If you snore, it could be a serious matter (it was for me)

I snored like a freight train for years, never entertaining the thought that something serious was going on. I woke up tired, practically every day. I had mood swings and was frequently irritable.

In terms of a quality night of sleep, I had hit rock bottom.

For many years, I struggled to get a night of restful sleep.

A good night’s sleep was not in my vocabulary. It just did not happen.

Thing is, I really didn’t know the extent of my sleeplessness. Sure, my wife would nudge me, and tell me to “wake up … you’re snoring” about three or four times a week. I just considered that normal husband-wife banter in the middle of the night. “OK,” I would mumble before rolling onto my stomach.

I snored, and snored some more as the years grew on. Our routine rarely changed (“wake up … you’re snoring”) was a common 3 a.m. exchange between us. And if there was such a thing as a “snore-o-meter,” my guess is that I would be pushing a 10 on that scale. I was loud. No make that …. Airplane engine loud!

Then, something happened to change the course of history.

Being in my 50s, I saw the doctor for one of my annual examinations that are encouraged for folks in my age bracket. Per our routine, I had some blood work…