Our post the other day on the case of a fired police officer with sleep apnea awarded $1 million brought in a ton of comments — about the dangers of sleep apnea and how it can easily go undiagnosed and untreated.

So we want to post this comment — for all to read — from a sufferer who was treated successfully — and is happy that he did.

Andrew Steenson, a union labour relations expert in Toronto:

“Let me say this. As a sufferer of Sleep Apnea I can tell you this is no joke. Untreated it can be deadly.

My sleep clinic study showed I stopped breathing almost every minute. I was told I never hit REM sleep and that my 8 hours of “sleep” was equal to the average person’s nap.  I suffered for 10 yrs undiagnosed and could have easily been in the same situation.

Once diagnosed it can still be a very challenging situation to manage. Things are not always what they seem on the surface.  This is not something that can be easily “fixed” either.  It took me well over a year to get used to having this apparatus [CPAP] on my head in bed.  It is useless if you have a cold or if the power goes out.

Man With CPAP Apparatus

I can say this. If you have sleep apnea and get a machine, even though it is a pain in the A$$ to have to wear, carry around when traveling etc., etc…once you finally have a good night’s sleep you will never want to sleep without it again.”