Well it’s official… got back from the doctor’s to review my sleep study and I have very severe sleep apnea.
Essentially it means I stop breathing for 20 seconds more than 80 times an hour, and probably had it for years, since I only looked into it after my girlfriend spent the night and (after being woken up by my snoring) noticed it.
Apparently it’s bad enough that my doctor mentioned the possibility of surgery (where they break and reshape your jaw to prevent your soft palette from closing off your throat). My oxygen levels dipped as low as around 60%—90% is normal and below 85% is considered problematic. It’s really bad for your heart (which has to work harder to try to keep oxygen in your blood stream), as well as potentially causing high blood-pressure and weight gain (which can worsen the sleep apnea).
But the first step is a breathing mask, which uses air pressure to keep your airway open. It usually takes a week to get one, but since they’re putting a rush on it (yeah, it’s that serious) I’m hoping it’ll come before Friday—since my girlfriend and I are going out of town for a romantic weekend (and while the CPAP mask is utterly unromantic, it means she’ll get a decent night’s sleep).
The good news is that the doc says the CPAP mask worked extremely well during the sleep test—and that resolving the sleep apnea can be “life changing” in her words. I certainly hope so… I’ve felt low-energy for years, which isn’t surprising after being chronically sleep deprived.
Anyway, just wanted to say if you suspect a loved one might have it, it’s definitely worth getting checked out.
