I have been diagnosed with a rare sleep disorder called catathrenia. It significantly affects my sleep, as I experience frequent arousals throughout the night — according to my Oura ring, I am “awake” for nearly two hours each night.
The condition causes me to hold my breath and then release a long, loud groaning sound when exhaling. Unfortunately, it is not well studied, so there is still limited understanding among sleep specialists about the best way to treat it.
I have tried using a CPAP machine, but it does not seem to help. When I have these prolonged exhales, the pressure from the air being pushed back in the opposite direction tends to wake me up anyway.
Are there any other fellow catathrenia sufferers here who have found something that helps?