Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Sleep Well, Feel Better by Ralph A. Pascualy

Highly readable and practical If you buy one book on sleep apnea, this is the one! -- Library Journal, January 2005 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
Although my dad was a champion snorer, I never suspected that I myself had inherited a tendency toward sleep apnea. However, I've got it (moderately), and Pascualy's book has been a big help in allowing me to navigate this new medical field in which I am now an unwilling participant. Before I went to a sleep clinic for a formal test, I read this book. It prepared me for what was to come, which was not particularly pleasant, despite disclaimers which say that the procedure is painless and non-invasive. That largely was true, but the same might be said for most enemas, and they, too, are not particularly enjoyable. I was prescribed a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) device, and I currently am in the midst of trying to adjust to it. To be blunt, I loathe the thing. Were I not married, I doubt that I would have the willpower to try to solve my moderate problem which, though annoying (that is, a gnawing and nearly constant fatigue), is livable. But to please her (who has endured my snoring for years), and because she does have my best interests in mind, I will persist. The three chapters on CPAPs in this book are essential for anyone who wishes to truly solve his/her sleep apnea problem with one. There is no chapter of the support group AWAKE in my area, so Pascualy's words of encouragement and wisdom on the subject have been transformative for me. If I succeed with a CPAP, it will be because I read this book and took it to heart. Otherwise, without question, I just wouldn't bother. I am a high-school teacher, and I have at least three colleagues who have got sleep apnea and either are undiagnosed or are in the midst of trying to troubleshoot/solve the condition. When I mentioned my dilemma to my current classes, a substantial number of students had fathers who used a CPAP. I acknowledge that this truly is a widespread problem in America and that the CPAP doubtlessly is the best solution currently available. Read this book if you, too, are a sufferer (or the spouse of one); but be prepared for a substantial period of adjustment to the CPAP and its "magic"!!