Is sleep apnea a real problem, or is the doctor trying to scam me?
My doctor, who’s new because I moved, referred me to a “sleep specialist” because I told him I snored heavily, am often tired during the day, and am overweight. The sleep specialist, after having me sleep with a bunch of wires strapped to me for a night, diagnosed me with “obstructive sleep apnea“, and is telling me I need a breathing machine for when I sleep at night as treatment. Also, he’s told me all sorts of stuff about health risks from the apnea: I’ll get to being fatigued to the point of narcolepsy, I’m at even more risk for an early heart attack, even though I’ve started going to the gym I won’t be able to lose weight, etc.
Now, what I want to know is, are there really health risks from sleep apnea, and is it a real problem, or is it just some sort of medical fad or scam?
Tagged with: Apnea • Doctor • Problem • real • scam • Sleep • trying
Filed under: Obstructive Sleep Apnea
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if you were diagnosed you need to to do what the doctor says. sleep apnea can be fatal if not taken seriously.
yeah it is a real problem
Oh its very real!
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/default.htm
Sleep apnea is very dangerous, no scam
. If you’re not careful you could suffocate on your own tongue from snoring too much, or narcolepsy could occur as well. So take your doctors advice, whatever it was, and be careful
you could die in your sleep would be one of the risks…. This is serious, Steve. Quit complaining and get some help for yourself!
it’s not a scam, it’s definitely a real disease that you could have. it’s most dangerous because it’s characterized by the pausing of breathing during sleep. which obviously isn’t good. it was in the curriculum in my psychology class.
i don’t know what the normal treatments for it are though. maybe this page will be helpful.
No it is not a scam. I have it. When they discovered that I wasn’t just a snorer (I hadn’t even heard of sleep apnea at that time) my heart had already begun to enlarge. That was about ten yrs ago or so. It is night and day how I feel physically now that I am actually sleeping all night long. When they monitor you at the sleep place, they actually keep track of your blood oxygen level, so it is on record… not a scam. CPAP is really not so bad to get used to. Just remember get one with the humidifier attachment (insist on it in fact) and keep it clean and you’ll do fine.
Yes, sleep apnoea is very real and needs to be taken very seriously!
It is believed that Sleep Apnoea is responsible in a lot of cases of SADS (sudden adult death syndrome) so listen to your doctors – they don’t make diagnoses for fun!!
No. Sleep apnea is a well documented problem for a lot of people. It is suspected of triggering fatal arythmias.
Not a fad or scam. And the treatment is effective. Takes awhile to get use to the machine, but I bet you’ll see immediate improvement in the way you feel.
Good Luck.
Sleep apnea is a real problem and it can become fatal (i should know this because i did a research project on it for school plus my dad has it). If you don’t use the machine then you could intensify your condition (stroke, heart attack… ect). Just continue going to the gym and don’t drink (ultimate it if possible). Hope this helped!
Don’t mess with this. It almost killed me. I could never stay awake…even when driving. It was not a healthy scene. I had some serious surgery. It was painful but I felt sooo much better. I am a new man. Take this seriously
It’s very real.
A few of my family members have it. One had to use a breathing machine when he slept at night. He also had a mouth piece made, throat surgery, & finally lost weight. He said losing weight is what ended up helping the most.
Do what your Dr. says. & try to lose weight. That will help with the apnea.
Yes it is a real problem. People have actually died in their sleep because of it. Sleep Apnea is where you actually stop breathing for short periods of time during the night. Your oxygen saturation actually goes down to dangerous levels during the night since you stop breathing here and there. It’s like holding your breath while you sleep. My husband has this, when he stops breathing it actually wakes me, and I give him a shake, he jolts into breathing again. You would be wise to do as your doctor recommends.
My story mirrors your’s. I got the CPAP and started using it last year. I was underwhelmed when I did not see a perceivable change. After a few months I went on vacation and forgot the machine. Wow i felt it then I did not get any rest from sleeping and felt run down. After I got home and used the machine again I felt rested. Now occasionally I will take it off during the night or just forget to put it on. When I do that I feel as though I get no rest. I think overall it is a great benefit to my as well as to my wife that I don’t wake up with my snoring.
I think there are real health risks and the “bother” of wearing the machine is worth not having or decreasing the risk of some of the apnea health risks.
I have had chronic sinusitis for years and since using the CPAP I have found I am far less sensitive to sinus problems. I am not sure if it is the air pressure in my sinuses or not snoring. I have always wondered if the vibration from snoring caused some of my sinus problems. Overall I am healthier today than I was without the machine.
The medical scam I see is not about the benefits of the machine, it is in the leasing of the machine to the health insurance company. I priced the machine on eBay at about $700 all in. The company that owns my machine leases it to the insurance company for $189/mo. for the last year = $2268. I am not sure what to do about this issue, and I don’t want to deter you from getting the machine and using it.
Be Healthy!
It’s a real thing. My brother has the problem and I watched him in the sleep lab. It was frightening.
But after he got used to the machine, he found that he could sleep longer hours in a stretch and was always fresh after a sleeep whereas before he never fully rested even when sleeping.