Dr. Stephen James, an Associate Professor at Washington State University, presented at a conference about first responders and sleep. One of his slides said that many shift-workers screen positive for sleep disorders.
That rung a bell.
Google says that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is “a condition where sleep is interrupted by abnormal breathing. In sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by the airway blocking the flow of air. These interruptions last for longer than 10 seconds and happen at least 5 times an hour throughout your sleep period.”
I’m pretty sure that sure I have (had?) obstructive sleep apnea and it was affecting my sleep and the sleep of those I love. So a year-and-a-half ago I started using an anti-snoring mouth guard and posted my experience to the blog. Talk about feeling vulnerable. But that blog post hit home with a number of employees who reached out to learn more about the mouth guard. One spouse of a member even thanked me.
I also took it to my dentist who approved it was safe for me to use, and yes, it still works for me.
I am regularly getting seven hours of quality sleep, however, sadly, I never remember my dreams.
