If you have sleep apnea, your personal physician is your sleep apnea doctor. There are no specialists for this disorder, although there are people or technicians that specialize in determining whether or not you have sleep apnea and need treatment. These technicians usually work at sleep centers. Your doctor will send you to one of these centers to confirm their suspected diagnosis of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is one of a few sleep disorders that affect millions of people on a nightly basis and can be so severe that it becomes life-threatening in many ways. Not getting restful sleep every night can cause a number of symptoms or changes in behavior that can affect your performance at work, at home, and the drive in between.
You need to be at your best when you are behind the wheel of a car and if you are not getting restful sleep then you are not at your best. Sleep deprivation is as bad or worse as drinking and driving. The only difference is that driving while sleep deprived is not illegal, yet. There have been some people who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea who have had their licenses taken away by the DMV because they pose a risk to themselves and others.
If you suspect or know you have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, do not hesitate to talk to your sleep apnea doctor and start getting treatment immediately. The sooner the better, in fact. Sleep apnea can be a very dangerous condition and if left untreated can cause your death. What if you stopped breathing when you were sleeping and just didn’t start again? This has happened and, though rare, can be very scary.
People who are overweight are the most likely candidates to develop sleep apnea and since the majority of the US has become obese there are approximately 18-20 million people who suffer from sleep apnea. This is about 20% of the US population. Just imagine for a moment all those people driving around in cars.
Now, the simple fix is to just lose the weight, right? But what do you do until you have lost enough weight to make a difference? Would you be surprised if I told you that if you weigh 250 lbs. and lost only 10% of that weight, a mere 25 lbs., you would improve your sleep apnea condition by just about 30%. That’s a big difference isn’t it?
Talk to your doctor about starting a diet and exercise program. If you haven’t been too active for a while then you may just have to start walking or swimming, or walking in a swimming pool. Easy enough, right? Combine the exercise with a low carb diet and you will gradually be where you want to be. Your sleep apnea may also be a thing of the past, too. So your sleep apnea doctor can count you as another success story.