Unknown Speaker: When Anne Meda was told that she would need a transplant to replace her enlarged and weakened heart, getting a good night sleep became the least of her worries. But then a physician suggested that Anne visit the sleep laboratory at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute where researchers have found a link between cardiovascular disease and broken slumber. The link is Sleep Apnea, a disorder that causes nearly a million Canadians to suddenly stop breathing during sleep, sometimes hundreds of times each night.

Anne Meda: I went to Toronto Rehab and they attach a lot of leads to your head and they tell you to go to sleep. They told me I had a number of Sleep Apnea episodes.

Unknown Speaker: Dr. Douglas Bradley is a senior investigator at Toronto Rehab and the Director of the Hospital Sleep Lab. His latest research has found that people with heart failure and untreated Sleep Apnea face a significantly increased risk of death.

Dr. Douglas Bradley: In that population if they have untreated obstructive Sleep Apnea, their risk of dying is about two and a half times greater than if they didn't have Sleep Apnea at all. But treating it can reduce that risk.

Unknown Speaker: Dr. Bradley and other researchers have found that keeping the throat open with an external pump called the CPAP can eliminate Sleep Apnea almost instantly.

Dr. Douglas Bradley: It's one of the most dramatic treatments you can see in medicine. People will come in one day tired, sleepy, fatigued, lost interest in life, lost interest in jobs, suddenly within a period of 24 to 48 hours wake up feeling refreshed, having more energy, being alert and being able to socialize is a dramatic improvement. People will come into my office saying this has changed my life. I have woken up, I have finally realized that I have been in a fog for the last ten years.

Unknown Speaker: At Toronto Rehab Anne Meda and many other patients have found a simple solution to a potentially life threatening problem without medication or surgery. Anne's enlarged heart has returned to nearly normal size. She no longer is in need of a transplant and the pump and mask have become a familiar part of her evening routine.

Anne Meda: It's not that difficult to wear a CPAP on your face at night and when you wake up you are refreshed, you are not tired. I have been eight years and I have done nothing but improved. So that's a miracle.