Cathie Shaffer, managing editor of The Greenup County News-Times, does not have trouble with words, but she used to have trouble with sleep.

The well-known area newspaper fixture once was adamant she did not have a sleep disorder. However, she became increasingly less energetic during the days as she suffered through as little as three hours of sleep at night.

A lifetime snorer, Shaffer first noticed serious sleep problems several years ago. “I knew I wasn’t sleeping well,” Shaffer said. “I first chalked it up to stress.” She next theorized something in her house or allergies could be the culprit of her restless nights. A cleaning spree did not produce results. Shaffer resisted a diagnosis of a sleep disorder because she did not exhibit what she thought were the typical symptoms. “I thought it happened to men over 40,” she said.

Though more prominent in men, people of both sexes and of any age and size can be susceptible to a sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is a condition that occurs when someone regularly stops breathing for 10 seconds or longer during sleep. Humans can quit breathing normally up to five times an hour. In sleep apnea, the patient may quit breathing anywhere from five to more than 100 times an hour. Apnea usually is caused by a blockage (obstruction) in the nose, mouth, or throat. Those who snore have a 50 percent chance of having obstructive sleep apnea.

Shaffer had become use to snoring but, though tired, rarely nodded off during daily activities, which is another dangerous symptom of apnea. Though she did not exhibit some symptoms, Shaffer finally accepted something was wrong when her energy waned. Shaffer, who in addition to her managing editor’s job at the News-Times, also writes a regular column for The Daily Independent, is active with her church and community, and writes fiction in hopes of one day publishing a novel. “I’m a busy person…an energetic person,” Shaffer said. “And then suddenly that energy was gone.” Shaffer’s ability as a note taker through her career in journalism proved beneficial as she began having to make herself notes to remember appointments and other daily activities. She also began a nightly ritual to try and induce sleep. “I required complete darkness, complete silence, and the sheets had to be perfectly tucked,” Shaffer said. Despite the ritual, the sleep Shaffer received was brief, often interrupted, and occasionally occurred when she did not want it. “I couldn’t get through a TV show,” she recalled. “I missed the last whole season of the X Files! I’d fall asleep during Buffy! These are not shows you fall asleep during.”

Her physician, Robert Thomas, M.D., suggested Shaffer might have a sleep disorder. Shaffer resisted the thought, but allowed Thomas to make her a referral to the Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital (OLBH) Sleep Lab. “I just went to make Dr. Thomas happy,” Shaffer said. “He’s happy now.”

Upon her visit to the OLBH Sleep Lab for her sleep study, Shaffer was skeptical. “I was the most reluctant patient they’ve probably had walk through the door,” Shaffer joked. “I thought I’d never go to sleep. When I did fall asleep and started waking up with my breathing problems, they put the CPAP on me and then I went to sleep and was told I never moved.” CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines assist individuals with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep. A CPAP machine increases air pressure in the throat, preventing collapse of the airway when the wearer inhales.

OLBH Sleep Lab physician Mohamad Abul-Khoudoud, M.D., diagnosed Shaffer’s apnea and instructed her to begin using the CPAP machine at home. It took a few nights for Shaffer to become used to wearing the machine’s mask, but her apnea improved almost immediately. “Within a few weeks I stopped noticing the mask even being there,” Shaffer said. Because she previously had difficulty reaching deep sleep, Shaffer said she had to become reacquainted with dreaming. “When I was first on my CPAP machine, I dreamed all night for three or four nights straight. I felt like a fax machine that had been out of paper and all these dreams had been backed up.”

Thanks to the experts at the OLBH Sleep Lab, Shaffer said a typical night for her now involves sleeping straight until the alarm clock awakens her. She swears by her CPAP machine, and takes it with her wherever she goes. Shaffer’s family also is enjoying their reenergized member. The mask even provides for comedy. “My granddaughter crawled up into bed with me and called me her ‘very special alien’,” Shaffer laughed. “I have a puppy that chews on everything, but she leaves the mask alone. In fact, when she hears the CPAP go off that’s her sign to run upstairs and check that mommy is ok.”

Shaffer encourages those who may be suffering from a sleep problem to discuss the matter with their physician and ask for a referral to the OLBH Sleep Lab for an in-depth study. The center offers the expertise of two registered sleep technologists and three sleep technicians. Abul-Khoudoud and Ziad C. Boujaoude, M.D., are the area’s only physicians certified in sleep medicine. “Don’t be stubborn like me,” Shaffer warned. “The quality of life is so much better.”

For more information on the OLBH Sleep Lab, call the OLBH CareLine at (606) 833-CARE (2273).