"During my sleep study when I was diagnosed with OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), I learned that my airway became blocked repeatedly, all night long, for up to 90 seconds during REM sleep."

                                                                                                                                             -Deb Ramacher


Deb Ramacher first called the Dream Doctor show on August 11, 2005. She had been listening to the radio on Minneapolis and St.Paul's FM 107 as I talked about the dangers of sleep apnea, a life-threatening sleep disorder caused by collapse of the human airway during sleep. I explained that the repeated collapse of the airway deprives the body of oxygen during sleep and puts snorers at twice the risk for heart attack, stroke, and hypertension, among other complaints, compared to non-snorers. 

Deb stated that she had been a "famous" snorer ever since she was a teenager, and that her loud snoring was eventually diagnosed as severe Obstructive Seep Apnea (OSA) in 2002. 

"My snoring was driving my husband crazy," she said, "and a friend, who was also nurse, told me I needed to have it checked." 

During her sleep study Deb was diagnosed with OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), and learned that her airway closed repeatedly during the night, and for up to 90 seconds during REM sleep. 

But when Deb called the radio show, she had a different question on her mind: 

Was it possible that her severe sleep apnea was responsible for the birth defects that occurred in all three of her children?

All of Deb's children were born before she was diagnosed with apnea and before she received treatment. 


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