Sleep Apnea

photo credit: www.stopobesityforlife.com

The stories were laughed about at holidays ... how my Mom thought there was an earthquake in the middle of the night and came running down the hall ... only to find me snoring; my young son waking me up terrified, "Mommy!  You're making scary noises again!"  My ex-husband wearing ear plugs to sleep with me.  My sister not being able to sleep in the next room so crawling into my parents' bed to get away from my snoring. It had become a joke.  An embarrassment.  A fact of life.  Then, a worried friend took me aside and said the one thing that changed everything...

"I think you're stopping breathing and I'm worried about you."

Huh?

And, so, I took the magical step and had a Sleep Study done.  I imagined a white sterile room, with a small army cot behind two-way mirrors while a team of doctors stood by and watched me snore.  They would nod their heads and mutter, "Ummmm, hmmmm" and write something in their tablet.

It wasn't like that after all.

I went to the clinic and I was led to my bedroom.  That's right, a cozy, comfy bedroom with an adjoining bathroom.  There, they put this tooth-paste-like stuff in my hair and attached electrodes to them.  The electrode wires ran down my entire body, down my legs and arms and yet was done in a way that if I had to drop my drawers, I could.  They put a Pulse-ox on my finger and explained if I was showing signs of Sleep Apnea, they would put this mask over my head.  I laughed and said there was no way I could sleep with one of those things on.

Then, I went to bed. 

I vaguely remember getting up to use the bathroom (yeah the pants really did drop down with all the electrodes still attached).  Even more vague, I kinda remember being sat up and a mask sliding over my face.  Three hours later, I woke up feeling like I could run a mile.

Here's what I learned:

1. I stopped breathing 49 times in 1 hour.
2. My legs moved constantly (Restless Leg Syndrome).
3. My blood oxygen level dropped to 86 (should be in the 90's.  80's are stroke zone).
4. In 3 hours, I got 10 minutes of REM sleep.  (You should get 1 full hour of REM sleep for every two hours of sleep.  This is where your body rests, de-stresses, heals, grows)

After they put the mask on me:

1. I stopped breathing 0 times in 3 hours.
2. My legs didn't move position once.
3. My blood oxygen level stayed in the 90's.
4. I got 1 full hour of REM sleep in 3 hours.

I can't stress enough to get a sleep study done if you suspect you might be an excessive snorer or that you are stopping breathing.  There's a chance, when I lose all of my weight, that I will not have Sleep Apnea. At that time, I'll gladly trade in my mask for some Victoria's Secret.  Until then, I slide on my "scuba mask" every night and go diving ... into a great sleep.

Challenge of the Day:

Get yourself a Sleep Study done if you suspect you may have Sleep Apnea.  It's not the sexiest look, but you can look sexy and THEN put on your mask :)  Until next time ....