Sleep Apnea
I think it's time to talk about sleep apnea...
Did you know that doctor's estimate that over 10 million
Americans (and god(dess) knows how many in other
countries) suffer from some degree of sleep apnea?
What is sleep apnea? It is a condition where, when
asleep, the airways of the subject collapse causing
the subject to not be able to breathe. The blood oxygen
levels fall, the person will actually starve their brain
of oxygen to the point of damage. Then the body wakes
the subject up, the subject starts to suffer from long-term
sleep deprivation and heart problems can arise because of
this problem. The lack of deep REM sleep can become
life-threatening.
The symptoms of apnea are snoring, red eyes in the morning,
morning headaches and falling asleep uncontrollably in the
daytime.
As a person gets older, the problem can get worse. The
airwaves get smaller, the weight an adult can put on adds
to the problem. This will continue to get worse and worse
until the subject either dies from the effects or it is treated.
I have apnea. I started out snoring as a child and many
doctors remarked in my childhood that I seemed to have
very small bronchia (breathing tubes). When I finally got
treatment for the problem, I had gotten to the point that
I had damaged my heart and was actually getting blood
oxygen levels as low as 70 (normal is 95).
I now sleep with a simple device which is nothing but a
fancy air pump which I attach over my nose with elastic
cords around my head. This looks like a torture device
but is actually fairly comfortable once you get used to
it. The miracle is that my sinuses stay open while I sleep,
I don't get headaches in the morning anymore, I can
stay awake during the day, and I'm probably going to
be able to live a little longer.
If you or your loved one snores a lot; if they stop breathing
in the night when asleep and then wake up with a gasp; if
they are always tired; if their snoring doesn't stop when
they are on their sides, they might have sleep apnea and
you should waste no time in going to a doctor for a simple
treatment.
And then you (they) can live a bit longer.
Did you know that doctor's estimate that over 10 million
Americans (and god(dess) knows how many in other
countries) suffer from some degree of sleep apnea?
What is sleep apnea? It is a condition where, when
asleep, the airways of the subject collapse causing
the subject to not be able to breathe. The blood oxygen
levels fall, the person will actually starve their brain
of oxygen to the point of damage. Then the body wakes
the subject up, the subject starts to suffer from long-term
sleep deprivation and heart problems can arise because of
this problem. The lack of deep REM sleep can become
life-threatening.
The symptoms of apnea are snoring, red eyes in the morning,
morning headaches and falling asleep uncontrollably in the
daytime.
As a person gets older, the problem can get worse. The
airwaves get smaller, the weight an adult can put on adds
to the problem. This will continue to get worse and worse
until the subject either dies from the effects or it is treated.
I have apnea. I started out snoring as a child and many
doctors remarked in my childhood that I seemed to have
very small bronchia (breathing tubes). When I finally got
treatment for the problem, I had gotten to the point that
I had damaged my heart and was actually getting blood
oxygen levels as low as 70 (normal is 95).
I now sleep with a simple device which is nothing but a
fancy air pump which I attach over my nose with elastic
cords around my head. This looks like a torture device
but is actually fairly comfortable once you get used to
it. The miracle is that my sinuses stay open while I sleep,
I don't get headaches in the morning anymore, I can
stay awake during the day, and I'm probably going to
be able to live a little longer.
If you or your loved one snores a lot; if they stop breathing
in the night when asleep and then wake up with a gasp; if
they are always tired; if their snoring doesn't stop when
they are on their sides, they might have sleep apnea and
you should waste no time in going to a doctor for a simple
treatment.
And then you (they) can live a bit longer.
posted by S.A.M. Tanner at 7:37 AM
3 Comments:
I have an employee who has sleep apnea - we discovered it when we noticed he was actually falling asleep for a few seconds at a time during phone calls. He saw a doctor, and they've helped him tremendously now that they know what the problem is.
My Dad suffers from sleep apnea. He was a real pain in the ass for the longest time. Then he realised some of it had to do with lack of sleep and finally he found out the cause. It worried the hell out of me until I saw his treatment actually work for him. Thanks for sharing, Stu.
Thank you for sharing. I didn't know this..
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