Life with Sleep Apnea

As some of you know, my amazing husband Allan was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2002. Severe obstructive sleep apnea to be exact. The American Sleep Apnea Association explains:

The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.

Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and herefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.

Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues.

In essence Allan stops breathing when he is asleep, an average 28 times an hour to be exact, and the carbon dioxide buildup in his bloodstream signals him to wake in order to open his airway to breathe. In contrast to Olga Sen's description of sleep apnea, you do not wake gasping and choking. Rather you are so fatigued you barely gain consciousness in order to breathe, and then go immediately back to sleep, only to wake again in 2 minutes. I watched this over and over, loud snoring then silence (I would count the seconds) then movement and a gasp of air (and a sigh and prayer of thanksgiving from me), followed immediately by snoring. Over and over as we waited weeks for the appointment with a sleep specialist, the sleep clinic, and finally for the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine which would allow him precious sleep, REM sleep which he has not had for months.

Though the APAP (essentially a CPAP but with autotitration so the air pressure fluctuates as needed in response to his needs) machine provides him with the precious sleep he needs, it is not without frustration. In essence you are sleeping with a nasal mask on your face, which when sealed against your face (no air escaping) works perfectly. But when you move it is easy to cause a gap which increases the pressure which wakes you... often with dry eyes because of the air blowing in your eyes from the gap. Then there is the hose (from machine to mask) getting in the way or crossing your neck so you wake up from a nightmare of snakes wrapped around your neck. Oh, and lets not forget the occasional interruption from sundry children coming in for one reason or another during the night.

Allan is finding sleep hard again and I am concerned about the effect his shift work as a manager has on his apnea (working anywhere from 7 am to 11 pm), the stress of said job has on his sleep patterns, and the frustrations he has had with our local CPAP dealer who has caused a delay in receiving his new machine for months. His doctor equates living with sleep apnea as sleeping every night in a hospital with the constant interruptions and various medical equipment waking you through the night. I can well imagine, and signed out AMA after my third caesarian because I couldn't stand it. I cannot wait until the new treatment methods in development provide a better solution than is available right now. Until then, the APAP is providing Allan with life and for that I am thankful.