I started using a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) in 2013, to help with sleep-apnea, where my breathing stopped during sleep. CPAP keeps the airways inflated during sleep, stopping snoring as well. Without CPAP, a person with sleep apnea stops breathing, in my case sometimes well over one minute. Eventually the oxygen level drops to the point that the body rebels, and there's a sudden gasp, and the blood's oxygen levels are somewhat restored. At that point, I hypothesized that many people might be saved from an early death by using a CPAP. The low-oxygen condition might very well be hard on the body. A couple of years ago, when Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died, I immediately wondered if a CPAP machine might have saved him. I didn't see anything, immediately. But a few weeks later, a story appeared saying that while Scalia usually used a CPAP, he did not do so on the night he died. Here is one such article, probably not the one I initially saw. http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2016/02/scalia-may-have-forgotten-hook-himself-up-sleep-apnea-machine-why-that-can-be-dangerous/ Had he used that CPAP that night, he might very well have lived.
Now, we hear that Tim May died, of "natural causes". Well, death due to sleep apnea would qualify as "natural causes", too. I encourage anyone who might have sleep apnea or snoring to obtain and use a CPAP machine. While they can be prescribed by a doctor (a sleep therapy doctor), much-cheaper CPAPs are easily available, for example on Craigslist. I use a Philips Respironics Remstar System One, and it has worked well for me for years. These models can often be found for between $100-$150, although some people sell theirs in the $200's or even $300's. While they can be used as found, it's best if they are set to a person's own pressure needs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_airway_pressure Jim Bell
