Sleep Apnea Causes High Hematocrit & Strokes?
I forgot to mention something important during my previous post about Sleep Apnea Sit-ups:
Skyrocketing Hematocrit & Stroke Risk!
Seriously though, I found the reason did the sleep apnea sit-ups were because I wasn’t breathing.
Scary, huh?
Yeah, it really is. It’s still hard to believe what poor sleep can do to one’s health. If you’re reading this, we all know first hand or care for someone who does, right?
Medically speaking, the lack of oxygen during REM sleep caused my hematocrit to skyrocket. How high did it get? Only 4 measurement points away from a stroke. Yep! I forget the measurement name, but it doesn’t really matter. My hematocrit (HCT) was 48; 52 or so means if you haven’t had a stroke yet, then you must be immediately admitted to an emergency room.
Life is full of ups and downs, and blood chemistry is no different. I’m no doctor, but I believe the reason I haven’t had a stroke was due in part to my blood platlet count being normal. Blood platletts determine blood viscosity. Think “stickiness” or molasses.
High hematocrit + high platlets = death.
All this from sleep problems. Amazing. It’s not like over weight men–the majority of CPAP machine users & sleep apnea diagnosed people–already have enough traditional health problems, you know?
Talk about a true nightmare…
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