Becoming A Hosehead: Sleeping My Way To Better Health

CPAP machines are in the news this month after the New England Journal of Medicine released a study casting doubt on their effectiveness in preventing heart problems. See here for an explanation of the study and a summary of reasons why it is likely not accurate. Regardless of that study, let me tell you why I have become an unexpected missionary for the wonders of the CPAP. For the past year, I've been wrestling with a diagnosis of sleep apnea. What have I learned, even while kicking, screaming and denying, through the entire testing and education process? That it is a real thing, that I really do have it, and that I feel a whole lot better when sleeping with a mask on my face hooked up to a 9-foot tube and a CPAP machine that blows humidified air into my nose all night. (Finding humor among apnea sufferers, I discovered they often refer to themselves as "hoseheads.") What is sleep apnea, and how could I possibly have it? Sleep apnea is a condition where people stop breathing repeatedly, sometimes hundreds of times, during their sleep. (See "Mayo Clinic & Sleep Apnea" for a comprehensive explanation and list of symptoms.) Untreated, apnea can lead to heart problems, stroke, memory loss, depression, etc. My knowledge of apnea prior to a year ago was that I thought it was a condition suffered only by very overweight men who snore loudly and wake up gasping for air when their brain finally is startled into reminding them to breathe. So how me? I am a 64-year-old female who ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news