Are You Tired All the Time? Sleep Poorly?
Are you plagued by tiredness? Do others say you snore? Are you at least slightly overweight? If so, you could have sleep apnea.
If you meet these criteria, have your doctor prescribe a sleep study for you. Don’t wait! Your life could be shortened by sleep apnea, and it’s all unnecessary — there’s treatment. If you have sleep apnea, you hold your breath and then gasp for air many times a night. It results in increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular disease including aneurism.
In sleep apnea, the airway collapses during an intake breath. Fatty tissue lining the airway causes the airway to lose elasticity. At least a bit of excess weight is therefore generally necessary for sleep apnea to occur. Sufferers generally also snore.
The airway collapses. Then the blood oxygen level falls. Blood pressure goes way up as a result. The sleeper, struggling to breathe, starts to wake up. Nearly waking up, the sleeper is able to complete the breath. Then he falls asleep again. The cycle can be repeated many times per minute. If a stopped breath lasts 10 seconds, it is defined as sleep apnea.
The spiking blood pressure is what wears out the cardiovascular system. The semi-conscious effort is what deprives you of sleep.
You probably are not aware that you are holding your breath while sleeping. What is obvious to you is the tiredness that comes with it.
The sudden rise in blood pressure many times a night is what can kill you, by leading to heart disease or stroke.
There’s treatment?
Effective treatment has been available for a couple of decades now. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system supplies air from a fan through a hose to a mask placed over the nose and mouth. Pressure from the fan keeps the airway open as you breathe in. It’s not so much pressure that you can’t breathe out.
The nuisance that most people report about the CPAP is the mask: it can be uncomfortable. However, many suppliers are offering many masks these days. You can shop around.
The CPAP might limit your activities, too, because you always have to wear it, even if you are traveling or camping.
What about fan noise? It’s actually a white noise, which may help you fall asleep.
So, do a quick risk analysis. Is the risk of early death worth the inconvenience of wearing a mask and finding an electric outlet whenever you fall asleep?
