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Had All The Classic Symptoms Of OSA And Didn't Know What Was Wrong

by CR Beverly
(Western Kenyucky, USA)

For years I had experienced daytime sleepiness, fatigue by the afternoon, awakening with headaches, snoring, nightmares and other classic symptoms of sleep apnea with no idea that I had a serious illness.


By good fortune I happened to watch a portion of a TV program that interviewed Dr. William Dement. As he discussed sleep apnea, I realized that he was describing me.

This was many years ago, and then there were no sleep labs or studies in my small town environment. I decided to go to a medical center in a big city, and was familiar with Washington University-St Louis. Their physician finder service arranged an appointment with a fine doctor who treated sleep apnea. The CPAP machines were just beginning widespread use, and I was prescribed a now-primitive Sleepdyne machine.

Although I struggled with the masks in use, my doctor had convinced me that it was essential for me to stick with treatment and I did experience almost immediate relief. By today (2014) I have used CPAP and then BiPAP machines for over 25 years and have never once considered abandoning treatment. I remain grateful for my treatment.

Comments for Had All The Classic Symptoms Of OSA And Didn't Know What Was Wrong

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Oct 20, 2014
 Thank You For Sharing
by: Kevin

Thanks so much for sharing your story. I'm really glad you were tuned into that show years ago! It's really rewarding to hear stories like that, of Dr. Dement influencing people, especially with regards to sleep apnea. Here's hoping your story can help educate someone else and nudge them towards treatment as well.

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About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

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The Stanford Sleep Book

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Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

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