Sleep-Apnea/Snoring
Snoring is partially obstructed breathing.  Sleep apnea is totally obstructed breathing (breathing stops completely) for 10 seconds or longer.  It is a common and often times serious condition that frequently goes unrecognized.  You are not able to breathe.  Within a few seconds you may start to gasp, snort, struggle, or quickly change your sleeping position until the blockage is relieved.  You subsequently return to a sleeping position where the blockage recurs and the cycle starts all over again.  Loud snoring with gasping or choking sounds is the major indication that you have sleep apnea.

Virtually all people that have sleep apnea snore, but not all snorers have sleep apnea.  Because sleep is repeatedly interrupted during the night you never get a full night’s sleep, and daytime sleepiness is a second major indication.  Other indications include falling asleep during the day, automobile accidents or accidents on the job due to tiredness or exhaustion, changes in personality, mental fatigue resulting in difficulty in thinking and concentrating, frequent nocturnal urination, and high blood pressure with the attendant increased risks of heart attack and stroke.  Suspect you have sleep apnea if your spouse reports that your stoppage of breathing, gasps, choking, and your attempts to start breathing again “scare them to death”.   

Some 76 million people in North America (U.S. and Canada) suffer from snoring.  Snoring is frequently a person’s most socially disruptive and annoying personal trait.  Recent research reveals that continuing throughout life as a snorer or a sleep apnea no longer is unavoidable, but rather is a personal choice-a decision by a specific person not to do anything about it. 

Sleep Apnea Self-Diagnosis & Self-Referral Program 

• Have you been told that you snore?
• Have you been told that you stop breathing or hold your breath while you sleep?
• Are you still tired and irritable in the morning even though you slept through the night?
• Do you have trouble controlling your weight?
• Do you sweat excessively during the night?
• Have you noticed your heart pounding or beating irregularly during the night?
• Do you get morning headaches?
• Do you have trouble sleeping when you have a cold?
• Have you suddenly awakended gasping for breath during the night?
• Are you overweight?
• Do you seem to be losing your sex drive?
• Do you toss and turn frequently?
• Do you sometimes doze off during the day?

If you answered “Yes” to 5 or more of these questions, there is a high probability that you have mild, moderate or severe sleep apnea.  To read more about Sleep Apnea and contact Dr. Scherer, you can refer yourself to Dr. Scherer and call for an appointment:  866-249-6443 or visit our contact page for further information.