Luke Ehlis’s BodyBlog

This past year I have gone through many changes, one of which really changed my life. I was recently diagnosed with a sleep disorder called Sleep Apnea. Sleep Apnea is disturbed or interrupted breathing during sleep. For those affected by sleep apnea, there can be many temporary interruptions in breathing, each usually lasting about 10 seconds, throughout the sleep period. These interruptions in breathing can occur as often as 20 to 30 times per hour, keeping you out of REM sleep, or deep sleep. This overtime can lead to many physiological changes, such as an increase in blood pressure and if untreated, 60% more likely for a stroke.

Because some of the symptoms of sleep apnea occur during sleep, they may not be recognized without the help of someone else.  Following are a few examples of Sleep Apnea;

Heavy snoring, although not everyone who snores has sleep apnea

Struggling to breathe during sleep

Interruption in breathing during sleep followed by a snort when breathing begins again (a pause between breaths)

Being excessively sleepy during the day

Frequent urination at night

Falling asleep during activities that require attention and concentration, such as driving, working or talking

It was really taking a toll on my work and training. I found myself always wanting to sleep and no matter how long I slept, I felt as though I never really rested. I always felt as though I was over training no matter how much rest between sets I took. I decided to take action and find out what I could do to make a change in my life. The most common medical treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is a therapy that uses pressure from an air blower to circulate air through the nasal passages and upper airway. The patient wears a mask over the nose that is connected to the air pressure hose, and the air pressure is adjusted to keep the airway open during sleep. Other therapies include dental appliances that change the position of the jaw and tongue, and various surgeries to keep the airway open during sleep.

I went through many sleep studies and it was found that I should sleep with a CPAP. It took some time to get use to, but it is worth it. It has positively changed my life. I have more energy, a positive outlook and my training has never been better. If you have any of the above symptoms do not hesitate to see your doctor or health care provider and find out if you are at risk of Sleep Apnea. Also if you would like anymore information on sleep apnea or CPAP I have found the following website very helpful. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr