British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

Speaking from 30 years as a nurse, and commonly having to deal with sleep issues, even managing forced sleep as a therapy option, (narcotherapy) I think we all need to be aware of the costs it will have on our health, In macs case his position of working shifts will have very heavy reasons behind his body and sleep debt, especialy if we look at the circadian clock, and how in his case the body will be trying to adjust it self to that change.

I am aware we often can feel compelled to work nights, even for the finer things in life like money, away from the family dynamics, or feeling unable to manage day time activities all work practices will have. In fact I used to work permanent nights, then after 10 years asked for a change due to family commitments, it was a very big wrench in many ways, both mentaly and physicaly and even after 2 years still had the long term issues of adjusting back, today 15 years later I still wake in the early hours fresh as a chicken, wanting to get on with the day, yet by 8-00am sluggish, no it may not be all due to osa. Remember all old habits die very hard, and may linger for some time, especialy with sleep deprivation.

People may think that sleeping pills will be the answer, but with most hypnotics having an addictive/habit forming process, in the longer term I would suggest it may not and in fact will often make things much worse. There is an abundance of resreach on unhealthy work practices, especialy shift work, & how it has very serious issues with physical and mental ill health, knowing it is probably the main course for most diseases to manifest it self and or develop in our bodies, hence has some very serious affects on our immune system.

It is all to easy to think we can just pop this pill and make things better, in fact this is probably the route course for most longer term compliance issues we often have with cpap, lets not forget though that sleep is most commonly the most reliable therapy we need when unwell, hence time off work to recover, paving a way for rest and recuperation, unfortunatly our buisness ethics style, gives little space for it today and sadly much less than it did 20 years ago, when I was so heavily involved with working conditions.

I would suggest in the longer term there will be a pressure to make legal cases, against employers and managing poor working practices, as we know is happening in parts of Europe, and in the USA, yet having totaly different approaches to try and manage it.

we are born with a need for 18 hours sleep, we will die due to a lack of it yet develop a need for the 18 hours again just before our demise. Mac look at how you can get that sleep need, at least 7 to 8 hours even if power napping, get into a routine and keep with it fella, remember your copd, and cardiac rythm problems, I would suggest they both have direct links to osa, and compliance with it, along with sleep deprevation, knowing that crazy little blood pumper, is working 24 hours per day, and only time it has to get some partial rest, is when we are asleep.

well mac, we now know children and babies can have osa, and only until as late as 2000, it was often displayed as IDS (INFANT DEATH SYNDROME)

I honestly do not know, but would suggest there are very big possibilities, as many children today are born with many small genetic abnormalities of their breathing systems, such as trachea, lung lobe or alveoli sack problems. or developed due to their mothers life style during preganacies, even if unkonwn at that time. We also need to be aware, it is only in the last 5 years in this country that all new borns are now screened for osa syndrom, also that the babies ability to breath unrestricted often does not become fully capable until after 30 weeks. lets be honest even as late as 30 years ago birth was still seen as a mirracle, probably not down to basics such as life or need.

I am aware only from a paper I was reading yesterday that this issue is alive and kicking with several very eminant people giving thought to that issue, where a link between osa and a type of epilepsy was discovered in canada, with the teen age children, and use of phenobarbs etc. yet obesity or weight was not even mentioned. I Know from my family issue that my mother not overweight was a very bad snorer, and often choked in her snoring, and was on the latter medication, yet was not known to have fits, or seizures. I also know my older brother under average weight, used to snore and stop breathing when asleep, most of his adult life. I think the answer remains whilst it is still a syndrome, it will always have these questions. Pobably the original medics describing it pickwickian syndrome, from Dickens novel the fat boy, may well be proved wrong, unfortunatly they will have to convince many people who has no intension of changing their mind.

In the end I feel I know more about this "disease", I may not like all it's connotations, but will not loss sleep and blame myself of having it, knowing others may want me to, if only on cost grounds.

mac it may not exactly be osa, but peoples ignorance about snoring, and the quality of life changes that takes place, along side of peoples unwillingness to take responsibility of them selves until too late.

We here with osa, and daily managing cpap have already done that even if just by the fact we tirelesly work to achieve a fair nights sleep, when 80% population do not give it a thought, yet of that 80% probably as much as another 60% will snore and deny responsibility of that original complaint.

Rest my wisdom master.

regarding flu vaccine, the vaccine the government has used is at least 15 years old, and the issue of flu mutating is not new, as such it is expected and planned for, as such each year a newer mutating form will jsut be added to the older style and matured for use.

If we humans are going to get a reaction, it will most often be from the pathogens theyn have used to develop it, that is very rare, as our own immune system is very flexible and can overcome most problems, unless we already have an intollerance to one of the pathogens, that can develop even after having it in the past. The risks are very low indeed, and often are found out well before it develops into severity, even if just by what we have eaten or taken in life generaly.

Keep focused, flu affects all our respiratory mucus cells, as such it will produce much more mucus than often people can cope with, so if you already have a respiratory tract condition you should seriously consider it. But if your respiratory tract is good condition, and your lungs have a good volume, I would doubt even if getting flu, it will be of great issue to you, if only just taking 5 days aside to recover.

I wish Mac would get writing on his journal again ,it was great reading .

Come on Pat get writing again !!!

Gazby

My journal makes no sense because I asked for myself to be romoved from the site and all the posts were lost.

I came back about two weeks later

mac

Gazby

There are more of my journals unfortunatly you can only see the reples form over members.

mac