I fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the highway during a midnight trip home one night. I owe tremendous thanks to a truck driver for waking me with a blast of his horn, just before I drove my car into a stand of trees.

I’ve snored and felt tired during the day for many years before my near-miss accident, but what happened inspired me to finally ask my doctor about my sleepiness. After describing symptoms such as always feeling drowsy when I drive, she suggested a sleep test at the hospital.

"[My wife] would lie awake just to make sure I started breathing again"

That was probably the best "sleepover" I ever went to! You know you snore loudly when the technician, who monitors people daily and hears all kinds of snoring, walks into your room and asks, "How the hell does your wife sleep?"

The answer, of course, is my wife hardly did. She would lie awake listening to me gasping for air. She would lie awake just to make sure I started breathing again. (I later found out I quit breathing three or four times every 30 seconds.) I needed help, but I wasn’t the only one.

Treatment

During the hospital test they put me on a CPAP machine, and I realized the benefits the next morning because I felt more rested -- even after sleeping in a hospital bed!

A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine weighs about five pounds and fits on a bedside table. It supplies a steady stream of air through a tube connected to a plastic nose mask. The machine applies sufficient air pressure to prevent tissues from collapsing during sleep. The amount of air pressure is determined at the sleep lab.

Changes

I’ve got my own CPAP machine now, and while it’s an integral part of my life (it even goes with me on business trips), it isn’t the only change I’ve made. Sleep apnea is aggravated by smoking and being overweight, so I’m working on reducing the health issues that can make my problem worse. Now it’s no longer can I fix my problem, it’s will I?

"If you snore worse than last month, or feel tired, talk to your spouse about what you’re both going through"

Because of all these changes I now sleep better, my wife is more rested, and believe me when I say that if my CPAP mask falls off at night, she's right there to see that it goes back on!

Advice

I have that truck driver, some friends, and a client to thank for helping me “wake up” to my sleep apnea, and now I’m trying to pay the favor forward. If you snore worse than last month, or feel tired, talk to your spouse about what you’re both going through. Then objectively analyze what is making you tired and talk with your doctor.

Don't wait as long as I did. Don't fall asleep at the wheel. You or someone else may not be as lucky I was that night. God bless.

The member story above may have been edited for clarity.