Snore...zzzzz...snore

This Friday I have an appointment to participate in a sleep study that will determine if I have sleep apnea. I'm not sure why, but I've been finding reasons to postpone this appointment for the past 3 months. I've even been thinking about canceling the study on Friday because part of me feels like I can cure myself. I just need to lose weight, right? I think I'm also a little scared that the remedy might be worse than the snoring.

When my boyfriend first told me that I have a sleeping problem (i.e., snoring and gasping for breath in my sleep) I was determined to get to the doctor as soon as possible to get whatever remedy was available to cure me because I know that sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure (have it), memory problems (I have a terrible memory), weight gain (um...I'm seeing a pattern) and headaches (Whew! Don't have it).

I hate the fact that I snore. For starters, it''s very un-feminine (isn't snoring usually associated with men?) and the fact that I'm making loud animal noises in my sleep is just a wee bit embarrassing. However, in November, my boyfriend revealed that there are times while I'm sleeping when he can count several seconds between when I inhale and exhale and appear to be gasping for breath. Since I know that snoring, gasping for breath during sleep, and being overweight are all combined symptoms of sleep apnea, I went to my doctor to get a referral for a sleep apnea test.

So on Friday, I need to look forward to going to the hospital (where the study will be conducted) at 9:00 p.m. and sleep there overnight while they stick a bunch of electrodes to my head and monitor my sleeping. Snoring in the hospital. Fun. Fun.

The Today Show recently conducted a series of segments on sleep disorders. Sleep apnea was one of them. One of the people featured ended up having to sleep with a vacuum type thingymajig every night that blew air into her mouth to open her air passages. This did not look sexy, people. Although, I must say that the patient did feel very relaxed and well rested after sleeping with it.

I'm hoping the remedy for me will be to just lose weight, which I'm already currently doing. If I end up having to sleep with that vacuum thingy I'm sure my boyfriend will not be pleased. If he complained that a breathing nose strip I once wore to bed wasn't sexy can you imagine what he'll say about a big vacuum-hose attachment stuck to my face?! Sigh...

Anyway, I'm going to suck it up and go ahead and do this study. I can't keep putting this off. I may go to sleep one day and not wake up, and that REALLY wouldn't be sexy.