Tag Archives: NFL

Former NFL Star Aaron Taylor Discusses the Importance of Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Treatment

I must admit that, two months following Super Bowl XLVIII, I’m still flying high from our Seattle Seahawks’ resounding victory.  The win has also served to take some of the sting out of my Kansas Jayhawks’ second-round loss in the NCAA national basketball tournament several weeks ago.

Well, back to sleep problems.  If you’re reading this you probably have heard of a common but under-recognized, under-diagnosed sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea.  This is a breathing problem during sleep, in which one’s upper airway episodically collapses or closes down while asleep.  A study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has demonstrated that sleep apnea is independently associated with an increased risk of cancer, stroke and death, and that apnea sufferers are 4 times more likely to die if the sleep apnea is left untreated longterm as compared to people who do not have the problem. (1)

My wonderful and patient readers have had to put up with my many posts regarding the importance of diagnosing and treating sleep apnea.  Now it’s time to hear from another authority on the subject:  Aaron Taylor, former NFL offensive guard (Packers and Chargers) and now a sports analyst for CBS College Sports.  Recently Taylor was interviewed and featured on CNN’s The Human Factor.  Here he is, talking about his own journey through the discovery and management of his sleep apnea.

http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=4703&utm_source=WeeklyUpdate&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wu-4-18-14

All too frequently I hear from my patients about their longstanding symptoms of daytime fatigue and sleepiness, loud snoring, and gasping sensations out of sleep, and how something kept them from getting properly evaluated in a timely fashion:  lack of motivation or time, acclimatization to their symptoms, some misconception about the treatments.  However, for many sleep apnea sufferers, treatment can be a total life-changer, resulting in profound improvements in daytime energy levels and wakefulness, a resolution of snoring and breathing pauses during sleep, and, hopefully, reduced risks of developing medical problems in the future.  I appreciate Aaron Taylor’s advocacy in bringing sleep apnea awareness to the forefront.

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(1) http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=29425&utm_source=WeeklyUpdate&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wu-4-18-14

Football and Bridgegate: People Losing Sleep in the News

 

Last week we were bombarded by the media over the controversy surrounding New Jersey Governor Chris Christie‘s staff and “Bridgegate.”  During his recent press conference regarding this matter, Christie indicated at 2:27 in this video clip below, “I haven’t had a lot of sleep the last two nights, and I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching.”

I want to make clear this is not in any way a political post, and is not intended to defend or criticize Christie or anyone else.  I present this here simply to illustrate one generally well-understood point, which is that emotionally significant life events–whether they be good or bad–commonly cause difficulties sleeping.

There are several potential reasons for this.  First, problematic life events–such as Christie’s–are often accompanied or followed by mood problems and anxiety, both of which can cause difficulties falling and staying asleep.  Depression is commonly associated with insomnia–in particular a phenomenon called “early morning awakening,” in which the depressed person tends to awaken spontaneously several hours earlier than the normal or desired time, with very substantial problems returning to sleep.  Second, anything that you think about in bed that is of emotional value can cause difficulties sleeping, because those thoughts have a stimulating effect which makes you more awake and alert.  The more intense the emotions or concerns (I suppose that would include “soul-searching”), the more psychologically and physically stimulated you can get (an extreme example might be the feeling of sweating and heart-pounding upon hearing devastating news), and this stimulation can cause your insomnia to snowball.

OK, I will add just one brief, slightly political point here.  I wish people in the media would stop calling Christie fat and teasing him for it.  I NEVER use this term in my clinic or socially to refer to one’s weight.  Plus, he’s lost a substantial amount of weight following his gastric lap band surgery last year.  I’ve heard several Christie “fat jokes” on national radio and television programs in the past week.  Really?  Come on, folks, let’s at least be civil, yeah?

Anyhow, in a completely different matter, Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, said in a television interview last week that he hasn’t been sleeping much lately either, but that’s probably because of how crazy his schedule must be right now in addition to the excitement of prepping his team for the playoffs and, now, Sunday’s NFC championship game!  There must be some anticipatory anxiety, for sure, and this kind of emotion certainly can lead to sleepless nights as well, though for reasons quite different from (and in many ways the opposite of) Christie’s.  And hopefully–understand, I live in Seattle–he won’t have any sleepless nights due to game losses in the next several weeks!

Finally, continuing with the football theme, I will leave you today with this recent video clip of ESPN analyst and former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka dozing while on air during ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown Show.  Keyshawn Johnson had to nudge him awake!  Glad Coach was behind a desk and not behind the wheel at the time.

I have no idea what the circumstances were that led to Ditka’s on-air snooze.  Maybe he was watching George Wendt‘s State Farm commercials over and over late the previous night.

Enjoy the playoffs, everyone, no matter who you’re rootin’ for!

 

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Indulge me for a moment.  Walk outside, stand quietly, and take in a deep breath.  What do you smell?  What is that that you sense?  You know what it is.  It’s the coming fall.

I love autumn.  Always have.  Even though I’ve been (thankfully) out of school for many moons now, the fall season to me is still all about the start of the new school year (now for my kids), intellectual beginnings and renewals, new activities, a prelude to colder weather and the holiday season, and, of course, that great American institution, football.

 

 

Truth be told, I’ve always been more of a basketball fan than a football fan, but I thoroughly enjoy a good gridiron game now and then.  Our Seattle Seahawks are lookin’ great this year, but I have mixed feelings and loyalties regarding the upcoming preseason rematch with the Green Pay Packers, my first NFL love (having spent 5 years of my childhood in south central Wisconsin).  Admittedly, what I love more than the game itself is the feeling of football season:  those bright crisp autumn days, the stadiums, the pulse of the marching band (in which I participated all through high school), tailgating parties, communion with close friends while rooting for our team.  That nondescript but powerful feeling remains part of why autumn has always been my favorite season.

Why is football pertinent to a discussion regarding sleep, other than sleepless nights from all the excitement?  Football players–particularly defensive and offensive linemen–have a particularly high risk of having obstructive sleep apnea, a breathing disorder in which prolonged pauses in breathing–due to closure of the upper airway–are followed by brief arousals from sleep, thus leading to symptoms such as nocturnal sleep disruption and substantial daytime sleepiness and fatigue.  Unfortunately, untreated sleep apnea increases the risk for developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and sudden cardiac death during sleep.  Reggie White, for example, was a Green Bay Packer whose tragic, unexpected death at 43 years of age has been attributed to sleep apnea.

 

People often–and mistakenly–presume that you need to be obese to have sleep apnea.  Though certainly it is true that being overweight increases your risk of developing sleep apnea because of increased soft tissues surrounding your airway, you don’t need to be obese to have the problem.

Many or most college and professional football players are not necessarily obese, per se, but they tend to be big people, obviously, often with large necks due to hypertrophied neck strap muscles.  In general, having a big neck does increase your statistical risk of developing or having sleep apnea.  In a clinical setting, the magic number is 17:  adults with shirt collar sizes of 17 or higher are at increased risk.

 

Earlier this month, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine announced its campaign to raise awareness of sleep apnea in football players.  CBS Sports college football analyst Aaron Taylor (also formerly a Packers player) is helping the AASM get the word out regarding the importance of diagnosing and treating sleep apnea:  he himself has been diagnosed with this disorder, and he has enjoyed substantial clinical benefit from being treated.  I appreciate the fact that Mr. Taylor is encouraging athletes to consider sleep apnea diagnosis and management.

 

To read more of Taylor’s story, click here:

http://www.sleepeducation.com/news/2013/08/08/aaron-taylor-warns-young-football-players-to-be-aware-of-sleep-apnea-risk

The take-home point here tonight is that certain athletes are at risk of having sleep apnea–such as football players and wrestlers–in part related to increased neck size, even if not due to fat.  If you know someone who is a football player, and if that person is a loud snorer who tends to feel tired and sleepy during the day, it may well be beneficial for that person to seek medical attention.  Treating sleep apnea can result in dramatic improvements in levels of energy and wakefulness during the day, and may even improve muscular strength and athletic endurance.  Then, hopefully, everybody wins:  players, families, teams, and fans!

It should be a great football season, y’all, and not a bad prelude to Jayhawk basketball!  Cheers, everyone!