Sleep Apnea

[chefchris401]

Originally Posted by bart

As much as it sucks to sacrifice something you love doing, I would seriously consider not pulling all-nighters. I have made a lot of life-changes in the last year and one thing I have really noticed is that pulling all-nighters REALLY messes me up. I used to do 3-4 a week, but I don't think my body can take the stress anymore. Earlier in the season at the Ditch, I fished something like 16 hrs straight one day/night and then 12 the next day and was completely screwed up in so many ways after. I used to do that weekly during the fall run in Rhody. It was hard for me to come to grips with the fact that i can't go nearly as hard as I used to, and I'm only 29. But I have found other things that give my life balance and I'm much happier/healthier for it.

If you are trying to lose weight, it comes down to diet. I lost 65lbs since Dec. and feel fantastic. My diet consisted of vegetables, fish, nuts, and synthetic protein for 4 months. No dairy, pasta, alcohol(not an issue for you). Yes it sucks, but I am so glad i did it, and now I'm eating more of what I want(actually trying to bulk up a bit). And I know this works because I lost 70 lbs back in '08, but I returned to my unhealthy lifestyle and put it all back on in a few years.

Also, cardio is obviously good for your heart, but you won't see physical results unless you are doing strength training, lifting free-weights, etc. Start out slow. It is frustrating in the beginning because you aren't where you want to be, but if you stick with it you will get the results you are looking for.

Hopefully this is helpful. I didn't have sleep apnea(as far as I know), but I do know I snored like a bastid, didn't have energy, and didn't sleep well... and in general,I felt like absolute dog chit. That has all changed. Good luck....

Yeah Bart all helpful stuff.

congrats on the weight loss too.

i dont do all nighters anymore, havent in about 4 years, been keeping a better log and put my time in when it makes the most sense based on my findings. they absolutely screw you up big time.

toughest thing for me is the long 14 hour days in the kitchen, then fishing then only sleeping a few hours before i have to do real life stuff, but been choosing my time wisely and getting into more productive fishing with less effort .

[bart]

I do the same now, fish more efficiently, but when you have macs, pogies, and herring at your feet getting hammered by fish at every stage of the tide it becomes hard to leave....

[Zeal]

All nighters are terrible on the body as bart put it. I wish I was able to pull it off but it just kills me for 3 days. In case you guys are interested in studies, night workers and people who work nights and sleep during the day have been found to be prone to developing schizophrenia and other mental issues such as shift workers syndrome. They actually have a high percentage of developing it as well. Not a great thing.

Forget the physical results (seeing this and that disappear and reappear), just keep up with diet, don't do crazy exercise (swimming is king, if you can't do that, then walk, you just want your heart to pump and not beat out of your chest. Walking with a 5 degree incline on a treadmill gives you the same benefits to your bones and body as running around). But who needs a treadmill when you got dogs to walk and a beach for walking?

Keeping a log is an excellent idea as you can see what foods made you feel great and what foods made you feel kind of blah. Always be sure to comment in the journal on how you felt after each meal later on (i.e. what you ate for lunch, comment on how you felt right before you are going to have dinner). I had to do the same thing with both my exercise regiment and food. Its invaluable.

Restaurant business is tough, but even with the crazy scheduling you can still get a sleep habit out of all the chaos. It just takes time to figure out the rhythm on each different night.

Patients of mine who work in restaurants and bars usually are the ones coming to me to help fix their sleep. It's a tough gig but each one manages to get it down one way or another.

[maddog2020]

Lots of time w/ the surgery, the tissue they remove WILL grow back! They won't tell you that though.

Some folks can loose weight and the problem goes away. In my case when I use to go to these quarterly CPAP meetings at Morse Hospital in Natick, people there would glare at me. I was "skinny" compared to these people there! I carry some extra weight, but am not fat by most people's standards. One guy who spoke told us how he started exercising and his apnea went away! When I was young and very fit, I had the problem of snoring very loudly when on my back. When I got married 21 yrs ago, my wife was the one who told me I wouldn't take a breath for a very long time, cough/choke and start snoring again. I spoke to my doctor about it and have gone for two sleep studies since. I had over 180 episodes in under 7 hr period. When I went to meet w/ my assigned doctor she expected to see some 300+ person and me, LOL.

I used the CPAP for a few months and then it sat in the closet for a number of years and 4 years back, I decided to use it again. I have been using it 90% of the time since then. I did get a new machine which was MUCH quieter than my old one. Masks now are much better than they were before! I use an whole face mask because I open my mouth a lot of times and if I was using just a nose mask, the air would just hiss out and wake up my wife and so forth. :P

I don't use the humidifier because I find that my hoses & mask don't need to be cleaned out (they use to get nasty because stuff loves to grow in heated moist environment!). The dry mouth to me isn't a big deal and I don't even notice it now. My current mask is 2 yrs old along w/ the hose. It looks brand new. NEVER had to clean it - I need some new straps, but that is a regular wear item. YMMV

Bottom line is if you have sleep apnea and you don't take care of it, you will DIE much sooner than you should. I rather live long enough to be a burden to my daughter. LOL. If you are over weight and your BMI is over 30, guess what - you are putting a lot of strain on your body (circulatory system, joints and organs!) and you will DIE from it. I know people who just dropped dead before they were 40-45 yrs old. I had another buddy die at 37 because he neglected his diabetes!! It is not joke. Pills will not save you period. Look at a picture of your kids, wife, or whomever you feel is important to you: how will they feel when you are DEAD because you were STUPID.

Sorry, rant off. Stepping off my soap box now. Please use the CPAP and live to laugh about it.

Peace be with you, my fellow brothers & sisters.

[JohnR]

I love mine, the light hiss creates a white noise making it easier to fall asleep.

Hi Ray

[Zeal]

Not to go off-track but don't go by BMI. It's a very rough outline at best. There is just too much wrong with it. Stick with diet and lifestyle modifications and you will be fine!