Just a thought

[littlerainjacket]

I have had Sleep Apnea for 12 years.i am not overweight.I do not have any trouble sleeping at night.My blood pressure readings have been 120/70 all these years.I have no medical problems other than Sleep Apnea.
i am in my 70's and in excellent health.I am wondering if all the negatives about apnea if untreated could be an exaggeration?

[Goofproof]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, but most starve. Jim

[Wulfman...]

I have had Sleep Apnea for 12 years.i am not overweight.I do not have any trouble sleeping at night.My blood pressure readings have been 120/70 all these years.I have no medical problems other than Sleep Apnea.
i am in my 70's and in excellent health.I am wondering if all the negatives about apnea if untreated could be an exaggeration?

No. There are lots and lots of dead people who will vouch for that, too.

How do you KNOW you have sleep apnea?

Why have you not given any meaningful answers to the questions people have asked you in the other thread you started?

We have virtually NOTHING to go on to try to answer your vague questions.


Den

.

[borgready]

If the sleep apnea is not too bad, you can deal with the stress as long as your in good shape. The first time something happens and you are not in good health, it will be slap you down. Old age and other ailments can weaken you enough to make sleep apnea a big enough problem that you die.

[Sheriff Buford]

I just watch a local news story about a recent study done on the effects of sleep apnea. It indicated the scientist suspected that kidney disease and diabetes was caused by the apnea. I have always believed that apnea alone was not that big of a deal besides not getting a good nights sleep or feeling better in the morning. But I have suspected (and the medical community may have proven) that it causes a lot of other health issues that could eventually be deadly. Common sense tells you that when you stop breathing several times a minute, it cannot be good for your health.
Sheriff

[SleepyEyes21]

I just watch a local news story about a recent study done on the effects of sleep apnea. It indicated the scientist suspected that kidney disease and diabetes was caused by the apnea. I have always believed that apnea alone was not that big of a deal besides not getting a good nights sleep or feeling better in the morning. But I have suspected (and the medical community may have proven) that it causes a lot of other health issues that could eventually be deadly. Common sense tells you that when you stop breathing several times a minute, it cannot be good for your health.
Sheriff

Hi Sheriff - the more I research and read about OSA, the scarier it gets sometimes. I just read some articles this week that indicate some studies have found a link between OSA and the increase in risk for cancers - particularly breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Ugh!

[littlerainjacket]

I have had Sleep Apnea for 12 years.i am not overweight.I do not have any trouble sleeping at night.My blood pressure readings have been 120/70 all these years.I have no medical problems other than Sleep Apnea.
i am in my 70's and in excellent health.I am wondering if all the negatives about apnea if untreated could be an exaggeration?

No. There are lots and lots of dead people who will vouch for that, too.

How do you KNOW you have sleep apnea?

Why have you not given any meaningful answers to the questions people have asked you in the other thread you started?

We have virtually NOTHING to go on to try to answer your vague questions.
I know I have sleep apnea because Zi fell asleep while driving ,fall asleep in movie theaters ,fall asleep while eating.I have had 2 sleep studies and both showed that I have very bad sleep apnea.
What questions have I not answered other than listing all 15 of the masks I have tried.
I think I have tried every Phillips,every Resmed ,every Fisher Paykal.

Den

.

[chunkyfrog]

There have been studies that prove cpap use improves a man's golf game.
--there are also reports that it helps reverse ED, --another effect of untreated apnea.
Avoiding a stroke would seem to be enough motivation, but the other perks are nice, too.

[palerider]

There have been studies that prove cpap use improves a man's golf game.
Avoiding a stroke would seem to be enough motivation,

with my rudimentary understanding of golf, I'd have to agree, less strokes is better.

[Wulfman...]

I have had Sleep Apnea for 12 years.i am not overweight.I do not have any trouble sleeping at night.My blood pressure readings have been 120/70 all these years.I have no medical problems other than Sleep Apnea.
i am in my 70's and in excellent health.I am wondering if all the negatives about apnea if untreated could be an exaggeration?

No. There are lots and lots of dead people who will vouch for that, too.

How do you KNOW you have sleep apnea?

Why have you not given any meaningful answers to the questions people have asked you in the other thread you started?

We have virtually NOTHING to go on to try to answer your vague questions.
I know I have sleep apnea because Zi fell asleep while driving ,fall asleep in movie theaters ,fall asleep while eating.I have had 2 sleep studies and both showed that I have very bad sleep apnea.
What questions have I not answered other than listing all 15 of the masks I have tried.
I think I have tried every Phillips,every Resmed ,every Fisher Paykal.

Den

.

OK. But we have no idea what equipment you have, what settings, whether you are able to use software to monitor your therapy or hardly anything else.

From that other thread, I suggested this:

How about filling in your profile with the exact equipment you're using.......and all the settings......pressure, humidity, exhale relief, etc., etc.

Den

.

[49er]

Littlerainjacket, I am still waiting for an answer to my question as to what the ENT said about your severe sinusitus. That could be playing a big time role in interfering with the effectiveness of your therapy even with a full face mask.

49er

[RicaLynn]

If the sleep apnea is not too bad, you can deal with the stress as long as your in good shape. The first time something happens and you are not in good health, it will be slap you down. Old age and other ailments can weaken you enough to make sleep apnea a big enough problem that you die.

BINGO.

A common sense approach: if you stop breathing during sleep with any frequency, you brain tells your body "wake up! We're dying here!" If your eight hours in bed is interrupted like this all the time, your body is not getting the restorative sleep it needs to HEAL ITSELF, so you are continually sleep deprived even though you spend the right amount of hours in bed. Anyone will tell you when you are ill, "rest up! Sleep as much as you can!" But you can't, because your brain keeps your body on high alert just to keep breathing. Now if you're conscientious about your health during your waking hours, and your sleep apnea is mild to moderate, you can probably fend off those ill effects you mentioned, but eventually Father Time WILL have his say.

Anecdotal evidence: I have a former client (I work in home health) whom I just found out is now on dialysis 3x/week. When I worked with him two years ago, he had a Respironics CPAP and an oxygen concentrator in his room with dust on them so thick I could write my name. About half the time I was with him, he was asleep in his easy chair. He had numerous health conditions that could have been aided by diet and moderate exercise, but he had zero energy, and no amount of counseling from myself or his nursing case manager could convince him to work with CPAP. He is slowly killing himself.

And if you'll read my recent threads, you'll know that my father had SEVERE sleep apnea all his life. When he was thirty, he fell asleep ON HIS MOTORCYCLE and awoke thankfully with only cuts and bruises in the middle of a cornfield. His apnea was untreated until he got his CPAP in his late fifties, after which he was religious about wearing it because he had the elusive "miracle" first night. But he was also sickly all his life, from infancy he wasn't expected to survive, to severe asthma, to an incredibly large hiatal hernia that went untreated for years, COPD, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, you name it. All because he couldn't sleep for the first fifty odd years, and even the great sleep he got after that couldn't undo ask the damage already done.

So no, I don't think it's exaggerated. I think you're fortunate to be committed to your own health and wellness, but not all are.

[BlackSpinner]

I have had Sleep Apnea for 12 years.i am not overweight.I do not have any trouble sleeping at night.My blood pressure readings have been 120/70 all these years.I have no medical problems other than Sleep Apnea.
i am in my 70's and in excellent health.I am wondering if all the negatives about apnea if untreated could be an exaggeration?

One of the effects of sleep deprivation is the lack of ability to make intelligent decisions.

[chunkyfrog]

+1000

[RicaLynn]

Bazinga.