And should—because you may already have this condition and not know
Pandemic. Almost every day this term surfaces on the cable news networks and on social media. It usually refers to some obscure illness in some remote part of the world. Like COVID-19 blindsided us in 2020, the ongoing fear factor indicates that a heretofore unknown virus will circle the globe and be the end of civilization.
That’s not the pandemic I’m talking about. But let us back up and get personal and practical. The pandemic I refer to is already here. It’s in your home. Perhaps your bedroom. And I’ll tease you a bit more to keep reading.
I suffered a near-fatal automobile accident in 2024. While driving to get a haircut one afternoon, I obviously lost consciousness for 20 to 30 seconds and drove my SUV into a building in a shopping center. I was taken by ambulance to the ER where I had extensive evaluation. Fortunately, no one else was injured. My insurance took care of the building damage. My nightmare diagnosis was about to begin.
Surely I had a stroke or a brain anomaly or something dire. A seizure? My doctor brain ran through all the possibilities while my body healed from the trauma of getting crushed by the steering column (the airbag did not deploy, which is why I will not buy that brand of car again).
Capable colleagues ruled out a seizure, heart attack, a blood clot in the lungs, and heart rhythm abnormalities.
So what happened?
My spouse who was with me during these evaluations asked about a sleep evaluation because I would go for periods of time during sleep without taking a breath. The healthcare providers agreed, and I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I did not fit the usual profile of a person with sleep apnea (periods of time during sleep where I was not actually breathing), but the data from monitors during my sleep were convincing.
Now what?
Sleep apnea results from a displacement of the soft tissue from the upper airway so that breathing is interrupted. This condition can lead to a heart attack, a fatal heart rhythm, and blood pressure and diabetes, which can be relatively difficult to treat. This is a very big deal.
Dr. Google tells me that up to 39 million Americans have sleep apnea, but only 6 million are diagnosed. And among those, I’ll bet compliance with the “cure” is low. Here’s why.
The standard treatment for most patients is the CPAP machine, which is clumsy, awkward, a total pain but can be life-saving. There are a variety of surgical procedures as well as nerve stimulation implants that can be considered. But these are obviously invasive and not without risks.
Think for a minute about Carrie Fisher from Star Wars, Reggie White, the NFL superstar, Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia, and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Each died of conditions related the sleep apnea. Justice Scalia from what we understand was on a hunting trip in West Texas. He brought his CPAP machine. He did not open the case and he was found dead.
At a recent community wellness program, I addressed this issue of the sleep apnea pandemic with the audience. Most were expecting a pep talk from a Mayo doc about eating right and exercising. Nah, I lugged my CPAP equipment to the podium and told them about this silent killer that lived among them.
They were stunned. Nobody had taken sleep apnea seriously. And one business leader came up to me afterward and said he indeed had high blood pressure and diabetes that were not well managed, that he had been diagnosed with sleep apnea but resisted using the device.
Do you feel sleepy during the day? Doze off and let’s hope it’s not while you are driving? Does your bed partner wake up when you snore or snort and then go silent for agonizing seconds until you take another breath? Do you wake up in the morning dead tired? You could wake up dead one of these days if you don’t address an obvious sleep issue that’s life threatening.
Bottom line: Be alert, be engaged. Understand your health and well-being. Bring your partner to your medical evaluation. Another set of eyes and ears can provide more useful diagnostic information. Put sleep apnea on your list of questions to ask the doctor if you suspect any concerns.
