Warning! Your Police Officer's Sleep Disorder May Be Hazardous to Your Health

[CoffeeCat]

2. I suffer from sleep apnea...

I had sleep apnea that went undiagnosed for years. At the peak of it--I seriously thought
that I had early-onset Alzheimer's. I would be driving and forget where I was going--and
I would also forget where I was. Nothing looked familiar. I had to stop, get myself
grounded and reorient myself--and remind myself of where I was and where I was going.

I was only 45 when this was happening. I finally was diagnosed with a sleep disorder,
and the sleep test showed that I stopped breathing 25 times an hour. I looked like shit,
felt like shit and had gained a ton of weight.

I used a CPAP until I lost a lot of weight and was healthy and exercising. That lasted for a while.
Now, I'm gaining weight again, and guess what--the apnea has returned. I start a new exercise
program 1/7 and I cannot wait.

I feel shitty again and I have absolutely no energy. I'm starting to use the wrong words when
I talk and most times can't even find the words! After working in communications and journalism
for some time--it's really the worst.

Sleep apnea is a VERY, VERY serious disorder. I really think you can lose your mind if it goes
untreated. I can't imagine, in my current condition, being a police officer with a gun. You simply
cannot think straight or make cogent decisions. You're in a fog.

I hope there is more education about sleep apnea, because I think many people (as I did) suffer
needlessly.