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Sleep apnea to blame for Rick Perry's debate gaffe
OK, the political season is over, but indulge me to revisit the presidential campaign one last time.
No, Obama and Romney didn't take stances for or against sleep apnea.
This goes back to last year when Texas Gov. Rick Perry was among the GOP candidates debating at Oakland University, right in my backyard.
Perry infamously had a gaffe for all time when he stumbled to name all the federal agencies he wanted to eliminate. We've all had moments like that (on a smaller stage) and anyone with any sort of decency felt sorry for him, politics aside.
Since it is included in this blog, you can probably guess where this is going.
Perry was suffering from sleep apnea, according to a new book about the campaign by Jay Root, and was struggling with insomnia, as reported in The Huffington Post.
Ensuing tests showed Perry had been undiagnosed for years, possibly decades. Reports indicate he is now receiving treatment.
A couple quick lessons here:
1. Sleep apnea impacts your daily life. Interrupted breathing means interrupted sleep, which translates into forgetfulness during the day.
2. Rick Perry is not obese, or even overweight. Apnea can affect anyone, not just larger people as is often believed.
So get tested if you suspect you may have sleep apnea. Don't wait until you are on a national stage someday.
No, Obama and Romney didn't take stances for or against sleep apnea.
This goes back to last year when Texas Gov. Rick Perry was among the GOP candidates debating at Oakland University, right in my backyard.
Perry infamously had a gaffe for all time when he stumbled to name all the federal agencies he wanted to eliminate. We've all had moments like that (on a smaller stage) and anyone with any sort of decency felt sorry for him, politics aside.Since it is included in this blog, you can probably guess where this is going.
Perry was suffering from sleep apnea, according to a new book about the campaign by Jay Root, and was struggling with insomnia, as reported in The Huffington Post.
Ensuing tests showed Perry had been undiagnosed for years, possibly decades. Reports indicate he is now receiving treatment.
A couple quick lessons here:
1. Sleep apnea impacts your daily life. Interrupted breathing means interrupted sleep, which translates into forgetfulness during the day.
2. Rick Perry is not obese, or even overweight. Apnea can affect anyone, not just larger people as is often believed.
So get tested if you suspect you may have sleep apnea. Don't wait until you are on a national stage someday.
posted by Lee Dryden at
10:59 PM
1 Comments:
I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but by middle of last year, I was prone to drowsiness during the day; increased difficulty maintaining focus; a strange sensation that my brain was floating inside my head when I turned it to check both ways in traffic; as well as numerous other things. I chalked this all up to age, as it had seemed to be progressing.
After a conversation with my doctor, I went through two sleep studies and have been on Bi-PAP since the beginning of the year.
The change has been simply remarkable. Looking back, I should have had the tests 10 years ago or even sooner. I retired at 55, in 2005... due to my self diagnosis of being burned out. I may have been just that, but I only got worse in retirement until the past few months and now... I seem more alive than I have in a very long time.
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