As long as I could remember I was never a morning person. My parents would drag me out of bed every morning to go to school. No breakfast. Just enough time to get up, wash my face, brush my teeth and change clothes then off into the car I go.
In college, I could never understand how my roommate could wake up so perky and alert and ready to chat. Not me. I was Ms. Grumpy Butt. I literally scheduled all my classes to be after 11am. I remember having a Chinese class that was like 9am. I didn't do well in that class.
I just love to sleep. That is one of my interests, hobbies, favorite things to do if anyone asks me. My pediatrician told my parents that children need 10 hours of sleep a night. And I totally believe him. To this day even! If I didn't get my full 10 hours I was not a happy camper.
When I was pregnant, I slept even more, understandably, I was growing a person in me. After I had the girls, I was even more tired. I was tired even if I slept 10+ hours. I figured it was it was because of all the energy I exerted taking care of an infant and a toddler.
This all changed when a friend of mine told me he was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep which means their brain - and the rest of the body- may not be getting enough oxygen. The common form of sleep apnea (Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep.
OSA can affect anyone at any age even children.
Risk factors for sleep apnea are:
- Being male
- Being overweight
- Being over age 40
- Having a large neck size (17 "+ for men; 16"+ for women)
- Having large tonsils, large tongue or small jaw bone
- Family history of sleep apnea
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Nasal obstruction due to deviated septum, allergies or sinus problems
Now my friend is male but definitely not overweight which many people who have OSA are. He told me that he was always feeling tired throughout the day and needed naps all the time. He did snore though. And one evening his wife noticed he stopped breathing numerous times in the night as he slept. He would always wake up though to take a breath. So after that incident his wife urged him to see his doctor. He got tested for a sleep disorder and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
After he shared this with me I started to wonder if I had it too. Now I am not male, nor overweight, nor have a large neck size or have any history of it, no reflux or sinus issues BUT I am over 40 and have a thick tongue and small jaw bone. I wasn't anemic, exercised regularly, tired to get 10 hours of sleep and still felt tired. And I napped all the time. Matthew would tell me I did snore and I always woke up numerous times throughout the night thinking I had to go to the bathroom but in reality I was waking up because I was not breathing properly. Since I was having interrupted sleep I was not getting a good quality sleep for me to feel well rested for the next day.
I went to see a specialist and was diagnosed with a mild case of sleep apnea. He said that it is more common in Asians because we have small jaws and necks.
Sleep apnea is one of the most common undiagnosed illnesses affecting as many as 53% of men and 26% of women.
The scary part is that if it goes untreated you could literally lose up to 10 years of your life because your body is not getting the oxygen it needs to survive.
Other harmful effects of sleep apnea are:
- high blood pressure
- stroke
- heart failure, irregular heart beats and heart attacks
- diabetes
- depression
- headaches
Studies now link sleep apnea to having harmful effects on the brain over the long term such as having memory problems.
In a TIME magazine article. "
The Scary Connection Between Snoring and Dementia" by Alice Park indicates that "those with sleep apnea tended to develop signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) including memory lapses and slower speed on cognitive skills about 12 years earlier than average than those who didn't have any apnea." The time span for developing Alzheimer's also seem to speed up, up to five years sooner.
Studies show that "sleep apnea is associated with repetitive drops in the blood oxygen level, which can affect various organs in the body differently" said Dr. Charles Atwood, a sleep specialist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Oxygen levels drop because people with sleep apnea have periods during the night when their throats close up and they briefly stop breathing. The weight of the flab around the neck pushes down on the throat at a time when its muscles have relaxed with sleep. That pressure can briefly close the throat until the person partially awakens, gasping for air. That can happen as many as 300-400 times a night. They often don't wake up enough that they are conscious of being awake, thus they feel really tried and unrefreshed in the morning.
The downside of this disorder is that it is uncommonly diagnosed because sleep apnea doesn't have any huge symptoms like chest pain. It doesn't have a specific complaint other than just being tired. People won't go see a doctor until they are in a car accident because they fell asleep at the wheel or they develop high blood pressure or have a stroke.
The easiest way to combat sleep apnea is using a CPAP machine. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. It's a machine that uses a mask that fits over your mouth and or nose. The machine gently blows air into your throat. This pressure from the air helps keep your airway open while you sleep.
It takes awhile to get used to but now after eight years of using it, I can't sleep without it. It has changed my life. I actually am awake in the morning and feel I can handle whatever comes my way.
It's a sacrifice because I have to be hooked up to it every night and it goes everywhere with even when I travel but better to have a clear head than a groggy grumpy head.
I wanted to extend my life as long as I can and if I need this machine to help me sleep then so be it. There are no side effects to using the machine compared to taking medication or having surgery.
I encourage you if you know anyone that snores a lot and is tired all the time to look into getting tested for sleep apnea. It's that person who always needs a huge caffeine pick me up in the morning and afternoon; who can sleep anywhere at a drop of a hat because they are so tired; who nod off while driving home after work; and they sleep with their mouths open snoring away every night.
Getting checked can literally change and extend your life. And that is a GOOD thing!
