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Old 09-29-2014, 08:08   #54
TOMAHAWK9521
Quiet Professional
 
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Idaho
Posts: 1,200
I thought sleep apnea was just guys who snore until a friend from SF said it was described as you stop breathing in your sleep and your body shocks you awake. Hell, I've been doing that for roughly 15 years and no idea what the hell was going on.

I've been having a bitch of time over the past couple years dealing with lack of energy, nap attacks in the middle of the day, and the increasing difficulty with school work and project designs. I know I'm an idiot, but not that big of one.

Anyway, i finally had a sleep study for OSA last week. The tech had me come in after the test and was alarmed at my readouts. When I was awake (I had trouble falling asleep to begin with) my O2 absorption was around 92%. It used to be close to 100% all the time. When I was in REM or deep sleep, it averaged around 82%. That was a bit of an eye-opener.

The tech said the readouts didn't indicate a blockage but a restriction in my breathing. He couldn't figure out why I'm showing these results since, although I'm not in fighting shape, I'm still in relatively fit shape. I have heard about the potential physiological consequences of OSA but asked the tech for the official version. None of it sounded good if one wanted to live a longer healthy life. Some of it was downright scary.

I was wondering what may have led to the development of this condition. My knees crapped the bed about 7 years ago so my usual regimen of running has been relatively non-existent. As a result, I know my lungs are not filling up as much as they used to. Could this be the reason for me developing OSA?

I welcome anyone who can shed some insight on this. In the mean time, I'm scheduled for the follow-up tomorrow night so they can get me fitted for my CPAP snozzle and determine the proper amount of pressure to open my lungs up during sleep time.
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