[JeffO]

I use a cpap machine. It has changed my life. An article the other day said if you have a size 17 or larger neck size you have a 90% chance of sleep apnea. My sleep study found that I woke up 82 times an hour. The doc asked me how many times I thought I woke up and I replied about 4 to 5 times. At 82 times an hour my rem sleep was nonexistent. When I was fitted with the cpap I went into rem sleep for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Normal is 10 to15 minutes and the extended rem I had was a recovery mode my body went into. Also my blood oxygen level went down to 87%. The doc said to the intern with us what he would do to a patient in the ER at that level and he said he would admit me right away.
Yes losing weight would help but your also fighting your own physiology. I thought I had restless leg syndrome also but the doc said since I did not go into rem my brain never fully shut down my body. This a defense mechanism from when our ancestors slept in trees and when asleep they would not thrash and fall out.