my rib cage all the way around is inflamed. It wakes me at between 4am and 6 am and with the help of antinflammatory meds it clears. Only recently i tried deep breathing and the pain lessens. My doc isnt interested in doing more than giving me a drug. If it is shallow breathing how do i change it?

[ajack]

Has it just started since you got the cpap? It could be the muscles getting use to breathing with a cpap? I had a sore chest and diaphragm for a week or two, but it wasn't limited to one side. Your experience may be different and unrelated to cpap.

apnea messes with you mental health, you are going to feel a lot better in 6 months, as your brain repairs.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25142557
doc worried about your heart as a future event, if you didn't start cpap? Or you have a current condition that is being investigated. high BP is common with apnea.

[C0mbe]

Deep-breathing exercises during the day can help train you to breathe that way naturally and are very common in cognitive behavioral therapy. I would focus on taking deep breaths into the stomach, holding for a brief pause and slowly exhaling. The more comfortable you are with this during the day, the more likely you are to breathe deeply during sleep.

[anjmur]

Been using Cpap for about ten years. But recently upgraded to new mask that coincides with increase in pain on waking. Hadnt thought of that before.

[ajack]

10 years is a lot longer than me, I should be asking you