Charles Theobald drives a tractor-trailer, with a local route and regular hours…But every so often he needs to pull his truck off the road and take power naps…Because every night Theobald is shortchanged. While he sleeps, the very back of his tongue collapses back in his throat, cutting off his air supply and waking him every four minutes, every single night. Theobald has a form of sleep apnea that couldn't be treated with traditional method …Sleep apnea is considered a huge problem, which is also greatly underdiagnosed, according to experts. Up to 7 percent of men and 5 percent of women in the United States have sleep apnea, according to a study that appeared in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings in June.

Star-Ledger (N.J.), By Seth Augenstein, 12/2011

Tags: Mayo Clinic Rochester, Sleep Medicine