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Comment by Levitz | Hacker News Reader

>He recognized the signs of sleep apnea and pursued treatment with sleep apnea devices, getting confirmation of the problem with the help of his doctor.

It actually baffled me that it wasn't his doctor who picked this up. A person waking up several times with confirmation from someone sleeping besides him that he has stopped breathing, I'm no doctor and gee maybe it's because there are a few cases in my family but that screams "sleep apnea" to me.

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Especially now. Sleep apnea is a big cash cow for medical networks.

Normally if you mention a problem even somewhat in the neighborhood of sleep apnea you’re shoved into the funnel for sleep studies and CPAP devices.

Yeah, I said "I caught myself stopping breathing while I was drifting off to sleep, and my wife believes it has happened since" to my primary doctor, and got a referral to a specialist, to whom I repeated that statement, who referred me to a sleep study.

That first meeting with the specialist was a profound waste of money, but at least it got me in the door. Since then, the CPAP has helped some, but it is just as likely to wake me up too early (I toss a lot in my sleep and it doesn't always stay sealed).

As it should be, honestly. Not getting quality sleep is a huuuge health risk, and can be solved very simply. It’s a wonder medical networks aren’t handing CPAPs out for free.

Absolutely no cases in my family, and it's still screaming sleep apnea. I mean, apnea literally means "stops breathing".

A doctor who doesn't recognize that is maybe not the best possible doctor. To put it very mildly.

Exactly, I was thinking this was about sleep apnea after the first two paragraphs.

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