Sleep Apnea In F-16 Pilots Is Mainly Due To High G forces
One of the main reasons why sleep apnea in F-16 pilots occurs is because of the extremes of G-forces that pulverize their bodies whenever they are up in the air, and as any pilot would tell you, having six or even seven G force pounding your body is not something to relish. What's more, the F16 is a rough machine and it puts a lot of stress on the pilot's body, and it has often been reported by F16 pilots that these G forces really hurt their backs.
Not Every Pilot Suffers From Sleep Apnea
The funny thing about sleep apnea in F-16 pilots is that it may only affect certain pilots, while others may not notice this condition at all, and often the cause behind this disorder is having a blockage in the throat which can prevent the F16 pilot from getting adequate and proper sleep at night, leading to cases of sleep apnea in F-16 pilots. The only possible solution for such types of problems will be to operate on the pilots in order to allow them to breathe freely again, especially when sleeping.
However, even this may not do the job perfectly and the problem may persist or show up again after a period of being able to breathe better. Furthermore, the trouble with undergoing an operation to treat sleep apnea in F-16 pilots is that it can cut short the career of the pilot and lead him to seek an alternative employment that won't put him at so much risk. To underscore how serious the effects of those high G forces are on the body, most pilots report that the hurt caused to their backs is so severe that it leads them to want to give up flying altogether, because sleep apnea in F-16 pilots is serious enough to jeopardize some valuable real estate and also the lives of others.
The other thing that will give rise to a lot of concern when it concerns sleep apnea in F-16 pilots is that one thing can lead to another and before the pilot even knows it, he may find other problems developing such as numbing of the legs and even worse, paralysis of the feet. At this point of time, it becomes necessary for the F16 pilot to need to undergo an operation which may then provide temporary relief, because the back pain may still continue and even spread to the shoulder blades and also the neck, thereby causing worsening of the sleep apnea in F-16 pilots.
