Shaquille O’Neal’s Girlfriend Schools Him On Sleep Apnea

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Apparently Shaquille O'Neal(notes) snores. We probably could have guessed that. But who knew that snoring would be a danger to the big man's health?
Anyone who's ever been hit (or, as they call it, "lightly nudged") by their better half in the middle of the night knows that snoring can be pretty frustrating for the person who isn't the actual snorer. And anyone who's ever done the hitting (I don't "lightly nudge," dangit, because I've got sleep to catch on) can tell you that it is about as high on the annoyance list as annoyances get.
But most tend to get over it, as their pretty little bird tweets away deep into dreamland. That said, not everyone has to share chambers with Shaquille O'Neal, all 7-1 and 300-pound whatever of him. If your better half sounds like a hummingbird, then this guy has to come off like a full blown diesel semi-engine.
That's why his girlfriend, TV's (they tell me) Nikki "Hoopz" Alexander, asked him to take part in a sleep apnea study sponsored by Harvard University. Because, jokes aside, it must be more than a little scary when those snores briefly turn into outright silence, which apparently has happened to Shaq a few times recently.
The consequences of sleep apnea, as described by the litany of doctors early in this video, is pretty frightening. So if the little bird next to you sounds like he or she is suffering from the same condition, get them hooked up to a "poly-what?" (as Shaq puts it) as soon as you can.
Sweet dreams, Shaquille.
 

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Guys!

Since I have suffered from sleep apnea for most of my life, I can tell you it a deadly serious matter. It lowers the oxygen to the brain and increases your heart rate dramatically while you are sleeping and can result in a stroke. My father, all his brothers, and my grandfather all had strokes and did not know why. Until I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, we couldn't put the reason together. I am not over weight, never knew I snored, but did at times wake up gasping for air. I stop breathing over 600 times each night and never even know it. Each time would last nearly 30 seconds as my oxygen level would drop until my body would wake me up and my heart was racing. I now use an CPAP which provides oxygen pumped to me while I sleep in order to prevent my oxygen level to my brain from dropping.

I encourage anyone who snores to get an easy check from your doctor. All it takes is a small monitor placed on your finger for one night at home that will measure both your oxygen level, heart rate, and whether you stop breathing. It is well worth the minor inconvenience and could save your life.
 

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best defense is to just keep your body fat down, other than that I don't really know a cure
 

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RobFunk

best defense is to just keep your body fat down

You can have sleep apnea even if you are thin. I am not overweight. If you snore, have yourself checked. Don't gamble with your health.
 

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You can have sleep apnea even if you are thin. I am not overweight. If you snore, have yourself checked. Don't gamble with your health.
do you think diet and excercise has anything to do with it?! curious here trying to figure this out
 

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RobFunk

do you think diet and excercise has anything to do with it?! curious here trying to figure this out

A good diet and exercise is always better for your overall health then a bad diet and no exercise, but that doesn't mean you can't be afflicted with sleep apnea. Snoring is an indication that your esphohgas (airway) is being blocked at times. If it is bad enough, it becomes blocked completely, like I have, and you stop breathing in the middle of the night but are unaware of it. The sleep test that I described in Post #2 is very simple and you do it in the privacy of your own home. The test showed that I stopped breathing over 600 times during the night and my oxygen level, because I wasn't breathing would drop from a normal of 90%+ to 60% and my heart rate would rise due to the lack of oxygen from 62 beats/minute to 130 beats/minute as the body tries to compensate for the loss of oxygen. If your brain does not receive enough oxygen, damage to the cells can occur and a stroke can follow.
 

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I have delivered 100's of CPAP's for all sizes and all ages. It is a very common thing. People don't understand what they even have most of the time. They get a setup and it changes thier lives.
 

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Had a good friend i worked with - guy was very healthy, active, and had this. He also got it diagnosed early on luckily.
 

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Local Rx Friend and ThreadBumper 5TEAMPARLAY another guy with personal experience regarding that sleep apnea
 

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