Dear Bree,

Knew sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, but not depression.

Had been diagnosed years ago with borderline sleep apnea years ago. 

My oldest brother has sleep apnea.

As for myself, my youngest brother told me that he never heard someone snore as loud as me, so loud the whole house can hear it. He and his wife actually got up in the middle of the night to check on me.

Don't know if it is related, but my dentist but tells me I show signs of grinding my teeth at night.

Your friend,

Monica

Hi Monica!  I was researching the apnea thing because I have a certain level of distrust for doctors due to several instances of not being taken seriously over my asthma medications and that emergency surgery issue in the past, and that is when I came upon the depression info. I hadn't known either.  But the research was out there, as well as it making a certain logical sense that a brain deprived of oxygen can't function properly.  I wasn't sold on whatever was going on in my chest being this, but I am now as it's all pretty much cleared up now that I use the machine nightly.  And I've regulated to a normal sleeping pattern again, bonus!   

In my reading I was astounded at how many people die a year not knowing they are at risk or that it's fixable, it's millions.  I honestly don't know how to process that information other than to put it on all my social places, hey peeps, consider looking into this if you have these issues.  Because millions every year.  

Also advocate for yourself and loved ones.  Nikki passed the verbal quiz the doctor gave us, but I insisted on the testing.  Since my insomnia was still in full swing before I got the machine, I had plenty of time nearly every night to realize there was literally no breath sounds or movement, and just before I was reaching to wake him up in a panic there would be this horrifying, horror movie wet gupling gasping noise I can't describe, he'd roll over and breath again.  So the doctor ordered the test, with a clear 'humoring the crazy woman' air at me, but the results were REALLY bad an apparently at an emergency level, where mine was just classed severe.  In fact, they got Nikki the cpap within a month, with an automatic response unit to get the machine to him as fast as possible, while I had to undergo sleep titration at a sleep center after my iniitial diagnostic test and it took about four months from initial test to machine arrival.   We've talked a lot about it now that he's been using it for months, and swears that is absolutely is helping the depression.  It can't magic it away, as the root causes of it aren't purely physical in his case, but he welcome's the relief and did years of therapy for the ptsd from the childhood trauma and takes antidepressents and has a good quality of life again.  I'm really happy about that!

Another cliche of the day apparently, doctors may want to do well in their jobs, but no one cares about your safety as deeply as you or your loved ones I guess. 

Dear Bree,

Have severe allergies and moderate asthma.

Probably I should be sleep tested again.

Years ago I participated in a research study to see if acupuncture can help irritable bowel syndrome (it does!) and I found it helped my mental health, too (it made me calmer and more relaxed).

Unfortunately, acupuncture is not covered by Medicare/Medicaid. 

Thankfully, I have always had excellent care (I aggressively advocate for others and myself).

Your friend,

Monica

That is my new fact for the day, I didn't now Accupuncture had mental health benefits too. : )   

My allergies have started to settle down after decades living in this state.  One of the things they don't tell you about big moves (I live roughly six hundred miles from where I grew up, and grew up literally across the world from where I was born) is that allergies and immunities can be an issue.  Fortunately in my personal case exposure in daily life appears to have had some therapeutic effects and ithe reactions are much duller than it was my first decade here.  I wish you the best conquering yours, allergies have such an impact on life quality in my personal opinion (aside form the obvious potential threat to actual life some people struggle with).