Jay D Weaver's Thought for the Week - Breathing and Snoring

Breathing and Snoring

It's No Fun

Do either you or your spouse snore heavily? Do either of you stop breathing for long periods at night? Well, you may be suffering from a rather common ailment known as sleep apnea. There are two types of sleep apnea. A rather rare type is called Central Sleep Apnea, which results from fact that the brain forgets to have you breathe. This form is rather difficult to deal with.

A much more common form of sleep apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It usually occurs when the soft tissues in the back of the throat collapses during deep sleep and blocks off the air passage. After the body is deprived of oxygen for too long, the brain awakens the sufferer and he or she gasps for breath. It is not uncommon for this to occur several hundred times a night and breathing can stop for 30, 40, or more seconds at a time.

Except for the fact that it unnerves the partner, what is the problem? The biggest immediate problem is that you awaken every time this happens even though you may not remember it the next morning. This means that you are completely deprived of deep sleep. The next day you continually fall asleep. This is particularly dangerous when you drive. Moreover you are always tired and exhausted because of a lack of rest. In addition to the obvious danger to your life while driving, the condition is a life-threatening illness on its own. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. It should not be left untreated. It is a serious illness.

You ask me how I know all this. Well, I happen to suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I have two brothers who also have the condition. Two of us use the CPAP machine (see below}, and one opted for surgery. More men than women have it, although I also know some women who have sleep apnea.

What can be done about it? First of all, talk to your doctor. He will refer you to a specialist who will recommend a sleep study. For this you are hooked up with wires and sleep under the watch of technicians. That study determines exactly what your condition is. They know everything about your sleep patterns by the end of the night. There is nothing painful about the study, but it is a rather strange experience.

When it is determined that you have sleep apnea, there are essentially two solutions. Some people opt for surgery where some of the fatty tissue in the throat is removed. This is successful in about 40 to 50% of the cases. The more common solution is to sleep with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine. This provides just enough pressure to keep the throat open. I have been using one for more than seven years. My life changed significantly for the better after the first night. I now sleep through the whole night without having any apneas. I should mention that losing weight is also helpful.

I recently went through a sleep study. It was a follow-up study since I had lost significant weight. However, due to back pain I did not sleep very well and they did not get enough significant results to reduce the pressure on my CPAP. So I will continue as before. That's OK. The little bit of discomfort I have from wearing the CPAP mask is far outweighed by the quality of life I know have without being sleepy and tired all day. I have no medical training, but I encourage you to do something about it if you suffer from this malady. It is correctable and should not be left untreated. Your life is too important to lose it unnecessarily. Although snoring has always been considered to be humorous by people, it is no laughing matter when it develops into sleep apnea. I leave you with one more piece of advice. Do not rely on "quack" medicine for a cure. It will not work. See your doctor and then a pulmonary or ear, nose, and throat specialist.

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