Sleep Apnea Denial

From an earlier post:

jdacal

And one more point... have you ever tried to explain Apnea to someone you think might have it? Duh! It's like total denial - no I don't have that!!

This seems to be the reply I get also. I have a couple of family members and friends that I really worry about but can't seem to get through. I know that sleep apnea seems to effect more people than we ever realized.

Myself when approached by my Doctor did not believe I had it either. I was overweight sure but I thought most of my symptoms were from depression. Boy was I wrong. I did not realize how sick I was until after my cpap use. Even simple little things (a nagging dry patch on my elbow) magically happened to me with the addition of oxygen to my body.

How can we help the ones we love that we suspect may have OSA?

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How can we help the ones we love that we suspect may have OSA?

Are they troubled, worried, distressed by anything linked to apnea? Do you hear them complain of anything like that? Try to link your tips about sleep apnea to some symptom (apart from snoring...) that they do not deny.

Don't use the term "sleep apnea", rather, try telling them about people not getting enough oxygen because they semi-choke while they sleep.

One can't really overcome denial by attacking it head on. Nor by accepting the role of being the only worried person in the dialogue. Being worried for others sometimes actually makes it easier for them to use denial. Ever notice how kids will be frequently far less responsible whem Mom of Dad are around?

And hardest of all: sometimes, after we've tried, we just have to accept that others will not accept our interpretation of things, and that we have to let them go their own way and make their own mistakes.

O.