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02nd Mar 2023

Tommy Tiernan reveals he has been diagnosed with sleep apnoea

JOE

tommy tiernan health

“It’s a bit uncomfortable for the first few days but you get used to it.”

Tommy Tiernan has revealed that he has been diagnosed with sleep apnea after a recent trip to the hospital.

The comedian and RTÉ chat show host, speaking on The Tommy, Hector and Laurita Podcast, opened up about his hospital visit and his condition.

“Sleep apnea is where your body isn’t getting enough oxygen,” he said. “If you’re not getting enough oxygen, I guess you’re waking up every morning feeling exhausted.”

Tiernan, 53, said that the first thing he wanted to do each morning after waking up was put his head out the window so he could “get the vitamins that would be in the air.”

He detailed his experience at the specialist hospital, where his brain activity was monitored.

Tiernan said he was strapped up with wires from early in the day to enable him to get used to the procedure before falling asleep that night.

“I had three going across my forehead, I had two on my chest and wore three straps across my chest,” he said.

“Each one with a machine on it, weighted on my chest, and I had two on my leg to monitor leg movement.”

Tiernan said that he was diagnosed with sleep apnea and that the doctor gave him two options. The first one was to continue as he was, as it was a mild case.

The second option was to get a CPAP machine, which will help him get more oxygen into his body every night.

“I’m going for that,” the comedian said about the CPAP machine. He then explained how it works.

“You were a mask and a strap across your head,” he said.

“It doesn’t look great. It forces oxygen into your body and your man told me that it’s a bit uncomfortable for the first few days but you get used to it.”

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Tommy Tiernan