Sleep Apnea

This is a new idea for me.

My wife pointed out to me that I sometimes gasped for air during the night. so out of curiosity, I scheduled a sleep study at a local sleep diagnostic center. It was quite an ordeal. 26 electrodes attached to my head, chest, legs finger etc caused me to believe that I would not be able to sleep at all. But in spite of being wired like a guinea pig, I managed to fall asleep and what a surprise!

I learned that I suffer about 14 episodes per hour of sleep apnea where I literally stop breathing for up to 10 seconds! In addition, I learned that I get very little REM Sleep, and the REM sleep I get is very disturbed , and I learned that my blood oxygen saturation levels drop from 95% saturation to 85% saturation.

This probably explains the HUGE cup of coffee I tend to drink in the mornings and my tendency to be a "slow starter" only becoming fully awake by 10:00 am. I can honestly say that for about the last 10 years, I have felt like taking a nap every day.

The following week, I went back to the sleep diagnostic center and repeated the test, but this time with a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) device, and to my complete amazement, the sleep apnea was cured, the snoring silent, the oxygen saturation level normalized, the breathing regulated and the REM sleep deep and prolonged, completely normal. The result, I am a completely different human being, rested, alert, and able to exercise with greater intensity duration and output. According to my calculations, I demonstrated a 6% increase in my output during exercise the first week.

I learned that 60% of adults suffer sleep apnea, that it can be dangerous (stroke or heart attack are possible) and that it is potentially is a marriage saver since my snoring has literally completely stopped. Wow!

If you wake up tired, feel like you need a nap every day, suffer from snoring, or if you are observed gasping for air at night, check it out...this could be really important for you.