Today is a great day!!
There are traits from my parents and grandparents that I have inherited, some are great and some not so great. One of the "not so great" is, I snore. So does my dad, and my brother who I'm sure are in a long line of expert snorers. It kind of sucks for them, but as men it is somewhat expected...or at the least accepted. But ladylike it is not. My snore is at 85 decibels, or the equivalent of a chainsaw. I'm not kidding!! Maybe it should be something to be proud of, I have always liked the ability to outdo men, but in this case, I'm not so happy about it.
I first discovered the truth about my snoring way back in 1995. I took my kids on a Disney vacation and shared a room with them. The two of them actually made a game out of me. Jenny and Ryan waited until I was asleep and snoring, and then would take turns poking me until I stirred and stopped snoring, only to start again. Oh my gosh, I was their plaything.
In June 2009 I went to a sleep study to see if there was something I could do about the snoring. Not only was I keeping Michael awake, I was not sleeping well, and woke up most mornings with a headache. Often I had a sore throat in the morning as well. There were days I got up, took a shower and had to immediately take a nap in order to make it through the morning.
The sleep study showed that I had severe sleep apnea, which in my case meant that my sleep was interrupted up to 72 times per hour. That equates to more than once a minute. I almost never hit REM sleep, which is necessary to become fully rested. No wonder I never remembered my dreams, I never was in REM sleep long enough to have a dream. Also, my oxygen levels dropped to dangerous levels during the night due to stopping breathing so many times.
As a result of my diagnosis of severe sleep apnea, I was prescribed a CPAP machine. This is a small machine that pumps air into your throat through a face mask while you are sleeping. It keeps your airway open so that you don't stop breathing during the night.
I was horrified when I got home with the machine, I felt like an elephant with the tube protruding out of the front of the mask attached to my face. Not a very sexy look. However, with the CPAP on, I was able to fall into REM sleep. I never really got used to the machine though, and spent much of the night moving around to find a comfortable position. While I stopped snoring with the machine on, I was still disrupting my sleep by tossing and turning.
But, today is a great day!!
Last night I had another sleep study done. My sleep apnea is GONE. One of the major causes of sleep apnea is being overweight. Due to the SKOGG SYSTEM, and the 60 day challenge, I have lost weight (a total of 28 pounds since January) and changed my diet, which in turn corrected my sleep apnea. I no longer have to wear a mask to bed. Halleluia!!
Just a side note....I still snore at 85 decibels. And please no chainsaw jokes. :) But the snoring can be corrected with a small mouth piece like a retainer. So, no more elephants or chainsaws in bed. I can feel sexy again.
If you know anyone who has sleep apnea, please let them know that there is hope. The SKOGG SYSTEM, or another weight loss plan is the best treatment for sleep apnea. It has changed my life.
Have a great day!
Sue
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