Father Manages Sleep Apnea on National TV in “Losing It with Jillian” Finale

The final episode of NBC’s “Losing It with Jillian” serves as a warning about the lifestyle factors that can lead to sleep apnea. After years of refusing treatment for severe sleep apnea a family’s 328 pound patriarch decided to clean up his act fearing he could “drop dead at any second.”

Enter tough love celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels. The famous taskmaster from “The Biggest Loser” whips a family into shape each episode by teaching them the value of fitness and nutrition.

For the Alvarez family the path to weight loss began with a difficult visit to the doctor’s office. The father David Alvarez Sr. learned he was risking his life every time he went to sleep without a CPAP machine. An overnight sleep study showed his sleep apnea was especially severe. Breathing pauses lasted up to 32 seconds, and his apnea index was 64.

He begrudgingly resumed CPAP therapy, but years of sleep apnea had taken a toll on his health. Doctors advised against doing activities that would moderately raise his heart rate, making a weight loss plan more difficult.

His son David Jr. was unhealthy and on track to develop diabetes and sleep apnea. In a heartbreaking or depending how you view it, manipulative scene the two had a father son chat about CPAP and obstructive sleep apnea. David Jr. tried wearing the CPAP mask, while his father explained why it could be his future. David Sr. said he was ashamed that he had to “do this or I’m dead.”

There is no shame in a therapy that can save your life. Obesity and unhealthy lifestyle choices promote obstructive sleep apnea, but some people develop the sleep disorder anyways.

The lesson that should be taken to heart is that you have some control and you can reduce your chances of getting sleep apnea. There are treatments but there is no surefire magic bullet for people who already have sleep apnea. Weight loss can help but won’t eliminate symptoms for severe cases. An approach using diet and exercise should be paired with CPAP, oral appliance therapy or surgery for sleep apnea.

The full episode is available streaming on Hulu until August 19th.

Drug combination could solve snoring, sleep apnea

Two pills might be all it takes to treat some cases of sleep apnea. A promising new study found the combination of pseudoephedrine and domperidone dramatically cut down on the loud snoring typically associated with the disorder.

Researchers tested the treatment on 23 patients who reported severe snoring and episodes of sleep apnea.

Both drugs are widely used to treat symptoms researchers assumed might contribute to sleep apnea. Domperidone, or Motilium, is used to treat acid reflux by helping clear the stomach of acids and other juices. Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient in cold medicines that reduces nasal congestion.

Researchers believed the combination would reduce inflammation in patients’ throats and stop nasal congestion from causing a vacuum effect that causes the tongue to obstruct breathing.

Participants completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and received a home oxygen monitoring test before and after receiving the therapy. All but one of the patients’ scores significantly dropped, meaning there was a measurable improvement in their sleep quality. The average decrease was 9.9 points. 17 subjects reported they no longer snored or had episodes of sleep apnea after taking the medication.

The findings are promising but further research is needed before the treatment becomes available. None of the patients received a clinical sleep study. The study instead relied on sleep questionnaires and oxygen testing. Researchers promise to follow up on the study in the future.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that causes your body to stop breathing during sleep. It happens when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway, keeping air from getting into the lungs. Currently, there are no drugs treatments for sleep apnea.

Read the entire study in the most recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Sleep Apnea & Abnormal Heart Rhythms in Older Men

A new study examines the link between sleep apnea and “cardiac arrhythmias” – abnormal heart rhythms.

The study involved 2,911 older men. Sleep apnea was measured during an overnight sleep study. Heart monitoring detected two groups of abnormal heart rhythms: atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF), and complex ventricular ectopy (CVE).

Results show that the general risk of AF and CVE increased as the severity of sleep apnea increased. The specific risks varied according to the type of sleep apnea that men had.

Men with obstructive sleep apnea had a greater risk of CVE but not AF. Men with central sleep apnea were between two and three times more likely to have AF.



The NHLBI reports that the atria are the two upper chambers of the heart. They collect blood as it comes into the heart. The ventricles are the two lower chambers. They pump blood out of the heart to the lungs or other parts of the body.

A person’s heart rate generally slows down during sleep. But AF involves a very fast heart rate that can be irregular (fibrillation) or regular (flutter). AF is the most common type of serious arrhythmia. Long-term AF can lead to stroke and heart failure.

CVE is a term that includes a variety of premature and abnormal heart-beat patterns. Abnormal heart rhythms that start in the ventricles also can be very dangerous.

A 2006 study found that people with severe sleep apnea were four times more likely to have atrial fibrillation; they were almost twice as likely to have CVE.

Learn more on SleepEducation.com: A scientific statement published in 2008 urged doctors to pay attention to the link between sleep apnea and heart disease. Studies show that CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea helps the heart.

Find out more about cardiac arrhythmias on the NHLBI Web site.

Get help for sleep apnea at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

House Resolution Raises Awareness of Sleep Apnea

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., recently introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to raise awareness of sleep apnea. The resolution “encourages all Americans to educate themselves and others about the consequences of sleep apnea and its potential treatments.”

What are these consequences? The resolution points out that “untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.”

The resolution also notes that anyone can suffer from sleep apnea. It “can strike anyone, at any age, at any time, including children.”

But the good news is that sleep apnea can be treated. The resolution states that “lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, surgery, and/or breathing devices can successfully treat sleep apnea.” These breathing devices – called CPAP – are the most effective treatment for sleep apnea.

The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The AASM sent a letter of support and thanks to Rep. Bilirakis.

Read the full text of H. Res. 384 online.

Learn more about obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea on SleepEducation.com. Get help for sleep apnea from an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Image: The U.S. House rostrum