Machine Breathing

Click to Listen to me Breathing

I made it through the first night with the CPAP machine and face mask. I put it on at 10:30, took it off a couple times at night for a few minutes and took it off at 7:00 am.

I actually did sleep better and didn't wake much during the night. So far this morning, I don't notice anything different, don't feel like a "young man" again, but as the tests did show I needed this machine, I will continue to use it for now.

Before going in for the test Monday, I searched sleep apnea on the internet I found a series of face, tongue and throat exercises that are supposed to help solve the problem.

There is a tremendous amount of junk medical advice on the internet--all sorts of quacks peddling their ideas and products. I go to www.mayoclinic.com, or the Cleveland Clinic or Webmd or the big organizations supporting groups like the American Cancer Society or the American Sleep Apnea sigith at www.sleepapnea.org. The Federal Government National Institutes of Health (NIH) has much of the latest research available.

Also, many articles said that weight loss might help. I have already decided to drop 25 lbs in 2012 (my New Year's resolution that I started on December 20th and have managed to get down 5 lbs in the 1st month). There is surgery that may help also.

Well prepared ahead of time, I asked Doctor Hansen (yes--he is of Danish roots), about all the options. His answer "You have very severe sleep problems. You stop breathing almost every minute. In your case, the exercises, weight loss and even the surgery would probably not work. I don't understand how you have managed to live with it when it is so severe."

I imagine medical researchers will some day find a better solution than this machine and face mask, but in the meantime, I plan to try to get used to it.

Did you know that the main reason most men snore is evolution? Back in the caveman days, the man who slept with his family in the cave and snored loudly echoing out the cave entrance scared off the saber toothed tigers. Those who didn't were eaten and couldn't pass on their genes to the next generation.