A reader writes:
A wife's perspective here. My husband was very overweight, and snored a lot, but I always figured he didn't have sleep apnea because he had so many dreams and I thought dreams only came with deep sleep. But what dreams they were. He was often in a fight, or tackling someone in a football game, and once even slugged me hard in his sleep as he was dreaming of fending off an attacker.
When he was finally diagnosed, the doctor explained that his dreams were actually his mind's response to the panic his body was feeling as it gasped for air. No wonder so many of them were violent. It's been six years now. Like you, my husband never goes anywhere without his CPAP. Made all the difference in the world.
Another writes:
I see that you used my comment about use of a neti pot. I hope it helps someone else. I've been thinking again about using a CPAP machine. My wife has been out of town this week, so she has not been there to flip me over on my stomach when I stop breathing. That has resulted in several very bad nights.
Another:
Last year, my sister found her boyfriend dead. He had fallen asleep at his computer without his machine on. They called his death "positional asphixiation." He was 37 years old. I implore everyone to take sleep apnea very seriously, and if a doctor tells you to wear a CPAP, please do.