Even though you had been out of town and sleeping somewhere other than your own bed you felt rested. In fact, now that you think about it, those five days that you spent in the rented house are some of the best night’s sleep you have had in awhile. As soon as you returned home, however, the restless and sleepless nights returned again. Three nights of waking up nearly every hour, tossing and turning, struggling to find a way to get comfortable. You could not figure out what was the difference.
And then, a week after you returned home your husband had to go out of town for three nights. Again, you found yourself sleeping peacefully through the night. Barely waking up before morning.
Mystery solved.
You were not causing the lack of sleep. It was not caused by the bed. The tossing and turning were a result of your husband’s endless snoring. Sleep without him, you rested. Sleep with him, you wake up exhausted.
You have always known that your husband snored, you just did not realize that it was causing you to lose so much sleep until you had a few night’s of really good rest.
No more arguments. You insisted that your husband make an appointment to see what was going on. After doing some research, you suspect sleep apnea. You are crossing your fingers that the upcoming appointment will solve the problem and you can get back to sleeping through the night. You hope his sleep will also be more restful.
Sleep Apnea Machines Help Patients Get the Rest They Need
Studies indicate that men are almost twice as likely to suffer from sleep apnea than women. Frighteningly, sleep apnea sufferers may suffer as many as suffer as many as 60 apneas per hour. Not only are these sleep interruptions an indicator of other problems, they obviously also make for difficult mornings and long days. Without enough sleep, everyone’s health will suffer. Consider some of the other common health conditions of people who suffer from sleep apnea:
- Asthma patients face an almost 40% greater risk for sleep apnea than asthma-free participants.
- People with an untreated case of sleep apnea face a risk of stroke that is four times as likely as those who do not have sleep apnea.
- Untreated sleep apnea sufferers are three times more likely to have heart disease than those who do not have sleep apnea.
- Sleep apnea is prevalent in an estimated 18 million Americans.
In many cases, doctors prescribe CPAP machines for sleep apnea patients. Once diagnosed, the success of this treatment requires finding the best CPAP mask. In many instances, the best CPAP mask is only found after trying several different models. Working closely with a health care professional and a CPAP supplier will help patients find the best solutions in a shorter time frame.
Unfortunately, even after patients have found the best CPAP mask, they do not use it as often as they should. In fact, studies indicate that nearly 50% of the patients who start using a CPAP machine stop its use within one to three weeks. When it is not used, it is obviously not providing all of the benefits that would help the patient.