Sleep Apnea Guide

I have sleep apnea and use this blog to provide unbiased info about sleep apnea to create sleep apnea awareness. If you have sleep apnea, it is important to seek treatment.

Lazy Smurf diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

I was looking through some old toys and stumbled upon a few plastic Smurf figurines from that popular cartoon television show of the 80s. Playing with the toys as I had in my youth, I pondered how the Smurfs dealt with Lazy Smurf’s snoring. Would complaints of snoring lead him to seek remedies? Was his snoring a sign of sleep apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) prevents people and Smurfs from breathing freely while sleeping, resulting in a lack of oxygen and a very bad night’s sleep – every night. Some frequently occurring symptoms include loss of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, depression and failure to contribute fully to the Smurf Village. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, psychiatric problems, impotence, cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. For a Smurf, this increases the risk of capture by Gargamel.

Besides snoring, remember that Lazy Smurf always appears quite tired. Cartoon zzz’s frequently escaped from his head. He even fell off my toy box a few times. These are among the classic indicators of sleep apnea.

In the Smurf Village, Lazy Smurf’s behavior was considered disruptive. Lazy Smurf snoozes on the job. His sleepiness became a real problem to himself and those of the Smurf commune.

Many Smurfs complain to Papa Smurf about trouble sleeping due to Lazy Smurf’s loud snoring and strange gasping sounds made while sleeping. Vanity Smurf emphasizes the importance of beauty sleep.

Brainy Smurf points out the likeliness that Lazy Smurf suffered from sleep apnea. “In fact, the word ‘apnea’ means ‘not breathing’. Lazy Smurf’s gasping sounds originate from a lack of oxygen and a reflexive attempt to start breathing again.”

Papa Smurf refers Lazy Smurf to Doctor Smurf. Doctor Smurf has Lazy Smurf do a sleep study, known as polysmurfography (a polysomnography for Smurfs), conducted by Sleep Technician Smurf.

The diagnosis is severe obstructive sleep apnea, just as Brainy Smurf had known. From now on, Lazy Smurf was to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine while sleeping.

The results are phenomenal. After being on the CPAP for just a few days, Lazy Smurf is no longer sleepy and appears energetic.

The other Smurfs look at him strangely. “What have you done with Lazy Smurf?” asked Papa Smurf, thinking that an imposter has entered the village. Lazy Smurf stomps away angrily.

Early the next morning, with the other Smurfs still sleeping soundly, Lazy packs his bags and heads into the forest. “They don’t like me ‘lazy’ and they don’t like me energetic either,” Lazy Smurf says to himself.

When the other Smurfs awaken, they cannot find Lazy Smurf. Papa Smurf thinks he knows why and recalls what he said to Lazy Smurf. Brainy Smurf explains to Papa Smurf the positive effects many sleep apnea patients have when using a CPAP machine. Papa Smurf tells the Smurfs to go looking for Lazy Smurf.

But it is too late. The sinister wizard Gargamel captures Lazy Smurf and locks him in a cage.

Gargamel holds Lazy Smurf for ransom. A ransom note decrees, “Either tell me the location of the Smurf Village or Lazy Smurf will be made into Smurf soup.”

Papa Smurf gathers the Smurfs together to go over the rescue plan.

The Smurfs gather in the woods near the cage with Lazy Smurf inside. Smurfette shouts loudly to get Gargamel’s attention. As Gargamel walks towards Smurfette, Vanity Smurf uses his mirror to shine the sunlight in Gargamel’s eyes. Gargamel stumbles onto the ground. Meanwhile, Handy Smurf grabs the key and unlocks the cage to rescue Lazy Smurf.

We cut to a scene where Papa Smurf explains sleep apnea to the other Smurfs. During a big Smurf ceremony, Lazy Smurf’s name is changed to “Sleep Apnea Smurf.” Everyone smurfs happily ever after and I put my toys away for another day.

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About this blog

This website aims to create awareness about Sleep Apnea. I'm not a doctor or an expert on Sleep Apnea. If you have questions, please see your doctor.

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