The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Sleep Apnea Blues

by Dan
(San Jose)

I have sleep apnea. Basically it means I don't breathe enough when I sleep, so my body wakes me up. My particular brand was about 62 times a night. This went on for two years until I was diagnosed. Two years of bare minimum REM.


I was literally going out of my mind. I had become a different person. I was tired ALL the time. I had less fun, less friends, my life was sliding into one big yawning blur, and had pretty bad cravings for late night snacks that turned into late night meals. I remember driving home every day with my head bobbing from the need to sleep in rush hour traffic. I think it's a miracle I didn't crash.

My condition was so bad that sometimes I would feel better pulling an all nighter than trying to sleep, cause at least with an all nighter I wasn't hoping to fall asleep and not being able to.

At the end of the day, now that I've had my breathing machine for a year now, I'm honestly still not 100%. But I'm sure as heck getting back to where I was.

Moral of the story, if you can't sleep, see a doctor, dude. And if you have a narrow throat/over weight/ Snore like a wood chipper, you might have Sleep Apnea, and the cure is a cool little Darth Vader mask you wear while you sleep.

Comments for Sleep Apnea Blues

Click here to add your own comments

May 15, 2011
 Wise Words
by: Kevin Morton

Wise words, Dan. Thanks for sharing 'em. And I'm with ya--a Darth Vader mask is a heck of a lot cooler than turning into a zombie during the day.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to The Effects of Sleep Deprivation.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

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.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

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

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.