10/17/2026
Possible symptoms of neuromuscular breathing weakness with hypoventilation (under ventilation) during sleep can include non-restful sleep, frequent awakenings, morning headaches, and anxiety and/or difficulty breathing while lying flat, just to name a few. These symptoms may be subtle and not experienced every day. Some individuals may not experience all of these symptoms, and these are often mistaken to have causes other than breathing muscle weakness.
This is why it is common to go months or even years with undiagnosed and untreated breathing muscle weakness. If you have any form of Neuromuscular Disease (NMD), see a neuromuscular breathing specialist for evaluation and any recommended testing, attend check-ups, and use any appropriate interventions (i.e. mechanical cough assistance and bi-level mechanical ventilation, NOT supplemental Oxygen via nasal cannula, and NOT CPAP).
To learn more about this aspect of your care, we invite those living with a known or suspected NMD to enroll in our self-paced online course that will be closing on December 31, 2026. Loved ones are also welcome to take the course. Learn more and enroll here: https://forms.gle/LAYNMFYTBJAwpSEZ6
