Dear Annie: I want to respond to "Sleepless in Salem, Ore.," whose husband has terrible sleep apnea and refuses to see a doctor. Five years ago, I shared a hotel room with my sister. She was awakened by my snoring and, while she was up, counted the seconds between breaths. The next day, she told me I often went 40 seconds without breathing and then gasped for air.

When I returned home, I did a sleep study (insurance paid for it). I slept for two hours and then was given a CPAP machine and slept for another two hours. When it was over, the nurse showed me a computer chart. The first two hours looked like a Richter scale gone crazy with periodic flatlining. The doctor said I woke up 248 times and was a good candidate for a heart attack. On the CPAP machine, however, I was in deep sleep. It was the first time in years that I felt rested. Before the study, I often fell asleep driving home. Shame on you for telling her to give up by sleeping in another room and making sure his insurance is paid up. Hopefully, her husband will see this and realize he's risking his life and the lives of those around him. — CPAP User

Dear CPAP User: We hope he'll realize it, too, but he isn't as willing as you to get help, which is why we told our reader to take care of herself just in case. It has nothing to do with giving up. It's for her protection.

Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

Excerpt from Annie's Mailbox®, June 29
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