I suffer from a disease called OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) only mine is called severe OSA. What it basically means is that when you are sleeping you are not receiving enough oxygen and you kinda stop breathing ( these are called apneas ) for a while until you brain realises that you are not breathing and then you gasp for air and fall asleep again, because of this you never reach a state of real sleep.
The effects of having this disease is that you stay tired, you might even fall asleep while driving your car or sitting at your desk at work, making it quite a serious business if you nod off while driving, happened to me quite a few times and also falling asleep at work thinking you awake because you brain is still active and you are continuing to do the thing you were busy doing while you are awake, so if you are driving, you will think you are still driving but the car might be going of the road or you will start hearing hooters behind to move after the robot has changed, you might get colleague walk up to you and tell you to stop snoring. One of the tell tale signs of OSA is snoring very loudly.
There is no cure for the disease but there is equipment one can use to assist with the sleep process, you can also of surgery, but there is no guarantee that that wll work. To sleep I use a CPAP ( Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ) machine, it basically supplies me with oxygen throughout the night and keeps my air ways open.
Some general info take from www.vitalaire.co.za/SleepApnea.htm
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common type of Sleep Apnea.
Although a sleep test is required to diagnose OSA there are many signs and symptoms that you can look for. While sleeping snoring may be heard followed by a period of silence that is than broken by a loud snore or gasp. The person wills usually breath heavily afterwards. Some symptoms of OSA may include loud snoring daytime sleepiness, and irregular or restless sleep.
There are two main concerns about having OSA:
The first concern is excessive sleepiness during the day which can lead to decreased attention, affecting the ability to work, socialize, operate machinery or drive vehicles. Not treating OSA can be very harmful, not only to oneself, but to others as well. Driving while excessively sleepy can be extremely dangerous.
The second concern has to do with the physical harm OSA has on the body. When oxygen levels in the blood drop to a certain level, the heart detects this and responds by beating more quickly to try and compensate. This stresses the heart and when it happens over and over again, it can cause long term damage. High blood pressure and heart problems have been strongly associated with OSA. There is also evidence that strokes and heart attacks can be associated with untreated OSA. OSA is a long-term condition and treatment will likely be required for as long as the condition exits.
The most common treatment for OSA is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. It is effective in almost all cases. CPAP provides light air pressure to hold the airway open and, as a result, allows for uninterrupted sleep throughout the night. Normally the air is delivered through a small mask worn over the nose during sleep.
This is my Machine:
And this is the mask that plugs into the machine that I have to wear every night.
Like I said this is very personal for me and the topic is dear to me.
If you do come across friends or colleagues drifting off to sleep at their work place, do not assume that it is because it is because of late night partying, it might just be that they are suffering from OSA, rather advise them to visit a sleep clinic, the one in Milpark Johannesburg is quite good. You might just save their life.
There are not many websites in South Africa that has information regarding OSA so if there are any sufferes of this disease out there, please feel free to send me a mail MAIL ME I would like to know what you experiences are dealing with OSA and the CPAP machine.
Bye for now
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