As a result of Hollywood, we are obsessed with our teeth and our smiles. But celebrities are as human as we are, and many of them suffer from sleep apnea and sleep disorders.
Sleep apnea is a chronic, debilitating sleep disorder that affects people from all walks of life. One sleep apnea treatment is an oral device or CPAP machine. The following are a few celebrities that can sleep without one.
Shaquille O’Neal
At over seven feet tall and 325 pounds, Shaq was a force on the basketball court, but during his sleeping hours things are a little different. He suffers from sleep apnea. Doctors had Shaq fitted for a CPAP nasal mask to wear when he sleeps. Now Shaq is reporting marked improvement.
Rosie O’Donnell
A vivacious television personality, Rosie O’Donnel has sleep apnea. However, Rosie didn’t know she had sleep apnea until she underwent a home sleep test conducted by a doctor. The results of the study: Rosie O’Donnel wakes up over 200 times in the middle of the night and often stops breathing for up to 40 seconds. However, after one night of CPAP treatment, Rosie said that she felt a miraculous, life-changing difference.
William Shatner
Famous for his role in Star Trek, Shatner has sleep apnea. He now sleeps with a CPAP.
Reggie White
Football hall of famer, twice named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Reggie White had a bright smile and mean case of sleep apnea. Reggie White played multiple seasons of professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, and became a legend in the process. Sadly, Reggie White died in 2004 at the age of 43. The cause of death was a heart attack compounded by complications from sleep apnea.
Jerry Garcia
Famous for being one of the progenitors of the hippy movement, Garcia also had sleep apnea. Some say it had to do with his excessive weight or maybe a life fraught with numerous unhealthy decisions. Sadly, Jerry passed away in 1995 from a heart attack that his doctors say was exacerbated by sleep apnea.
Regis Philban
An Emmy award winning television personality, Regis Philban has obstructive sleep apnea. Philban’s wife Joy was perturbed by his snoring and suggested he visit a doctor. The diagnosis: sleep apnea. The solution: CPAP treatment.
Larry the Cable Guy
Comedian, redneck, lover of Southern culture, Larry the Cable Guy, otherwise known as Daniel Lawrence Whitney, has sleep apnea, which he admitted to having during in an interview to promote a movie he was in.
Roseanne Barr
She has a famous voice that you would recognize anywhere, but Roseanne Barr also has sleep apnea. Barr said that she would keep her husband up at night with her snoring. After a study, her doctors diagnosed her with sleep apnea and recommended a CPAP mask and treatment.
Quincy Jones
Jazz trumpeter, record producer, coolest person on earth, winner of an insane 27 Grammy Awards and a sufferer of sleep apnea. Through his sleep disorder he has managed to produce albums that have gone on to sell millions of copies worldwide.
Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and sleep apnea at the same time.In fact, 40% of men with type-2 diabetes also have sleep apnea. Before Jackson’s gastric bypass surgery that significantly reduced his weight, he was dangerously close to being at risk for a heart attack – and his sleep apnea wasn’t helping. Now, Randy Jackson is doing just fine with regular CPAP treatments.
For more information on sleep apnea treatment, contact Oyster Point Dentistry.
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