Rosie O’Donnell Treated Her Sleep Apnea, So You Should Too!

“I had a problem that I was kind of embarrassed about,”says Rosie O’Donnell. “I was tossing, turning, and snoring like a buzz saw.”

Every night, millions of people like Rosie miss out on countless hours of sleep because of sleep apnea—and many more cases go undiagnosed!

Many women going through menopause assume they have insomnia, but they may have sleep apnea. Moreover, the two conditions have similar symptoms, including daytime fatigue, mood problems, and decreased work productivity. This is why it’s so important to be tested for sleep apnea rather than try to treat your condition with over-the-counter sleep aids or blame the quality of your duvet for maintaining a healthy night’s sleep.

Sleep Apnea Myth: “I’m a light sleeper.”

Studies have shown over and over again that you, as a patient, are very poor at predicting whether or not you have obstructive sleep apnea. This is because it only happens while you are sleeping.

Sleep Apnea Myth: “I don’t snore.”

Many people think obstructive sleep apnea is severe snoring. But many people with mild to moderate conditions may not snore at all. Remember that snoring, by definition, means that one is still breathing (somewhat). Apnea means total blockage. So,if you are not breathing, you are not snoring.

Rosie’s doctor said that when she underwent a sleep test, they discovered she was waking up over 200 times during the night, and she stopped breathing for almost forty seconds.

However, this severe condition affecting many people with diabetes is treatable.

Sleep apnea is a blockage of the airway, making it difficult to breathe. When this happens, your body wakes up so you can breathe, resulting in sleep loss.

Once a proper diagnosis was reached, Rosie was treated with CPAP, or a continuous positive airway pressure machine. She admitted that after one night of use with the CPAP she noticed an incredible difference.

Could sleep apnea be slowly ruining your life and hurting your health? You’ll never know until you get tested like Rosie O’Donnell. There are many options for getting an official diagnosis of sleep apnea, including a home sleep test.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) alters glucose metabolism and promotes insulin resistance. Over time these consistently higher glucose levels lead to a higher A1C and a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

We’re talking about nighttime diabetes management with musical inspiration from Gladys Knight & The Pips courtesy of SONY Music.

Gladys Knight doesn’t have diabetes, but the disease is as close to her heart as the memories of her mother, Elizabeth Knight, who died of complications from the disease in 1997. The five-time Grammy award winner never misses an opportunity to voice the message of early detection and treatment of diabetes.

Gladys shares her final words of wisdom: ”Do something about diabetes … Know more, do more!” Knight feels nearly as passionate about spreading that message as she does about the incredible singing career her mom helped her launch some 54 years ago.

Guests include Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef, Mary Ann Hodorowicz, RD, LDN, MBA, CDCES, CEC, SleepyHead Central founder Tamara Sellman RPSGT, CCSH, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.

Sleep Apnea Is No Joke!

Sleep

Should people joke about sleep apnea? Unfortunately, for people with sleep apnea, it’s no laughing matter.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 18 million people have sleep apnea, with up to 80 percent of people undiagnosed.

American Sleep Apnea Association defines sleep apnea in adults as a cessation of breath that lasts at least 10 seconds and in children as a cessation of breath that lasts the equivalent of two and a half missed breaths. This reduction in airflow can lower oxygen in the blood and lead to learning and memory problems, irritability, depression, accidents, and productivity problems at work or school.

People used to think sleep apnea only occurred in overweight people. But the truth is that all age groups, both sexes, and both large and small body types are affected.

If you have diabetes, sleep apnea can make it more challenging to manage your diabetes. This is because when your breathing pauses while you sleep, there is an increase in carbon dioxide in your blood. This leads to:

  • Insulin resistance so that the body doesn’t use insulin effectively. This causes more sugar in the bloodstream leading to high blood sugars.
  • Chronic elevated blood pressure.
  • A higher incidence of heart problems or cardiovascular disease.
  • Early morning headaches

What can be done about it?

If your case is mild, you may only need to make some lifestyle or behavioral changes, including losing weight, quitting smoking, and avoiding alcohol.

More severe apnea cases require more treatment using a continuous positive airway pressure device or dental appliances. In some cases, surgery might be an option.

Remember, sleep apnea can have detrimental consequences on your health and all aspects of your life, including work productivity and interpersonal issues.