SLEEP  APNEA- THE ANTI-STEROID!

By Peter Vuono

     For many years I always made myself aware of my total and free testosterone levels due to the fact that I was a competitive powerlifter. I started taking blood tests in 2003. I had taken a hiatus from competition from 1997- 2004 and I wanted to know how much my body had changed. The scale for Total Testosterone usually runs from 300ng/dl to 1100 ng/dl, although the Free level of testosterone is far more important.
    My total levels in 2004 floundered at the low normal range at about 320ng/dl. This however never bothered me as I did not yet at age 51 incur any noteworthy symptoms of low T. Also I deadlifted 500 at a bodyweight of 189 at age 51 and 500 again in 2008 at age 55 at a bodyweight of 181.
   In 2009, however, my levels fluctuated from below 300 and above 300. I decided to see renowned endocrinologist, Dr. Andre Guay who put me on Clomid. Clomid is a fertility drug which has been around since the Underground Steroid Handbook of the 80's. It causes the pituitary to release gonadotropins to seep down to the Cells of Leydig and thus create testosterone.
   This helped a great deal but levels fluctuated from 520(just once) down to about 312. Just before Dr. Guay retired he told me that the only thing he could think of for my levels not attaining a higher plateau was sleep apnea. However, like me, Dr. Guay was not a fan of the CPAP mask. The plan was to stay above 300 ng/dl  and when this couldn't be attained we would try injections of testosterone cypionate  also know as Depo-testosterone.
  On a whim, I took the results of a 5 year old polysomnography test or a sleep apnea test. I got a prescription for a CPAP machine and decided to try it. CPAP stands for continuous  positive airway pressure which was developed by Dr. George Gregory at the Univ. of Cal in SanFranciso. What the mask does is pump air into the windpipe and thus opening it up so that blockage of the airway is eradicated.
   It is well known that in addition to lowering testosterone, apnea can cause stage 2 diabetes and various heart and cardiovascular complications. Once I got used to the mask, I fell asleep much quicker and deeper. I also found that I was more refreshed in the morning. This would prove to be a tremendous buffer to the sedating Metropolol Succinate that I was taking for high blood pressure.
   I also noticed that my testosterone levels soared. I went up to a total level of 639 ng/dl in about 6-8 months. My last reading was at  649 at age 63.  In May of 2017 I deadlifted 425 at age 64 at a bodyweight of 196. Prior to this, my deadlift was a poor and consistent 400 at the past three contests.
This was all done while on a knee with bone on bone osteoarthritis. One can only imagine what I could do with two good knees.
   Men; if you're getting symptoms of low testosterone and/or also have sleep apnea, do what I did; get a polysomnography test and try the CPAP. Your energy and health will improve and you'll be doing a huge favor for anyone that depends on you!