As I wrote about in my last post, My Visit to a Sleep Clinic – Overnight Sleep Study, I recently participated in a sleep study to determine whether I had sleep apnea. I ended that post in the morning waiting for the doctor to discuss the results. If you want to know a little more about participating in a sleep study you should check it out.
Despite having only 3 patients in the sleep clinic that night it took the doctor awhile to get to me. I wiled away the time in the morning watching a little television while propped up in a wonderful Sleep Number bed that moves into all sorts of positions. It also had a head and foot massager but I didn’t like how much noise it made so I didn’t use it.
Finally, the doctor came in and introduced herself. She told me that the detailed report of my stay would take a day or two to compile but she had preliminary results that she could share with me.
She started by saying that the technician had observed “moderate snoring” which was really no surprise to me - actually if there was a surprise it is that it was characterized as “moderate.” Then she proceeded to explain what an apnea episode is, which I will summarize by pulling from this article:
People with OSA experience recurrent episodes during sleep when their throat closes and they cannot suck air into their lungs (apnea). This happens because the muscles that normally hold the throat open during wakefulness relax during sleep and allow it to narrow. When the throat is partially closed and/or the muscles relax too much, trying to inhale will suck the throat completely closed and air cannot pass at all. This is an obstructive sleep apnea episode.
A cessation of breathing must last 10 seconds or more to be called an apnea. Obstructive apnea episodes can last as long as two minutes and are almost always associated with a reduction in the level of oxygen in the blood. When an individual is in the midst of an obstructive sleep apnea episode, as long as sleep continues, the apnea continues. It is only terminated and the victim’s life is saved by waking up. This arousal instantly increases the activity of the muscles of the tongue and throat muscles that enlarge the airway. The victim will be able to breathe and to once again fill the lungs with life-giving oxygen. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night while the sufferer has no idea it is happening.
And then came the verdict. According to my doctor I was observed as having more than 35 apnea episodes in the first hour I was asleep, and if they hadn’t started with the CPAP machine at that time she said I probably would have had 45 or 50. 35 apnea episodes is the number they use to classify it as being severe sleep apnea, so clearly when you don’t even finish an hour of sleep before you can be classified with serious sleep apnea that you have a major problem.
The second point my doctor made after telling me that charming news was that during the apnea episodes my blood oxygen levels were going down to 80%, which apparently is just as bad for you as it sounds.
The good news is that she said that after getting on the CPAP machines I no longer was snoring, I no longer was having apnea episodes and my blood oxygen levels stabilized to wherever they are supposed to be. In effect, I had a restful night of sleep after using the machine. Well, restful as long as you don’t include the technician coming in and adjusting the sensors periodically!
So this is truly a good news, bad news scenario. The bad news is that I have a potentially life threatening problem. The good news is that I was able to diagnose that I thought I had it, and then followed through to treatment by getting a doctor referral and a visit to a sleep clinic. The bad news is this mask is not the funnest thing to be wearing every night. The good news is that it is possible that if I can get into shape that I may not have to wear it anymore.
So while I have always had good reasons to get in shape that I have apparently ignored perhaps this one will be it - the realization that if I want to live as long as possible that I either need to wear a CPAP mask for the rest of my life or get into good enough shape that I possibly won’t need it any more. Of course if I don’t get into shape the CPAP machine is only going to help with my apnea, things like heart disease, diabetes, etc are all waiting out there for me if I stay obese.
One of the things I have found is that it is easy to get off the path you have set yourself on. Perhaps the daily reminder of the CPAP review will be enough to help me stay on course.
If you have any of the symptoms of sleep apnea, the primary ones which are fatigue and tiredness during the day and loud snoring repeatedly punctuated by brief periods of silence or choking sounds, then I urge you to contact your doctor and get a referral to a sleep clinic.
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