The Sleep Apnea Blog

How do you like my new evening apparel?

Unfortunately, this is the breathing device I "get" to wear at night, now that I've been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Jon has complained for several years now about my snoring... a condition I had to admit to after it was confirmed by my kids, who no longer wanted to sleep with Mom at night. I figured it was likely due to my weight (sigh) and possibly also a family condition (you other snorers in my family-- you know who you are).

More recently Jon told me that the most disruptive part of my snoring was that I seemed to stop breathing. There would be a long pause and I would awaken with a start, gasping for air. I never remembered any of this, but instead would go right back to sleep. This pattern repeated itself all through the night (often resulting in Jon getting up to play solitaire on the computer).

So I finally mentioned it to my doctor, and she set me up for a sleep study. My mother-in-law stayed overnight with the kids while I checked into the hospital in Bloomer. Electrodes were wired all over my body, and I was also monitored visually by camera (my nurse had the fun job of watching me sleep all night and taking notes-- "rolled to the left"; "rolled to the right").

You might think I would have trouble sleeping under those conditions, but I did not. I NEVER have trouble falling to sleep. That's why I've always thought of myself as a good sleeper. Now I understand it would be more accurate to say I'd grown accustomed to living in a constant state of exhaustion.

So what is apnea? People with sleep apnea stop breathing while they sleep. Each pause, or apnea, can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. For a diagnosis of sleep apnea, the pauses have to occur between 5-30 times per hour. My sleep study revealed that my breathing stops an average of 55 times an hour (so my case is considered severe).

There are three different types of apnea. Mine is the most common-- obstructive. My airways are physically blocked when I lay down at night. The places blocked can vary-- different people may have trouble with their nasal passage, or their throat, the base of their tongue, or even the shape of their facial skeleton may be the problem. But while apnea may start with a physical tendency toward blockage, people usually don't develop obstructive sleep apnea until they become overweight or lose too much muscle tone.

1 in 15 people have sleep apnea... and most don't even know it. It needs to be addressed because left untreated it can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, diabetes, sleep-deprived driving accidents, and memory loss.

But it's very treatable! The easiest way to treat it is through lifestyle changes: avoid alcohol or muscle relaxants, lose weight, quit smoking.

Another thing that helps is sleeping at a 30 degree incline. Put cushions under the top of your mattress, or sleep in a recliner. Lay on your side, rather than your back.

I'm going to lose weight... 40 pounds is the goal. But until I do I'll use a CPAP (the lovely little breathing device I showed you at the top of this blog). It keeps my airways open during sleep with pressurized airflow.

Surgery is an option, but I've been told it's extremely painful and I'd rather not go that route. I think losing the weight will make a big difference, because I never snored when I was a thin person.

Interestingly, an alternative treatment for sleep apnea is... playing the didgeridoo. Blowing into this large Australian wind instrument apparently helps strengthen all the right muscles. Hmm.

I'll close this blog with a few pictures of Jack, who along with my kids gives me an incredible reason to win my health back.