Friday, March 9, 2007

Sleep Apnea

It's official, Trent has been diagnosed with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. It all started when Liz noticed that his snoring was worse than usual. Trent met with a reputable Ear, Nose, and Throat physician and this doctor strongly suggested that he get a professional sleep study. The first study analyzed his sleep patterns and the second one involved Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) testing and calibration.

Recently, a study published in the journal SLEEP finds that people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at an increased risk of having cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, sleep apnea produces general 'wear and tear' on the heart, brain, and lungs which leads to a shortened lifespan. Needless to say, Trent is thankful to have pinpointed a major issue, but nevertheless, apprehensive of the potential treatments and lifestyle changes.

What would be your treatment option: CPAP or surgery?

1 comment:

Mark & Margo said...

I say go under the knife. That way you are probably going to get more time off work for recovery.