I've been reading your forum for almost the six plus years Ive been dealing with HIV. Its been very helpful. About sixteen months ago I started experiencing intense night sweats. (my cd4 count is abut 700 with a VL below 50) my physican couldnt find a reason for these puddles...I seemed stable....we tested everything. As the night sweats progressed I noticed I was very tired....I would get out of bed at 830, only to find by 10 I was needing a nap, eventually I consulted a sleep physican. I had a sleep study done (spending a night wired to machines) after about two hours the technican woke me up telling me I had sleep apneia and had stopped breathing over 45 times in the first hour! The result of this test was that I now am being treated for sleep apneia....Treatment being sleeping with a CPAP machine. Guess what? Not only am I NOT tired at 10am, but since the first night of my CPAP the night sweats have stopped! On the rare night I fall asleep without my breathing machine I wake up at 2am in a puddle of sweat.

Perhaps this may alleviate some anxiety among your sweaty patients......Perhaps it has nothing to do with HIV....???? Maybe a CPAP machine is in order.

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to write in and share your story. Sleep apnea is indeed a condition that often goes undiagnosed for a considerable period of time. I always list one of the common causes of fatigue to be investigated as "inadequate sleep." As it turns out, some folks like you probably had no idea you were not getting adequate sleep. Physicians and fatigued patients should keep in mind the possibility that sleep apnea could be an underlying cause of exhaustion. Thanks for the reminder.

Pleasant dreams!

Dr. Bob