EARLIER this year I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
I knew I had a problem with snoring but I had no idea at this stage how serious this health issue could be.
This is my personal story.
In my research of this problem I found out that a sleeping person normally breathes continuously and uninterruptedly throughout the night.
A person with sleep apnoea, however, has frequent episodes (up to 400-500 per night) in which he or she stops breathing.
This interruption of breathing is called apnoea.
Breathing usually stops for about 30 seconds, then the person usually startles awake with a loud snort and begins to breathe again, gradually falling back to sleep.
My level of sleep apnoea was measured at 88.5, which means that 88.5 times every hour I stopped breathing, this put my reading right off the scale as far as the 400-500 times per night.
My personal symptoms were snoring (according to family and friends but I never noticed), increasing vagueness and a feeling of exhaustion every day.
The symptoms I suffered were minor compared to what some professionals say could come next.
Millions suffer from sleep disorders, which can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and even early death.
Most people with sleep disorders do not know it.
If you have the following symptoms, you may well be suffering from one form of sleep disorder:
1 Headaches (migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches);
2 Jaw joint pain, joint sounds, muscle tenderness in the face, limitation of mouth opening;
3 Worn teeth caused by bruxism (clenching or grinding of teeth);
4 Neck and back pain;
5 Tiredness/fatigue and irritability in the mornings and during the day;
6 Snoring;
7 Excessive daytime sleepiness while sitting and reading or watching television or in a car while stopped at a traffic light or lying down in the afternoon;
8 Poor memory; and
9 Reflux problems (acidity).
The diagnosis was relatively easy to deal with until I asked the specialist what the cure was.
The answer was not that easily dealt with – there is no cure and I was told I would have it for the rest of my life.
They gave me a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine and told me that I would have to use it forever – my new best friend they called it.
At the age of 43 this was not at all what I wanted to hear, but I tried it and the machine did make a noticeable difference.
I woke in the morning feeling refreshed and I had an energy that, until I got it back, I didn't know was missing in my life.
This is not where the story ends for me, because I wanted answers so I consulted an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.
I found out from this consultation why I had the problem and was told of some surgical options that had helped some people.
But in my case this was probably not the best option and the specialist couldn't promise me any sort of miracle cure.
My problem was in the fact that genetically the roof of my mouth was too long and when you add to this tonsils and excess weight, there was the problem.
The surgical options included the removal of my tonsils and part of the roof of my mouth to shorten it and then if that didn't work, another surgeon would be consulted who could remove part of my tongue.
All jokes aside, believe me when I say I have heard them all, none of these were valid options to me.
The ENT specialist then suggested what no one wants to hear, that if I tried losing a little weight I might have some success.
He said it would probably be more successful than any surgery and less risky and as I walked out of his office, he warned me categorically to never sleep on my back.
No arguments from me on the risk side of things, but how much weight should I lose and could I achieve this on my own?
I have been informed that every single part of your body gains weight when you gain it, even your internal organs like your tongue and your tonsils.
The day after the ENT appointment I was still reeling from all that I had been told when Treena Bowden called the Wagin Argus to put an advert in the paper about her personal training classes.
I mentioned my problem and my need to lose weight to Ms Bowden and starting working with her that week after a thorough assessment test.
As hard as it is to believe I stopped using the CPAP machine that night and have not needed it since.
I have officially lost seven kilograms and seven inches off my waist, but it is not about the cosmetic side of weight loss for me because I am now symptom free and sleep well most nights.
I have not reached my goal weight yet, but I am well on the way having increased the amount of regular daily exercise I do and increased my metabolic rate.
To lose weight is difficult on your own but I have had a great deal of help, from Ms Bowden who I will forever be grateful to and my family and friends who all help to keep me on the right path.
This might not be the answer for everyone with sleep apnoea or other sleep disorders, but it is most certainly my answer and I am looking forward to a long and machine-free life.
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