'I stopped breathing 59 times in an hour': Chen Tianwen sleeps with respirator due to sleep apnoea

He had to choose between surgery and sleeping with a respirator every night.

In a radio interview today (Jan 20), local actor Chen Tianwen revealed he has sleep apnoea, a disorder that causes pauses in breathing while asleep.

The 63-year-old told host Capital 958 DJ Lin Lingzhi he had no idea he had the condition until his wife complained about his severe snoring - a symptom of sleep apnoea - after marriage.

He then went to the hospital for an analysis.

"The doctors told me I stopped breathing 59 times in an hour… They gave me two choices, to go for surgery or wear a respirator to sleep," he said.

He chose the latter as he was told the part that would be removed during surgery would still grow back in a few years.

Tianwen added while his condition is serious, it's not severe as there are patients who stop breathing 80 times in an hour.

His sleep apnoea is also under control. "The only negative thing is that there will be marks [from the straps on the mask] on my face every morning when I wake up."

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