For several years, I have known that I have sleep apnea or at least suspected that I did. My mother had it and my eldest brother has it as well. My brother said that I should get tested and start using a cpap machine when I sleep. He had several times where he fell asleep during work, which is never good for a man that operates heavy machinery. He said that the results are night and day as far as he was concerned.

I was pretty resistant to be honest. For several years, the effect of this problem seemed manageable. The tests seemed too expensive and I did not want to pay for it. Going to a hospital in Beijing is an experience that no one wants to repeat. So many excuses. This past year, however, seemed to just accumulate my problems. I have difficulty studying. Heck, I have difficulty being in class. My teacher probably think I am the most bored student, with all the yawning and dozing I do in class. I have missed so as it is. Really the issue is that I have a weight problem, which I refuse to address and which has only become worse as a side effect of this apnea.

On Monday the 10th, I finally had a sleep test done. The results came back pretty bad. In about 7 & 1/2 hours of sleep, I had a total of 38 minutes of REM sleep. Since then, I have tried repeatedly to get an appointment with the doctor to talk about options from here – whether a cpap, a bi-pap, or some other option. Tomorrow, I finally have the appointment and hopefully I can get the ball rolling. My world needs to change and I need a good night’s sleep. Something I have not had in years.