If you're like me, you probably slept through half of your college career or are currently well on your way to doing so. Ever wondered why that is? Maybe it's just your busy schedule; maybe you're lazy; maybe it's Maybelline. But what if it's none of these things and there's actually something serious going on?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm here to talk to you today about Global Warming. And by Global Warming, I mean sleep disorders. Good. You're awake.

I had always been a somewhat tired person, and I believed that to be normal. Up until my snoring was so loud my roommates would turn the TV volume well beyond what any normal human should have to withstand and my ex-had to knee me to wake me up or go sleep on the couch in the living room just so that she could afford a decent night's rest.

The biggest notifier, and what ultimately led me to tell a doctor what was going on, was waking up having no recollection of falling asleep at the wheel to an 18-wheeler in my--but really, their--lane. A quick swerve saved my life, but that was something I never wanted to happen again. I'm not saying I'm oblivious, but... okay, yeah, I was pretty damn ignorant if we're being completely honest.

A few meetings with doctors, a trip to the sleep clinic, and having some twenty nodes glued to my body later and it turns out I have sleep apnea. Severe sleep apnea at that. If you're like me, you probably just think this is a fancy word for snoring. Apparently not.

An apnea is a moment in which someone stops breathing. In the medical community, this is defined as a period lasting ten seconds or more. Someone with mild sleep apnea experiences between five and fifteen each hour; moderate is considered between fifteen and thirty; and severe is thirty or more. I used to average almost a hundred apneas each hour.

With my CPAP--a machine that makes me look like Darth Vader so it can shove air forcibly down my throat while I sleep--I am only experiencing approximately five apneas each hour. For those of you keeping track at home, that is a 95% decrease.

I'm no longer falling asleep while driving and feel more rested than I have in years. I was lucky in that sense. This could have gone a much different route. I could not have woken up to see that truck, swerved off into a ditch, or even just walked into traffic due to a fatigued brain without enough oxygen.

I may sound like a cheesy infomercial, but I assure you, no doctor, CPAP manufacturer, or otherwise is paying me to write this. I wish they were. If there's even the slightest question in your mind if you might have a sleep disorder, call or see your doctor. There are many different ailments that revolve around a person's sleep.

This is your health we're talking about. Not only is it your health, but it is your sleep! Who wouldn't want to sleep better? A crazy person, that's who! So, don't be a crazy person and pay attention to your sleeping patterns and listen if someone is telling you, you sound like a chainsaw at night. Your body, mind, and loved ones will thank you.