Sleep apnea is more common than you think - but not hard to treat

FOX 2 - Many of us are not getting enough sleep for various reasons. But one big one that often goes unchecked is sleep apnea.. and that diagnosis can be life changing.

"Now I'm sleeping a whole lot better," said Michael Hutchinson.

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Hutchinson just knew he was tired.

"I didn't know I was not breathing, you know, up to 30 times an hour," he said. "I just knew I wasn't sleeping well. I would feel awful. I was worried about driving - I was concerned I'd fall asleep at a red light."

Dr. Carly Cassleman says one look at the architecture of Michael's mouth - she correctly suspected sleep apnea.

"When someone opens their mouth, I'm looking for a few things," she said. "Scalloped tongue, narrow airways, we're looking down their throat and seeing is it wide open - or is it pretty narrow."

It's usually a structural problem that leads to obstructive sleep apnea - a sleep disorder in which breathing stops and starts - cutting off oxygen to your body.

Hutchinson said he knew he needed to get it treated.

"A friend of mine had the same condition, and he actually had a stroke because of apnea," he said. "So I was quite worried about it."

Now he is sleeping with a CPAP - or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine. It is a device that forces air into your nose or mouth and keeps you breathing and sleeping all night. Hutchinson is no longer worried about dozing off.

"I'm a very active person," he said. "I work out six days a week. So sleep is important, it is one of the keys to longevity and that's why I'm doing it."

Sleep apnea is wildly underdiagnosed - it's estimated 85 percent of people who have it, don't know it.

Symptoms include snoring, feeling tired after waking up, and waking with dry mouth. You might want to talk to your doctor or dentist about any sleep issues and get a sleep test.