After a series of unexplained health scares–including loss of consciousness while driving, and breathing and sleep difficulties which culminated in seizure-like symptoms–Kevin Slater knew he was experiencing more than a severe allergic reaction. As a management consultant who specializes in diversity, executive development, and strategic solutions management, his extensive and hectic business travel schedule took him across the U.S. and Europe roughly 20 days out of the month and exposed him to compromised air quality and a smorgasbord of environmental elements that were less than conducive to good health. He recalls “sitting in a meeting with a major corporation and I couldn’t breathe. My throat began to close up and I was given an [adrenaline shot] to calm things down.†But symptoms continued and worsened.
Another time during a weekend of classes for an executive M.B.A., Slater began coughing and then experienced syncope, or lost consciousness. After the dye used for an MRI resulted in a botched and inconclusive result, Slater began his own search for answers. And what he’s learned is that his body may be reacting to a lack of sleep.
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