3 ms·

Sleep apnea is one of the most diagnosed conditions in service members separating or retiring from the military Woah. Why? Is there something specific about

by throwaway2037 3y ago

Sleep apnea is one of the most diagnosed conditions in service members separating or retiring from the military Woah. Why? Is there something specific about the (US?) military that causes it? Or do doctors measure/monitor for it more closely -- similar to the "explosion" of ADHD diagnoses in the last 20 years.

appplication 3y ago
It is possible there are legitimate links (I lived and worked near the burn pits and those for sure messed up my respirstory system). But maybe more likely is because you get an automatic 50% disability rating from the VA when you’re diagnosed in service. It’s automatically presumed that if you had no diagnosis before that it is service connected. I.e. you developed it as a result of your service and therefore the VA will compensate you for it. This means an extra $1-2 thousand per month for life in most cases. So there is this natural experiment where we have a population with a very high incentive to get tested compared to the baseline population.
- CobaltFire 3y ago
  This is no longer the case as of a year or two ago; they lowered it quite a bit. Even then it was quite hard to fake it; it just encouraged everyone to get tested.
- nonameiguess 3y ago
  It's not like you can just fake sleep apnea. The VA makes you get a sleep study. But it does raise the question of whether it's more common than we think for people to develop it between 20 and 50 or so and we simply don't realize it for non-veterans because they're less likely to get tested.
CobaltFire 3y ago
As someone who retired after 22 years in the US Military: Because the toll that way of life takes on your body is at least a magnitude more than most civilians realize. Years of little sleep in poor condition while under constant low level stress, being in unfamiliar conditions where you never quite feel safe sleeping, constant interruptions because the military activities don't stop while YOU sleep, poor temperature control (hot or cold), poor hygiene availability, poor sleeping surfaces, odd work schedules, short sleeping schedules... Those are just the factors that you deal with for decades that relate to sleep. I wasn't a grunt; I did do a lot of move fast and don't break things or people die stuff (Nuclear Power, SAR Aviation, Amphibious Operations) and that was just how life was. We had a few overweight people, but they were the exception. Those of us who were more senior were just all broken in so many ways. I don't THINK I have sleep apnea, but I do have trouble sleeping from the pain I'm in every night from a back injury and multiple autoimmune issues that cause flareups and pain. The cost on those that serve is absolutely astounding. I don't recommend service to anyone.

appplication 3y ago

It is possible there are legitimate links (I lived and worked near the burn pits and those for sure messed up my respirstory system). But maybe more likely is because you get an automatic 50% disability rating from the VA when you’re diagnosed in service. It’s automatically presumed that if you had no diagnosis before that it is service connected. I.e. you developed it as a result of your service and therefore the VA will compensate you for it. This means an extra $1-2 thousand per month for life in most cases. So there is this natural experiment where we have a population with a very high incentive to get tested compared to the baseline population.

CobaltFire 3y ago
This is no longer the case as of a year or two ago; they lowered it quite a bit. Even then it was quite hard to fake it; it just encouraged everyone to get tested.
nonameiguess 3y ago
It's not like you can just fake sleep apnea. The VA makes you get a sleep study. But it does raise the question of whether it's more common than we think for people to develop it between 20 and 50 or so and we simply don't realize it for non-veterans because they're less likely to get tested.

CobaltFire 3y ago

As someone who retired after 22 years in the US Military: Because the toll that way of life takes on your body is at least a magnitude more than most civilians realize. Years of little sleep in poor condition while under constant low level stress, being in unfamiliar conditions where you never quite feel safe sleeping, constant interruptions because the military activities don't stop while YOU sleep, poor temperature control (hot or cold), poor hygiene availability, poor sleeping surfaces, odd work schedules, short sleeping schedules... Those are just the factors that you deal with for decades that relate to sleep. I wasn't a grunt; I did do a lot of move fast and don't break things or people die stuff (Nuclear Power, SAR Aviation, Amphibious Operations) and that was just how life was. We had a few overweight people, but they were the exception. Those of us who were more senior were just all broken in so many ways. I don't THINK I have sleep apnea, but I do have trouble sleeping from the pain I'm in every night from a back injury and multiple autoimmune issues that cause flareups and pain. The cost on those that serve is absolutely astounding. I don't recommend service to anyone.