Sleep Apnea

Have you ever gone to the doctor and they provide you with enough literature about your new condition to fill your bookshelf? Well, obviously not that much but enough reading that you could fall asleep to it?  Well when my asthma doctor suggested I have Sleep Apnea and she handed me the pamphlet, I set it down.  Then she listed the possible medical problems I could have with Sleep Apnea.  That sparked some interest and I actually read the pamphlet.

Did you know that it can make you so tired during the day that it increases your chances of causing motor-vehicle accidents?  Lately, I have noticed it is more difficult for me to concentrate while driving so I have been scared to go anywhere. If you have sleep apnea, you won't be able to sleep well at night, you'll wake up several times during the night for a variety of reasons but many are because it is the body's response because you have stopped breathing. 

Sleep apnea can also cause morning headaches, poor concentration, and loss of sex drive.  There are other problems associated with sleep apnea but the one that scares me the most is that I stop breathing throughout the night.  My father stopped breathing something like 95 times a night without his breathing mask.  It's scary stuff.  Sometimes I wake up choking pretty badly.  Well tomorrow night, I will have my study to find out how many times a night I stop breathing. 

The insurance companies used to pay for the testing and treatment completely when it first started but now that it is diagnosed more often, now we have deductibles and co-pays to pay for the testing.  Isn't that frustrating. 

I'm hoping after all this, I'll be able to sleep better and have a more restful sleep so that I can get more done during the day. Perhaps if you think you have the same symptoms, it might not hurt for you to check it out as well.
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/sleep-apnea-symptoms
M