How to Stop Snoring?

mantori.suzuki
Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:18:19 +0000

I had a sleep study about a month ago that showed that I stopped breathing about 40 times per hour, with 30 times per hour putting one at high risk for heart attack, stroke, and hypertension.

About two weeks ago I was given a CPAP machine. It’s not perfect—it’s possible the settings need to be adjusted—but I already notice that I don’t get sleepy in meetings, I handle stress better, I’m less grumpy, and I don’t eat out of nervousness as much. I also no longer wake up at night with my heart racing and gasping for breath. (As obvious as it sounds, I never realized that that was because I was basically asphyxiating.)

My sleep specialist told me that surgery is an option for people with certain palate shapes, but that CPAP is cheaper and doesn’t hurt, so he suggested trying the machine first.

I’m happy I’ve done this. I think everyone around me is even more happy.