John’s heart raced forcing him to sit up in bed. He sat in the dark, exhausted and panting, trying to catch his breath. Even though he was in the comfort of his bed, he felt as though he was in mid-run. Just as it seemed his pounding heart would kick into third gear, its rhythm fell back into its usual pitter-patter. John took a few deep breaths and tried to settle back into bed. This became his “normal” sleep ritual.

As time went on and John continued to lose sleep, he began to feel more fatigued. Working on cars, one of John’s favorite hobbies, had taken a back seat along with his other hobbies. He felt like his body didn’t have enough fuel to make it through the day. With each restless night, John’s body began to feel the impact of ongoing sleep loss. One day, John happened to mention his strange sleep symptoms to a friend, who urged him to schedule a sleep study.

Diagnosing Sleep Problems

A polysomnogram, otherwise known as a sleep study, is the most accurate test used to diagnose a sleep disorder. During a sleep study, a patient’s brain waves, heart rate, breathing, oxygen levels in the blood, as well as eye and leg movement, are recorded.

After scheduling an appointment with his physician, John received a referral to a sleep center and underwent a sleep study. John was diagnosed with sleep apnea. The sleep study also had found that because John had been living with sleep apnea for so long, the sleep disorder had caused atrial fibrillation (AFib).

The racing heart beat John had been ignoring was an abnormal heart rhythm often characterized by rapid and irregular beating. His sleep disorder coupled with AFib is what made John feel symptoms like dizziness, fainting, weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath.

Maintenance for Better Performance

After receiving his diagnoses, John’s sleep apnea was treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Not only did CPAP therapy treat John’s sleep apnea, but it also reduced his episodes of AFib. Time passed and slowly John fell off his treatment plan and started to struggle with his old sleep symptoms.

By chance, John attended a lecture presented by the Long Beach Adult & Pediatric Sleep Center at Long Beach Memorial. During the presentation he learned that sleep apnea is a long-term risk factor that can lead to other medical conditions like his AFib. John also learned about the importance of championing for your own health and how sleep affects the entire body.

Too often, people who are challenged by sleep ignore their symptoms and settle for restless sleep not realizing they are experiencing ongoing sleep loss. Many people don’t realize that chronic sleep problems are linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.

“Everyone can suffer with sleep problems,” says Tamera Godfrey, RPSGT, RST, registered polysomnographic, sleep technologist, clinical operations manager, Long Beach Adult & Pediatric Sleep Center, Long Beach Memorial. “It’s important to be involved in your own health advocacy by working with your physician, taking part in regular sleep studies and maintaining your treatment plans.”

Health Tune Up

After learning more about sleep disorders, John decided it was time to participate in a second sleep study and tune up his treatment plan. The sleep study reconfirmed John’s sleep apnea and AFib. John was treated with a custom CPAP therapy plan. Today John is more aware of his health and focuses on getting quality sleep. His overall health has improved by keeping up with his CPAP therapy and treating his sleep disorder. With his health regained, John is back to enjoying his active lifestyle and passion for cars.