Ep 003: Sleep Apnea and Hypersomnia, stories behind Stacy and CPAPBabes
Guest: Stacy Edwards
By Yishan Xu, Ph.D.
TODAY’S GUEST
Stacy Erickson Edwards is a sleep disorders advocate and the creator of CPAPBabes.com.
She is working to raise awareness for sleep disorders and to help people with sleep disorders live better lives. She lives in Seattle with her husband, son and cats.
WHAT WILL WE LEARN
What are some of the symptoms of sleep apnea.
How to get a diagnosis and find out what’s going on exactly.
Why is it important to diagnose and treat sleep apnea?
Treatment for Stacy’s sleep apnea
CPAP machine is very helpful.
What can help CPAP machine usage easier?
Get support!
support through follow up from sleep clinic and sleep doctors.
support from online communities and resources
Positive mindset
Consider psychotherapy
Treatment for Stacy’s hypersomnia
treat sleep apnea first
medication
RESOURCES
Stacy’s website: www.CPAPBabes.com
Stacy’s Instagram: @cpapbabes
Project sleep: https://project-sleep.com/
The helpful youtube channel she mentioned: TheLankyLefty27
Thank You for Listening!
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Transcript
- 0:02
Welcome to deep into sleep with Dr. yishan xu. Let's improve sleep quality and live a healthy life together. Let's go deep into sleep. And now please welcome your host Sean.
- 0:19
Welcome to Episode 003. Can you imagine for 15 years of your life, you've been feeling so sleepy during the daytime? You cannot keep awake when you're doing something important day after day and could not figure out why no matter how many doctors how many exams you have seen you have taken. This is exactly what our today's guest Stacy Erickson Edwards has experienced. She struggled with fatigue tiredness sleepiness for so many years. eventually got diagnosed and received the treatment. Later, she created. See pap babes calm, and she worked really hard to raise awareness for different sleep disorders, and to help those with sleep disorders to live a better life. Let's hear about her story.
Hi, Stacey, thank you very much for coming to deep into sleep.
- 1:27
Thank you for having me.
- 1:29
So I know you have built a great community about sleep apnea and been you know, through your own journey of that. So I'm just wondering, do you share with all of us your journey of getting diagnosed? How did you find out you have sleep apnea?
- 1:49
Well, it took a really really really long time unfortunately. And part of the reason that I'm doing what I do with my blog which is C fat babes, calm to raise awareness that so that it doesn't take people as long to get diagnosed because I felt really sick for a really long time. So I think I started having sleepiness around 15. And I didn't get to set for a sleep study until I was I believe I was 31. So that's about 18 years. So it's really important to me to get the word out, because Luckily, sleep apnea is a pretty easy thing to treat. I mean, depending on who you ask, I think I thought it was pretty easy to wait because all I had to do is get my C pap going and get it at the right pressure and tweak a little bit and it's you know, you don't there's other ways to treat it. But see, that's really kind of just an easy, natural way to do it. That doesn't take a lot so, so the other thing I like to do is just tell people, that it's, it's okay to have a cheap app. It's a it's not a bad thing. I think a lot of People see sleep and they think of it negatively. But it actually can really save your life. So, so I started flipping this around 15. And then I, I think what's so hard for me is that I because I'm not I wasn't very educated. It took me I never even thought to ask for a sleep study. And I think that's kind of where I'm directing people now who asked me for advice. If they're sleepy, I say, the best thing to do is to go get a sleep study. That's what Yeah, you should. I should have done that first, but it never crossed my mind because because sleep apnea, I think, is people think a certain type of person have sleep apnea, they usually think when they think sleep apnea that they think men, they think people who are overweight, they think people have maybe big necks, and that and that's not necessary that that can't those all can be risk factors. And it's more common for people who have those qualities to have sleep apnea. However, I don't know if it's actually more common. Or if it's just other people are diagnosed last, because doctors don't look at, you know, young women and say, Oh, you could have sleep apnea. So, right.
- 4:08
So I was wondering, you mentioned, you have felt some symptoms since age, possibly 15. And took you 16 years to find the right diagnosis, and then the treatment. Do you want to share with us a little bit? What were the symptoms you experienced all those years? What make you wondering, something's wrong.
- 4:30
So mostly, I was just really, really sleepy. And I knew something was wrong, but the doctors kept telling me that it was normal. And I think a lot of people with sleep disorders experienced this. So when I was 15, I would go to school and I come home, and I'd lay down for a nap like right away, usually around three or four and then usually sleep till seven. I'd be up for a couple hours and then I'd go back to bed. So this was like probably starting when I was 15. I would do this every day. And so my mom took me to the doctor and they said Well, let's test you for anemia. And we'll test you for mono and we'll test your thyroid. And if those are normal, it's probably just teenagers stuff. So they did that everything came, I think I am a little anemic off and on, but usually I would resolve the anemia, I take iron supplements, and then I would still be tired. So so I was kind of Yeah, I was like, Okay, well, maybe it's just normal that I'm just tired. There's obviously nothing wrong. So, and that I mean, I basically had that same appointment. Throughout my 20s. I would go to the doctor and they said, well, let's check you for these five things. Sometimes I would get an email they do. And it was over and over again, the same thing over and over again. But the and during this time, I was napping all the time. I was just really sleepy. I I'm an I'm a nanny. And I remember when I was in college, I would drop the kids off at soccer and then go back to their house and nap on the couch while they're at soccer and then go pick them up for a nap in my car while they're at soccer just napping all the time. And then I just thought either it was normal or what could I do? I didn't it didn't even cross my mind to do a sleep study. So,
- 6:06
right. So sounds like you definitely had the symptoms of a typical symptom of sleep apnea, which is excessive daytime sleepiness. So you nap a lot sounds like you, you find yourself need a lot of sleep. But do you? Do you feel refreshed afterwards?
- 6:26
No, never.
- 6:28
That actually, that actually took a little bit more for me to get there. But the other interesting thing is that the reason I never suspected sleep apnea is because I actually don't snore. Or if I do, it's not very noticeable. Because I even I was with my husband when I got diagnosed. And I told him, I have sleep apnea. He goes, No, you don't. Because he has it. And he snores loudly, but I don't snore. And I'm a little overweight, but but I've had symptoms since I was not overweight. So I suspect if I lost weight, it probably would Go away. I think really what, why, why I have sleep apnea could be because of inflammation in my nasal passages and my, my throat, and people just don't think about that. They just think it's like, oh, it's because you're fat or whatever. And that's not always the case. And even if it is, that's okay, too. You know,
- 7:19
you're happier and that's, that's fine.
- 7:21
Yeah, that's such a good point. Because I know a lot of people have this misunderstanding that if you snore, maybe you have sleep apnea, if you don't snore, no way. Or if you have a like, you gain a lot weight, or you write and body fat or that may be related, but not anything else. But actually there are definitely gender difference about the symptoms of sleep apnea,
- 7:52
and it seems to affect women more so my, my husband and I both had it and we were both untreated and he He was he wasn't napping all the time. Like I was he was just a little cranky and whatever. Um, but it really it really, really affected me. I just I almost I felt like I was I say I was on the verge of death. Because it's you kind of are. It's very sleep apnea is very dangerous. And it can, it can kill you, unfortunately. But I really I hate to be like scary like that. But it can it can. Really it's very hard on your heart. It's very hard on your on your brain because your brain is just not getting oxygen all night long. So, so I really try to tell people that like if you really do have to take it seriously. It's not just snoring. I think a lot of people think oh, sleep apnea it sorry. No, it's like it's stopping your body from getting oxygen several times during the night. So that's a huge problem.
- 8:49
Right? That's such an important message. It's really good point. I think it's not I know it's scary, but I think I totally agree with you. A lot of people really They need to know that how dangerous that could be. And that can increase the risk of getting stroke, heart disease, all kinds of health problem. You're right, it definitely can cause severe harm to your body to your brain and lead to death early on.
- 9:20
Yeah. And also, there's smaller things that actually treating it can help with just when you're sleepy, it's, I mean, I know it sounds crazy, but when you're sleepy, it's harder to control your impulses. You know, like, and it's harder to like, when you're asleep, you crave carbs. So even I feel like I've forgotten c Pap, I lost a little bit of weight because I wasn't doing all these bad habits that I would do when I was sleepy. So it's just easier to it's just your brain works better. It just works more efficiently and you can make better choices and you can, you have more energy to kind of focus and manage things better. So It's really, it's really powerful. So yeah, that's it. I mean, I was so relieved to get the sleep study. But I was shocked when I heard I had sleep apnea. It was just totally out of nowhere. I'm like, No, I can't have sleep apnea. I'm not the type of person who gets sleep apnea. And then I learned, any type of person can get sleep apnea. It's not limited. Kids can get sleep apnea, actually. It's actually pretty common.
- 10:23
Right? Kids can have sleep apnea at very early age. It's possible or woman who are pregnant can develop sleep apnea first time in their life also. Yeah, wow, my journey.
- 10:36
It's interesting, because actually, when I was pregnant, I had to have my pressure adjusted because my body was so different. That I needed to do and then after I was, and then I had the baby and I was like, Why? Why is my throat cracked? Like it was really weird. I was having a weird feeling in my throat was almost like crackling. And I was getting too much air. I'm like, Oh, my body's changed. I have to get my pressure adjusted again. So it's very interesting how how different it can be. At different times in your life,
- 11:01
yes, yes, our body's changing. And we really need to monitor that and take care of ourself. Definitely. Yeah. So how did you find a place to do sleep study? any doctor suggests that to you?
- 11:17
Well, so what happened is I went to I had been seeing the doctor, same doctor for seven years, and I went in, and I was I was like, beyond desperate, and I was just, she didn't see me a while she knew my personality. But I asked the doctor for drugs. I said, this is not working anymore. I'm very, very tired. And I need you to give me Ritalin. And she and I'm not a drug seeking person. She knew this and she's like, Okay, this is serious that she's asking for this very controlled drug. So she said, Well, I can't do that. Let's get you a sleep study instead. So I wish I would have asked for hard drugs like, like before, because that's what made her do it. So I just never Was that a level of desperation where I just couldn't function? So, um, so So yeah, that's what that's what made her do it. So I'm glad glad she did. And then, and I actually what I actually thought I had narcolepsy. And that's why I wanted to get the test done because, because that's what I thought I had because I couldn't have sleep apnea, right. And my grandma also had narcolepsy. So I was like, Okay, well, it could be that. So I got my sleep study done. And they didn't overnight and then they did a daytime sleep study. I actually I didn't know this until like a couple years later, but they actually did did it wrong. So what they said was an overnight sleep study what they're supposed to do, they do an overnight sleep study, and they during that time, they can determine if you have sleep apnea or not. Um, and they did determine during that time I had sleep apnea, but they didn't tell me then before they do a daytime study, the daytime study can screen for secondary sleep disorders like narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia. They're not supposed to do that daytime study until they have treated sleep apnea. Because sleep apnea could be if you're tired from sleep apnea, it could affect your daytime study. Right? But, but they did it wrong. And so I'm actually I'm actually pretty upset about it. And I didn't know this because I'm not a professional. So they did the overnight sleep study didn't tell me anything went into the daytime study. I fell asleep. During the daytime study, what they do is they give you five naps and they see how fast you fall asleep. And if you go into REM sleep, and if you go into REM sleep on two of the naps, then usually they will give you a narcolepsy diagnosis. So, um, so I did that and I went into REM sleep on one of the naps. Um, but that doesn't necessarily mean narcolepsy because I could have just been extra extra tired because I had untreated sleep apnea for all those years. So
- 13:51
but
- 13:53
so I don't know they were I'm I'm still like, it's hard. I just kind of boggles my mind how they could do it that wrong. In for me figured out, I did have follow ups with the doctor. And she didn't really get it either. So um, so but initially what happened is I got the sleep study results back and they said you have sleep apnea, you need to see bath, got to see pap. And then I felt really weird about it. I was like, I don't want this, you know, this is a I had a really negative connotation with the bap, which I think a lot of people do, which is kind of what I why I'm doing what I'm doing. So I just started like taking these pictures. And then I was like, No, you know, this, this could be this machine could be the thing that gives me my life back. So I'm just gonna have to embrace this. And I think other people should too. It shouldn't it's it's sad that this life saving device is basically just has a horrible reputation, then people would rather die than where it essentially compliance is very low with with C pap and I think there's a number of reasons for that. But I think one of them is just because people don't like it. They think it's bad or negative and it's Doesn't have to be I think, really, Steve needs a makeover or something. It needs a reputation change, which is what I'm trying to do. Because it's, it's very helpful and it doesn't have to be bad. And there's things you can do to make it work for you. So,
- 15:15
right, great. Yes. Well, you talk about that exactly. Both clinically. And in my personal life. I see a lot of people, even though doctors, other people tell them this is so important, all this negative consequences. Still, it's really hard. It's very uncomfortable to use that machine. I tried on a machine myself. It was very scary. And for a moment, I almost had a panic attack. The first moment I put it on, and yeah, so I'm really curious, what could be helpful for people, you know, they have, they're diagnosed they maybe even have more severe symptoms. How to How to use the machine.
- 16:03
I think there's just there's a lot of things, the things that I think could help. One is I think people just need more support. I think my husband got diagnosed way before me. He went in he did a sleep study, they said you have sleep apnea, but then no one followed up with him and he didn't get a machine till like three years later. Wow. I am unfortunately, I think that's pretty common. So I think having an also the sleep clinic we used to go to it would take us months to get an appointment. And when you're on the verge of death, essentially with with, with sleep apnea, you need to have that machine. So I think follow up from the sleep clinics is huge, I think follow up. Timely follow up from the doctors is huge. And I think the DMA, DMS, the companies that provide the sleep app, I think those entities need to work together to provide support and follow up that's the number one and it just I don't I don't think see it happening? Pretty much. And that's really, really sad. Yeah. And then also on the support side, I think and there's a couple mentorship programs, but I think what really helped me is right away, I joined a support group on Facebook, I always do that, if I have something that comes up, so and I've learned a lot from that just watching what the questions or people or people are asking a lot of people have similar questions to me. And then actually searching c pap on Instagram. And that's kind of how I got started with with C fat baby was I just started taking the selfies and labelings c bap and connecting with other people. And then people would ask questions that I can't legally answer because I'm not a doctor, but I could, you know, give them my experience. So just I feel like connecting with other people who use C pap is is very helpful. So finding a place to do that. I think some clinics have support groups, or you know, there's Facebook groups YouTube was actually very helpful for me. There's a guy on there that has very informative videos on His name is on YouTube is the lanky lefty 27. And he's asleep tech and he has the best videos on on C pap like he has one about. Now they give you an automatically adjusting machine. And it's usually set at this point this very wide pressure range. And sometimes if it's uncomfortable or you feel like you're getting too much air or you're suffocating not getting enough air, you need to adjust that pressure range. But I hear over and over people say well, my machine's auto adjusting, but the auto adjusting doesn't, doesn't solve all the problems. Sometimes it still needs a different range than what it's programmed that even if it is all adjusting. So just things like that, that I could I would never know unless I did my own research because my doctor didn't even know that. I would and I'm like I'm still tired. She's like, I don't know, you know. So, um, and then then on the other side of it, I think just creating a positive mindset around it. And same with mindset. I think those types of things therapy, that could be very helpful. I know a lot of people who wear that wear the mask, they feel claustrophobic, or I know people with PTSD, they say they have a hard time sometimes because it can be really triggering. So I think sometimes therapy might be helpful. This is kind of out there. I know some people wouldn't agree with this, but I think maybe hypnosis could be a good thing too. Which sounds kind of woowoo but I think it can be helpful or there's a type of therapy called EMDR. So these things like just go with the subconscious mind. And I think if people are open to that, that might, that could be a good thing to explore. So yeah, somebody a lot of it is psychological and it's like a hate this thing. Or some people say, Oh, it reminds me of, of my dying mother who had to wear a mask or something to give her air. So it's just, I think it just gives people negativity, and I'm working to change that. But I think the media has a big responsibility to change that to be like do not show was out for a while. Well, you know, Roseanne your fan? Yeah, there's the show that it was on. They just did a big reboot and then they shut it down. In Roseanne, they had the, the father character, damn, they had him wearing a C Pap, because like he had had a heart attack before. And so this is how he was, you know, obviously had sleep apnea. He's treating it. And someone wrote an article on this Roseanne reboot, and it says Roseanne is back with all the same characters and a horrifying seatbelt mask. And I was really upset about that I actually wrote a letter I never got a response. But I said, you know, you need to change this headline about a horrifying seat that masses. This is a life saving
- 20:42
medical device, people and people see the word horrifying. And it's just further cementing in their mind that it's something they should not use, that can kill them. And that's a public safety issue. If you're have sleep apnea and you're not treating it, you're drowsy driving, it's very bad. So really, the media needs to step it up. Watch what they're saying about that, because they're contributing to it as well. And then it's the job of advocates like like me to tell them how it is. So that because some people don't even think about it, which I get, but but it needs to be thought about and there needs to be awareness of why of you. No, don't say this. This is why this is a very serious condition. So I would also love I don't I'm not there yet, but I would love to work with I see that company just to make the masks cuter, or something you can personalize. I would love to have a polka dot mask. I feel like it would be great.
- 21:37
I know.
- 21:38
I just feel like there's ways we could make them a little bit fun that would make people like to wear more. So it's, you know, it's gonna be a several year long thing but something I hope to work on for my whole life. So just I think there's a lot to it though. So it's just like, Okay, what do I have the energy to tackle and do to toward this. So right now I'm just working on it. awareness, raising awareness about Yes, you can have sleep apnea, even if you don't snore, even if you're having a different body type than the normal type, and then this mask is okay to wear and it's healthy, and you need to find support so that you can make it happen.
- 22:14
Yes, that's great. You're doing really good and important work to the community. And yeah, a lot of people want to use the PAP machine. They have physical symptoms, this mindset. And this like negative association between a mask and other kind of medical device. So it's great that you are sharing your experience and you find a lot of online resources, and you're trying to work on all these projects and going that direction. Hopefully, more and more people will realize was sleep apnea have certain symptoms, it can be dangerous, there are treatment for that. And yeah, and the drowsy driving, you mentioned Yes, drowsy driving, it's so good. dangerous. It's as dangerous as drunk driving. Yeah, definitely can kill you and other people. At least untreated sleep apnea, right? It's very likely for people in
- 23:12
my hometown a couple years ago and it was very, very sad. A man I think he was on diagnosed i don't think i think not untreated, undiagnosed and untreated. So he didn't know he had it. And he fell asleep at the wheel and he killed some kids. And it was horrible, but it's like I also of course, it was an accident, but his doctor should have been on that, you know, I think doctors should be screening for this. Um, you know, even at basic points, are you feeling sleepy? Just even a couple of questions to get people in for a sleep study, it could be an issue. And you know, there's just a lot of people are dropping the ball on it and it's not one person's fault. It's just, we all need to come together to just to recognize sleep disorders, because they're, they're very important. It's there's a big emphasis thought exercise and diet, I think just as big of an emphasis needs to be put on sleep.
- 24:04
Yes, exactly. It's so important. And I know in the medical field house field, there are also movements towards there more and more doctors from different fields are getting more specialized fellowship training, on top of other trainings, specialized in sleep area, but I'm surprised like, I yeah, I graduate in a graduate school focusing on psychology. We never had any lectures or, you know, education about sleep disorder there. And medical school I heard they used to have no, or very limited education about sleep either.
- 24:45
That was in two hours.
- 24:47
Yes, the better I think sometimes it's four hours.
- 24:53
And so, one of the things that that was interesting that came up is with my sleep study like I was saying they did it wrong. The first
- 25:01
Ray, I was wondering, did you figure out?
- 25:05
I did it. Interestingly, totally not. I didn't. I don't know how but it just kind of came to me. So when I was pregnant, actually, so I've been when I was pregnant, I'd been on sleep at that point for about two years, and I was still really tired. And I had asked my, my original doctor, my first sleep doctor, I said, I'm still tired. She's like, Well, you could have this thing called idiopathic hypersomnia. And there's really nothing you can do about it. I'm like, okay, you know, whatever. So I kind of was just like, but she didn't really explain to me what it was, or I guess, and there are more treatment options for it, but I just kind of like Well, I guess I'm stuck being tired. Or I also thought, you know, maybe sleep apnea has damaged my brain and I can never feel better just from being untreated for so long. So I didn't really know what was going on, or I didn't really think there was anything I could do. So when I was pregnant, I Went to a new sleep doctor just because I needed help adjusting my pressure on my travel machine. So I have a travel machine. I didn't know how to i, you're not supposed to adjust your own pressure. So I was taken, I like, Okay, I'm gonna take it in, you can show me, we can adjust it because I was gonna have my baby in a couple months, and I had to bring my travel machine to the hospital. So I just like I need to get this taken care of. So I go in, I brought my sleep study. And this new doctor was very, very thorough and very awesome. And he goes, Well, I'm looking at your sleep study, and they did it wrong. I'm like, What are you talking about? He goes, Well, you could have narcolepsy. And I said, Well, no, the other doctor said, I don't. She said, it's fine. And he goes, No, they did it wrong. We need to do another daytime sleep study. Because you could still have narcolepsy. If you're you know, you're still tired. This isn't. And I'm like, Oh, okay. And I thought, well, my grandma has narcolepsy. So that could make sense. And I also, I did genetic testing and I have two genetic markers for narcolepsy.
- 26:57
I see. So
- 26:59
So we said bye. You can't do the test while you're pregnant because your body's not at a normal state. So he said, Let's wait until after you have the baby wait till things have normalized a little bit and then we'll do an additional sleep study, daytime sleep study. And he was able to look at my sleep. My c pap data, he goes looking at your C pap data, your sleep apnea is 100%. under control, you use your machine every night, you're having, you know, a very limited amount of apnea episodes. So you're good on that if you're still tired, and your sleep App Data Is that good? There could be something else wrong. Okay, cool. So when my son was about, like six months old, I went and I did an overnight sleep study at a different sleep lab. And then the overnight they said, okay, obviously no issues here. You got a good night's sleep and then they did the next study. And they again, they wanted to see how fast I fell asleep and if I went into REM sleep, and what they found during that time is that I did not go into REM sleep so that did not indicate narcolepsy which is It's hard to say I still don't know how accurate that that nap test. It's called the MSL. T is for narcolepsy because I think, you know, your sleep looks different day to day. I know people who will get an eclipse diagnosis with that test and then redo it years later and then have it taken away. So I think I probably still could have narcolepsy, but I can't, there's no way I can get a diagnosis right now, unless I get a spinal tap, which I would gladly do, but no one will give me one. So um, but what they did find is that my sleep latency So on average during those five nap, so I had a full night of sleep and then I during the five naps, I would fall I fell asleep an average of 90 seconds. So very bad. That's not normal at all. Before I fell asleep very fast, but it was I had untreated sleep apnea. So you have to treat the sleep apnea before that. So I think it's interesting to me because a lot of people will be like, well, I use I'm using C Pap, but I'm not feeling any less tired. I don't feel any better and I think doctors really need to follow up with people and look further into it because there can be additional issues. And that can affect your life just as much. So I and it's hard to say obviously, because I'm not a doctor, but I have a feeling that genetics might play a part in it for me just because I do have those genetic markers. And I think we don't know a lot about sleep disorders yet. So it's hard to say exactly what's going on with me. But so with that I was able to, I was able to be put on our wakefulness medication. And then after a lot of footwork, I was able to get on medication that puts me into a deeper sleep at night. And with that, because what they think is that people with idiopathic hypersomnia similar to people with narcolepsy is they don't cycle through sleep appropriately at night. So you spend too much time in certain sleep stages and not enough time in deep sleep. So now I'm on a medication that puts me into a deeper sleep at night I feel much, much better. So there's a very hard medication to get between It's made for people with narcolepsy, but I was able to find a doctor who said that I could try it without a narcolepsy diagnosis. And, and it's working really, really well. And I just I feel about 75% better, which is huge for me. So. So it's, I mean, just that experience has made has made me even more passionate about raising awareness for sleep disorders, because I think a lot of people have them, but we're just not taken seriously. And it's important to figure out how to be your own advocate for that. And I wish I would have been my own advocate earlier in life, but I just didn't, I probably, you know, I'm 30 and 35. Now, but you know, so it's been about 20 years, I've been struggling and I just got on this medication about three months ago. And so, so yeah, I think really, if I could go back to when I was younger, I would have I think the most important thing is to ask for that sleep study. And then if you do have sleep apnea, it's very, very important to treat The sleep apnea for a number of reasons. But if you are treating sleep apnea, and you're still tired, then it shows your doctor that there is a greater issue at play. Because I think a lot of times people say, Well, this is C perhaps not helping me, I'm not going to use it. And the doctor says, Well, that's why you're still tired, you're not using your C Pap, you need to use your feedback. So so if you are still tired with feedback, you have absolutely have to keep using it. So it shows your doctors that this problem is being addressed. And I'm still tired. So we need to figure out we need to do further testing or get further information about why I'm tired and you know, there's a number of reasons why you can be tired. And sometimes it's like it is like a puzzle or some sort of huge mystery. I mean, I I've done a lot of work on it the past few years, but but if I wasn't using C Pap, no one, no one would care, they just be like, Well, you see that can help you if you can't, if you have sleep apnea and you're not treating it you they can't help you. So it's important to realize that
- 31:59
right? get it treated first and then figure out more sometime sleep apnea happens along with many other different issues, including it could be insomnia could be something else. But the treatment is important.
- 32:16
Definitely. Yeah. And there's just so many things that C pap has helped me with. It's just little weird little things like, I would get massage before I got c Pap, I would get massages and I would have lots and lots of tightness in my neck and shoulders, just unbelievable tightness. And after I started using it, my massage therapist was like, yeah, you feel a lot better. And I think it was because I was not breathing at night and everything would tense up. I'd be tense as I wouldn't breathe. And just little things like that. It's hard on my muscles. And it can be very, it can cause a lot of anxiety during the day because they think your body's like wait, I didn't breathe last night so I have to freak out now. So I think a lot of people with untreated sleep apnea can have anxiety and depression. Because good sleep can really, I mean, not getting good sleep can really affect your mental health. So it's important that if it really affects so many parts of your life, so it's important to address.
- 33:12
Yes, definitely. This is great.
- 33:16
So, I'm wondering, you have all these communities and you find all this help for yourself. I know you you build resources for people with sleep apnea, are there also how people could find you or find you, your community is bound to get support?
- 33:34
Yeah, so mostly, I'm on Instagram at sea pack babes. So C pack CPAP babes. So trying to make see that vaguely it's for all people of all gender identities, but I just thought it was fun. See that babes. And I also see that baits on YouTube and Facebook. Probably a couple other things, but Instagram is usually the best place to get ahold of me. I also sometimes do volunteer work with A nonprofit called Project sleep. So I would check them out. They have a lot of great resources a lot for people narcolepsy, but we talked about other sleep disorders, too. I'm actually going to the world sleep meeting and in September in Vancouver, BC, Oh, great. I will be there to stop by project sleeps booth and I can, I can meet you. I'll be okay. So that's awesome. So yeah, I love working with them. And Julie is there. The person who runs it and she is great. So we'll both be there. So that's exciting.
- 34:30
Yeah.
- 34:32
Yeah. That's where you can find me in person if anyone else is going to be there.
- 34:36
Yes, yes. Hopefully whoever listened to the show if wants to know more about sleep and get to meet you and get more support, can check out all this wonderful conferences and resources. There are a lot online also.
- 34:50
It's my first one. I'm very excited. Yeah.
- 34:53
Great mic. Me too. My first one, my first word sleep conference.
- 34:57
Oh, that's so cool. Well, that's exciting, but I was watching I was gonna ask you, so that's cool.
- 35:02
Yeah. Great. Okay, thank you very much, Stacy, thank you for sharing all this wonderful information, your own journey with us all. I'm sure listeners can get benefit a lot from what you just talked about.
- 35:16
Yes. Thank you so much for having me. And thanks for all you do. I really am glad to have a doctor on our side for sleep disorders. That's very important. So thank you for all you do.
- 35:25
Sleep Apnea can be a really serious condition. If you are not sure whether you have some of the symptoms, please seek professional advice. You can go to visit your primary care doctor or find a sleep doctor to help you get clear diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit our website at deepintosleep.co/. We also have a resource page, tell you how to find Find a good sleep center near you. Our show will be updated every other week for now. And I'm so excited to share many other expiring conversations I have with other guests. Please feel free to subscribe our newsletter to get notifications for upcoming show. I will see you next time.