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Hey Mr. Kotter
The symptoms you described are so similar to mine it is spooky...
I have always had some degree of apnea, but when I was younger as long as I slept on my side and stayed off my back, it was a minor problem. Unfortunately, as I age it seems to be a worsening problem. Sometimes on my worst nights, I'll awake 15 or 20 times a night gasping for air.
And after a quick google search, I see some long term effects that are not only scary, but in many cases I have already experienced. About two and a half years ago I had a heart attack (one listed effect of sleep apnea) and now have sometimes severe heart arrhythmias (another), high blood pressure (another), diabetes (another), weight gain (another)...well, you get the picture. My wife (who is an RN) has been urging me for years to have this problem checked out, and I have just been blowing it off, and, like you, attributing it to age and gaining weight. I think your little post has just changed my mind.
Just out of curiosity, what does a "sleep study" consist of? What's it like trying to sleep with one of those machines attached to your face? I've always been a bad insomniac, and I wonder how much trouble I would have trying to sleep with it....
At any rate, thanks for your post. I am going to be making a call to my doctor tomorrow....
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