# Catathrenia - sleep disorder

**URL:** <https://community.sleepdoctor.com/t/catathrenia-sleep-disorder/642>\
**Category:** General Sleep & Insomnia\
**Created:** [March 4, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/t/catathrenia-sleep-disorder/642 "2026-03-04T20:53:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kat](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/community.sleepdoctor.com/kat/32/145_2.png) [@Kat](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/u/Kat)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/t/catathrenia-sleep-disorder/642/1 "2026-03-04T20:53:14Z")

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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?

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**Author:** ![menamton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@menamton](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/u/menamton)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/t/catathrenia-sleep-disorder/642/2 "2026-03-07T15:20:43Z")

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I do not have catathrenia myself, but I have read a few people say certain CPAP settings or even BiPAP worked better for them. Might be worth discussing different machine modes with your sleep specialist.

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**Author:** ![Moni](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/community.sleepdoctor.com/moni/32/149_2.png) [@Moni](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/u/Moni)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://community.sleepdoctor.com/t/catathrenia-sleep-disorder/642/3 "2026-07-21T12:10:53Z")

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I hope ongoing research leads to better treatment options for catathrenia. Wishing you more restful and uninterrupted sleep.