Sleep Apnea: to Snore or Not to Snore?

A freight train. A chain saw. An angry grizzly bear. Has your snoring ever earned you comparisons to these things? Any person can snore; however if you are a regular snorer, you could have cause for concern, as snoring can be a sign of a more serious medical problem known as sleep apnea. Apnea, strictly defined, is a period in which a person's breathing stops. Sleep apnea occurs while a person is asleep and may happen frequently during the night. While there are several types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blocked or narrowed airway which obstructs the flow of air. This can be caused by the throat muscles and/or tongue relaxing and blocking the airway during sleep. Sleep apnea can strike at any age, any sex and any weight. Personally, I am a 40-year-old, overweight, Caucasian woman. I have snored "like a freight train" for as long as I can remember. My first memory of snoring is waking myself up with my own snoring while waiting at a doctor's office at about age 12. At sleepovers, I always tried to be the last one to go to sleep, in hopes that I would not embarrass myself. When I married a sometimes insomniac, my snoring really become a problem. However, it was only after I began to have more concerning symptoms that I decided to seek treatment. This is my journey through diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.