Until he got treatment, Kevin Pfister was one of the more than 40 million Americans who are chronically ill with various sleep disorders, not counting the other 30 million who have sporadic sleep problems.
For years, Pfister went through his days groggy and unexcited about life.
"I was tired all the time, no energy, no motor," the 46-year-old Victoria man said. "I was always giving people excuses why I was tired all the time: 'I work nights. I'm getting older.' None of those are excuses for being tired all the time."
Seven years ago, Pfister learned he had sleep apnea, a sometimes-deadly disorder that affects 18 million Americans, plus another 12 million who are estimated to be undiagnosed.
The disorder is marked by frequent pauses in breathing, labored or reduced breathing during sleep.
"It made me less productive," Pfister said. "On my days off, I'd wake up at 9 a.m. -- my wife would wake me up -- and I'd get up and go to the recliner and fall asleep again. I didn't want to get out of the house or do anything."
The consequences of sleep disorders go further than to limit weekend activity. They can also be serious and even deadly. Sleep apnea can cause congestive heart failure, stroke and, it's believed, contribute to diabetes.
Of the roughly 90 sleep disorders, sleep apnea is the most prevalent, said Deya Morgan, a registered sleep technologist and co-owner of Premier Sleep Disorders Center, the only such center in Victoria, Texas.
"Some people don't make it," she said, referring to those who die in their sleep due to apnea -- a condition where body tissues obstruct the airways during sleep.
More than 38,000 Americans die due to complications from sleep apnea yearly, and the number of people who are estimated to have the disorder outnumber diabetics and asthmatics, according to an online health guide.
Although the connection between sleep apnea and heart disease is not entirely clear, a significant percentage of people with high blood pressure, heart attack, congestive heart failure and other heart problems have sleep apnea.
When you don't breath while you sleep, your brain gets alerted, and it sends a message to wake you up, Morgan said. This increases your blood pressure, and keeps you from falling into deep levels of sleep, which you need.
Pfister, the man who learned he had apnea, continues to treat the disorder today using a device called a CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure device.
The CPAP can be placed on a nightstand while you sleep, and a hose to a nasal mask that you breathe through connects it. The airflow creates enough pressure when you inhale to keep your airway open. The device is widely considered the most effective nonsurgical treatment of apnea, Pfister said.
The CPAP has worked wonders for Pfister, he said.
"I have a lot more energy. I'm not so irritable," he said. "I tolerate things a lot more than I used to, and I get a lot more done."
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