I
forgot to breathe!
Sleep apnea is the most serious of all sleep disorders
because of airflow obstruction and the cessation of respiration. It
can happen at any time, day or night. My wife says that I bring a
whole new level of meaning to the word "concentration." I can get so
wrapped up in the work I'm doing that I push everything else out of the way,
and concentrate. Quite often I forget to breathe. Usually I wake
up when I fall over, especially if I hit something sharp..
Even though family members -- and the people that are
affected by sleep apnea too -- might try to think of sleep apnea as
little more than a bothersome condition, it is potentially fatal.
Yeah, like in THUD! On top of that, sleep apnea wreaks havoc in
the body with adverse effects on a bunch of organ systems, especially the
heart. These adverse effects can cause mild to severe organ dysfunction.
Fortunately, various forms of treatment are currently
available. Nasal CPAP is the most common and effective
treatment used today. The CPAP machine, working through the medium of a mask
worn during sleep, maintains a positive pressure inside the airway during
respiration. It takes some getting used to because at first it feels
like someone is forcing air down your throat and you have to breathe in and
out around it. The "Sea-Pap" -- as patients call it -- acts
as a support system to prevent further narrowing or collapse of the airway
and eventually it will actually increases the size of the airway behind the
palate, and at the back of the tongue.
Strangely enough, it helps most people with bad sleep apnea
get a better night's sleep. One friend of mine declares she would
positively be dead in three days if she did not use her Nasal CPAP machine
every night.
Her husband agrees: "Any time she quits using that
machine it gets so bad around here that I could kill her!" A
Nasal Sea-Pap machine not only relieves the symptoms of excessive daytime
sleepiness but it is also effective in improving and reducing the severity
of the medical problems usually associated with sleep apnea. What are
those? Follow me to the next panel down. | 
