Dear Dr Rosenberg,
My husband snores and stops breathing in his sleep. He refuses to do anything about it. He has suffered from nightmares for as long as we have been married. Could there be a relationship to his snoring and not breathing while asleep?

In a recent study, patients with Sleep apnea had more emotionally negative dreams than patients without it. Possibly, because sleep fragmentation with increasing Sleep Apnea, results in fewer and shorter dreams. This state produces emotions which are more negative. Another theory is that it may be due to low oxygen.

Dear Dr Rosenberg,
I am a student at a local community college. Is it true that sleep can enhance my ability to do well on exams? That is what one of my professors suggested.

Yes, actually a good night sleep can improve memory consolidation. In fact, in a recent study when subjects were told that they were going to be tested the following day on what they had learned. They did much better than those exposed to the same information, but not told they would be tested. The conclusion of the study was that
after a good night’s sleep, people remember information better when they know it will be useful in the future. The findings suggest that the brain evaluates memories during sleep.

Dear Dr Rosenberg,
I am having trouble tolerating my CPAP.I feel like I cannot breathe out against the pressure. A friend told me she had the same problem and was changed to a machine with C-Flex. Can you explain what this does?

C-Flex lowers the pressure level at the beginning of exhalation, returning to set pressure before exhalation ends. The flexible amount of pressure relief is thought to increase comfort and result in better therapeutic adherence. Several studies have demonstrated improved patient compliance when it is incorporated into the machine.

Dear Dr Rosenberg,

I have been having recurring nightmares for years. I am being chased by animals or being attacked by monsters. I have heard there are non medication techniques to help me. Are you familiar with them?

Yes I am and the best one is called Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. It is a technique whereby you rehearse the nightmare several hours
before bed each night. However, you change the scenario to one with a more pleasant story. This technique has been found to be very effective in recurrent nightmare disorders. Good luck and may you achieve sweet dreams!

Dr. Robert Rosenberg, Board Certified Sleep Medicine Specialist, will answer readers’ questions by incorporating them in furture columns.  Contact him at askthesleepdoc@yahoo.com or via mail at the Sleep Disorders Center of Sedona, 210 S. Sunset drive, suite A-1, sedona, AZ 86336.