I am a 57 year old, 250 pound male with a desk job. I am diabetic (as was my father, and 2 of my brothers).
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2000. In retrospect, I definitely had had it for some time. Terrible sleep, waking tired, would drift of to sleep during the day, would have episodes when sleeping where my stomach contents would be coming up my throat, etc.
I have used a BiPAP nightly since being diagnosed in 2000.
It’s not a panacea. It is somewhat uncomfortable, although I am now quite used to it. If you don’t stay on top of keeping it clean, you can get bronchial infections.
The worst thing about it is that for it to work optimally, I have to sleep on my back. That was fine for a number of years, but I eventually developed a back pain problem.
I got one of those beds that allows you to sleep with your legs somewhat elevated. That has helped some with the back.
Nowadays, I get one sleep cycle (about five or five and a half hours of sleep). Then I have to wake up and sit up, in the middle of the night, usually at the computer, for an hour or two. My nasal congestion clears, my back relaxes, I start feeling sleepy again. Then, on good nights, I go back to bed and get another several hours of sleep.
Without the Bipap, I can’t get any quality sleep. If I hadn’t started using it, I am quite sure I would be dead by now.
The primary indicator of potential sleep apnea is a large neck. Anyone with an 18 inch neck or larger should get tested.
I’m 75 years old and never have been over weight, but I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes ten years ago when I retired and have been effective managing my blood sugar with medication, diet, and exercise.
Even though my wife had been complaining about my snoring for the last forty-five years, I never suspected I had Sleep apnea, so when the Anesthesiologist asked me if I had sleep apnea prior to Kidney stone surgery several years ago, I said “No.” Well, the doctors found out I did have Sleep apnea when I “Flat Lined” on the operating table. It seems that if you have Sleep apnea, certain types of Anesthesia will kill you, as it killed me. They brought me back as I was “Walking into the Light,” but I decided right then and there that I had to do something about my Sleep apnea, so I had a Sleep Study done and found that I did indeed have severe Sleep apnea with up to 30 events per hour.
I’ve been using a CPAP machine for four months now, averaging 8 hours a night, and I do feel better the next day. As this article says, it might not be doing me any good physically, but I don’t think it’s doing me any harm, so I’ll keep using it.
As an added bonus, my wife no longer complains about my snoring.