Do you have sleep apnea?

“OSA [Obstructive Sleep Apnea] affects nearly 30 million Americans, and 80% of cases are undiagnosed.”

— The Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) National Indicator Report

According to this report, sponsored by a grant from the CDC, a general lack of awareness is the primary driver behind the 23.5 million untreated cases of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and $149.6 billion annual cost due to increased health care utilization, motor vehicle and workplace accidents, and reduced productivity in the United States alone. In other words, we as Americans aren’t talking about it. So, in the spirit of educating others via this Substack, I wanted to talk about my experiences with my obstructive sleep apnea diagnoses, treatment, and struggles (!!) from a personal perspective.

Like all the Wednesday “B-sides” posts, this topic was inspired by a friend. It was a short chat over Facebook Messenger a couple months ago:

Before you leave this post, remember that OSA is not just limited to those who are overweight or obese. And, it turns out the risks of OSA in non-obese patients are significant when compared to simply being obese without OSA.

Approximately 20% of adults with OSA are non-obese. OSA in non-obese patients is usually less severe and less frequent. However, it is essential to identify these patients because they are four times more likely to develop hypertension than obese without OSA. Non-obese patients are at risk for early atherosclerosis approximately 2.7 times more than obese patients without OSA, and this risk increases as the severity of the syndrome increases.

— Antonaglia & Passuti (2021) “Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in non-obese patients”

So, I’ll use this space to share my own story, and I’d appreciate hearing yours, too.

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The rest of this post is behind a “paywall”. (“Paywall” is in quotation marks because I value engagement more than the subscription fees!) I will “comp” you one month of “paid” subscription if you leave a chat using the link above, if you message me or refer friends to subscribe to this Substack using the links below.

Or, if you don’t want to bother, feel free to try a paid subscription free for 30 days. If you go on to pay, you’ll be treating me to beer or coffee!

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