Think about this: how often do you hear about people, not of advanced age, passing away in their sleep? I just do not think it happens with any great frequency. It is a great market for sleep studies, C-Pap machines, lots of follow-up appointments, etc., but I am not convinced that people die of sleep apnea. JMHO
ah yes, overweight. That LAST refuge of people to pick on :)
I’ll make you happy DF. I’m a fat ##### and it affects my sleep just as much as the brain damage (though i was a fat #### before that and slept like a baby, so i dont know).
How can it not? 100 plus pounds weighing on your chest.
NEMDF...I had a test, said my breathing stopped 200 time a night without CPAP and zero with.
Only thing is i was still a complete insomniac before a new med when i took the test. So I slept maybe one hour.
The results said I slept SIX!!
Moneymaking scam anybody?!?!
IT’s the most mother ######ing uncomfortable thing to wear and hear that i’d prefer a heart attack :)
Maybe not frequent, but Reggie White died from this at 42. Interestingly, I had heard him give a talk about it not long before that.
The marketing/industry involved in this medical specialty is staggering.
They showed links to it developing into congestive heart failure, irregular heart beat and stroke.
While I agree with you that the whole sleep apnea thing may well be a racket, the early deaths are not about dying in one’s sleep. They are (allegedly) about dying of heart-related problems (i.e. heart attack or stroke). Nothing was ever specified about WHEN during the day or night one dies of these problems, only that they died earlier...assuming that the whole thing isn’t a scam to begin with.
While my problem was indeed exacerbated by my weight, I believe I had the problem even when I was in college and definitely not overweight. Over the years, I added a few pounds each year, then I had a knee injury 14 years ago and my weight increased significantly. My CPAP pressure had to be adjusted up each year, to the point that I didn't want to be compliant with keeping it on all night, but I NEEDED to.
Two years ago I started actively trying to lose weight when I topped 240. I'm now down 40 pounds, and my CPAP pressure is down nearly 50%. I've got at least 20 pounds to go before I reassess how low to go. The studies about long term implications are irrelevant to me - CPAP lets me sleep in peace! That said, I've got to think waking up in the middle of the night with your heart racing and gasping for breath is not a positive thing! ;^)
They don’t die of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea places a stress on the heart, lungs and entire cardiovascular system as well as having the people be exhausted all the time, a physical and mental drain.
So they are more susceptible to these diseases.
Before wearing a CPAP, I stopped breathing 40+ times an hour. Wearing the CPAP it was reduced to less than two. I vowed I would never wear one until I did. I wouldn’t dare go to sleep without it. I was litterally suffocating in my sleep.
I follow up with a sleep therapist once a year. They can monitor and adjust the machine remotely. It is a proven therapy if you use the machine.
BTW I’m not overweight and exercise 6 days a week.