The first time I ever encountered sleep apnea, it was as a babysitter.  A little 4-year-old boy I babysat for had it.

Sleep apnea is pretty scary stuff if you don’t know what it is.  Basically, the person stops breathing a little bit in their sleep.  If you don’t know what is going on — and even if you do — you may find yourself holding your breath as you wait for the other person to start breathing again.  It’s scary when it’s a child in your care, but it’s just as scary when it’s an adult, such as your spouse or an aging parent.

I didn’t know this when I was babysitting for that kid, but there are actually a lot of ways to treat sleep apnea — you don’t just have to deal with that stress.  A sleep apnea machine, known as a CPAP machine (for "continuous positive airway pressure"), keeps the throat open by continually blowing a little bit of air down it.  Therefore the person’s throat can’t close up and force them to stop breathing during sleep.  A sleep apnea mask might not be that comfortable, however, which is why a person needs to choose their equipment carefully — if you don’t like how it fits or feels, you won’t wear it while you sleep, and therefore won’t benefit from the treatment.

Now that I know about stuff like sleep apnea, I’m a more attentive babysitter.  I like to have the baby monitor nearby so that I can listen to the kid breathe.  It’s amazing what a comforting sound that can be!

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