If you're like most busy gamers, you sneak in play at odd hours. Maybe a quick DS break in the bathroom and a lengthy PC or console run while the rest of the family is in bed. If it’s the only time you can enjoy your favorite M-rated games, you'll stay up at least once a week until you can't keep your eyes open. The problem with these late night excursions is that they eat away at your sleep time, which - over many years - can severely erode your health.
Especially if, like me, you have sleep apnea.
I actually went to the doctor because my snoring was keeping awake GrrlGotGame (who's a very light sleeper), and she mentioned that she thought I had stopped breathing on occasion - a classic symptom of sleep apnea. I'm such a deep sleeper myself, I wouldn't notice if I partially awoke gasping for air - which is the extreme version of this.
The only daytime symptom I noticed was, a few years back, I started developing a particularly bad case of the late afternoon sleepies, which prompted me to get my thyroid checked. Negative. So I just corrected it in typical Seattle fashion: lots of coffee.
My doctor recommended I see a specialist to find out whether I qualified for a sleep study, an expensive proposition but one that my insurance would mostly cover. I agreed, and was promptly admitted for an overnight at Harborview Medical Center. They put me up in a faux hotel room with no windows behind the curtains and a great sleep tech who also happened to be a gamer. As he wired me up with sensors and instructed me on proper protocols, we chatted about our favorite games. He was playing The World Ends With You - his favorite pastime when not watching people toss and turn on the monitors all night - and nearly convinced me to try it.
After a bunch of calibration exercises to ensure all of the sensors were working, I plugged in my iPod and tried to drift off to sleep. It was the worst night of my life. It felt like I woke up a dozen times; the official report says I awakened 35 times PER HOUR due to a recorded 91 apneas (no breathing) and 278 hypopneas (very shallow breathing). During the worst part of the night, my poor respiration brought my oxygen levels so low that it was comparable to sleeping near the summit of Mount Everest!
All I knew was that I felt like hell and still had to wash the sensor gunk from my hair.
The next step was to have a second sleep study, this time using a treatment device known as CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). It's basically a small blower/humidifier that pushes air through your nose to make your breathing consistent. I heard several times that, when effective, this was the "gold standard of care" with the power to cure both apnea and snoring without the need for unpleasant surgery (which comes with lengthy recovery and a much worse batting average for results).
I was fitted for a mask (I went with the in-nose version, though it's largely a matter of what's comfortable for you) and was wired up like before. My second sleep tech was less of a talker (though he admitted to being a Civilization Revolution fan). I did get a much better night's sleep and, once the data was collated and reviewed, prescribed my very own CPAP machine.
CPAP only works if you use it consistently; its number one point of failure is lack of compliance. People stop using it because they are uncomfortable or for other personal reasons, such as the feeling that being on a machine is a sign of weakness. At first I felt a little like I was wearing a hospital respirator, though in reality the device doesn't breathe for you - it just gives you a constant airflow so you'll breathe normally. The machine is set to a prescribed airflow designed to provide just enough air to correct the apnea without overpowering your natural breathing.
Despite the fact that I have severe apnea (my index score was 56, which is pretty high), it takes a very low setting on the CPAP to correct it. This has to do with muscle tone related to breathing, which fluctuates from person to person and has little correlation with how strong physically you might be. As you get better quality sleep, your muscle tone (and overall energy levels) may improve, so your doctor may need to adjust your prescription over time. As a result of treatment, you may find previously unattainable goals for weight loss and fitness achievable, since better sleep reduces fatigue and could make you more active. Your concentration and reflexes may even improve, making you a better gamer!
The converse is true, too. Untreated, sleep apnea can lead to a downward health spiral where you become less fit and the apnea worsens. Other symptoms may include shortness of temper. I'm personally convinced that sleep apnea is underdiagnosed and a great contributor to road rage, marital strife and other anger-triggered incidents.
Personally, I feel much calmer on a daily basis, and I'm far less prone to zone out in the late afternoon. I find that I have more energy for family, work and chores - not to mention gaming. And I'm much less likely to die of a heart attack when I'm 60 due to years of strain caused by lack of oxygen during sleep.
And if I want to shave an hour or two off my sleep schedule once every few days for some late night gaming, the quality rest that I do get (at least six hours) will help balance things out so I'm not completely shot the next day.
As luck would have it, my son broke his arm while I was off picking up my CPAP. We rushed him to surgery and I ended up plugging in the machine next to a hospital cot in his room. I only got five hours sleep that night, but it was good sleep and I felt almost refreshed. I haven't missed a night on CPAP in more than six months, and my doctor has declared me "cured" as long as I stick with it. I will.
If for no other reason, so I can finish Fallout 3 and Oblivion someday.
-=Gamewatcher
Comments (6)
GW,
Please re-consider the title of your post. Sleep apnea is a pretty serious thing, I agree, and I'm glad you got it successfully diagnosed & treated. I did a sleep study after I first got married and my snoring was keeping my wife up, and I was diagnosed with borderline apnea (I had the "stopped breathing" thing only a few times the whole night). I had a deviated septum and elected to go with corrective surgery (I've been cut on so many times in my life that surgery to me is just not scary or worrisome anymore) rather than the CPAP 'cause having that thing on my face actually made me sleep WORSE.
But that's neither here nor there. The title of your post and the first paragraph leads one to believe that what you're saying is that staying up late gaming will slowly kill a person. Inasmuch as sleep deprivation isn't good for anyone, it's completely at odds with the rest of the post, which goes into a personal level of detail explaining that apnea, not gaming, was "slowly killing you". Now that you've cured your apnea, staying up late a night or two a week is perfectly fine, says your last couple of paragraphs, completely contradicting your post's title. Gaming is certainly NOT slowly killing you, nor me, nor anyone else who gets adequate amounts of sleep mixed in with their gaming.
JT
Posted by JT | February 5, 2009 6:18 AM
Posted on February 5, 2009 06:18
Hi JT,
The headline is designed to provoke a reaction - and it clearly it did in your case. It was meant to grab the attention of people who have a late night gaming habit and may have undiagnosed sleep apnea on top of that. In that situation, gaming would be "slowly killing you."
It's also worth reinforcing that sleep is necessary and should be budgeted or you risk health erosion, though in the throes of a gaming binge it's often hard to turn off that PC or console and go to bed. Even without the apnea, I (and others like me) struggle with finding that right balance. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can contribute to obesity and other health risks (Lack of sleep may be deadly, research shows, "People who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease" - Reuters 2007). This may even contribute to the loss of muscle tone that can trigger apnea in people who have the physical propensity for it. It's worth noting that apnea isn't so much hereditary as the physical traits that lead to it may be inherited.
I believe that in my article I preached moderation in sleep deprivation, which is a relatively new stance for me. I've always fought against maximizing sleep over other activities (particularly gaming), and that - I've learned - is not healthy under any circumstances. With my newfound knowledge, I have sought much more balance and proactively go to bed "early" (which is midnight to 1 a.m. for me) much more often, sacrificing prime game time.
I'm glad that you provided the surgery perspective, since that's one I don't have personal experience with and clearly there are situations where it's both warranted and preferable.
Posted by Gamewatcher
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February 5, 2009 8:27 AM
Posted on February 5, 2009 08:27
I admit the title provoked a reaction from me, confusion. I accept your explanation in the comments, but typcially titles state whats in the body. Most of the body is about sleep apnea. Anyway, I am sure that is enough constructive critisim for the day. It’s a good story, I remember your twitter about your son’s accident, (hope this is from a while ago and it didn’t happen again!). My dad has sleep apena and was also given CPAP, but it is really hard for him to fall asleep with it. Hope all goes well with you, and like everything in life, gaming should be “Always in moderation”.
Posted by razorace1
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February 5, 2009 4:01 PM
Posted on February 5, 2009 16:01
Yeah I'd have to agree, headline's only value is attention getting, it doesnt match the rest of the article at all. The headline really only correlates with the first three short paragraphs. I'd change the title to "gaming and sleep apnea; a killer combination". You made a very brief mention on self induced sleep deprivation, tied it to sleep apnea with a single sentence, but did very well on your personal reflection of sleep apnea.
Otherwise great article on sleep apnea. I took am a gamer with sleep apnea but I only had an API of 15 per hr, and my pressure is set at 8cm H2O...being a respiratory therapist I have seen many patients who have refused CPAP .
How did you like the nasal pillows? I found they didnt provide me with enough flow, I was waking up air hungry so I actually went to the full face.
Posted by craig | February 5, 2009 11:42 PM
Posted on February 5, 2009 23:42
If I had titled the article "Gaming and sleep apnea almost killed me," the typical reaction would be: "Whoa, sucks to be you. Glad that's not me." Even if, perhaps, it is you.
Keep in mind that most people with chronic ailments do not know they have them, and many are not receptive to the idea that they might. I should know, I worked in chronic illness community for several years and have been touched by it long before my own sleep apnea surfaced. And I'd have to admit that I put off getting my snoring checked out a bit longer than I should have.
In my mind, gamers are already at high risk for health issues since they tend to burn the candle at both ends. I know that I did, long before the fatigue symptoms crept in. Adult gamers have even greater risk since they have to juggle work and family too. If a gamer takes away from this that perhaps he or she should be more aware of sleep apnea just in case they or someone they love develop symptoms - or, already have them and didn't realize it - the article did its job.
The goal of a good headline is that it gets your attention and draws you in. It should not be misleading, but in this case I don't believe it is. Fact: Gaming, without balance, can slowly kill you. Sure, you could say that about most things, but in this case there's a real measurable risk that is treatable for some and manageable for others. All I suggest here is that people be aware. The more people aware, the better.
As for the question on nasal pillows, I tried a couple different sizes and styles but ultimately went back to the first one I was fitted with. It's good to try several configurations so you're sure you have the best for you. It's a very individual thing, so what works for one person won't for another. Also, always have a backup in case it starts to leak air.
Posted by Gamewatcher
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February 6, 2009 2:24 AM
Posted on February 6, 2009 02:24
The headline is designed to provoke a reaction - and it clearly it did in your case.
Understandable - eyeballs and all that. But do you really want that reaction to be of the same kind as we all experience when we read MSM headlines saying, "Man knifed 27 times - is the XBox to blame?"? That of rolling one's eyes and immediately putting a "this guy doesn't know what he's talking about" film over everything we subsequently read (deserved or not, it's usually there after a headline like that)?
The two comments you've made went a long way to explaining why you wanted to write the post and why you wanted to write it the way you did, and if those had been included in the OP, it would have gone a long way towards tempering the outlandishness of the headline by making the connection stronger between the two "things that could kill you if left unchecked". And Holy Run-on Batman!
Posted by JT | February 6, 2009 6:59 AM
Posted on February 6, 2009 06:59