Prince Fielder during the cactus leauge spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 2, 2016 in Surprise, Arizona.

Sometimes we take getting a good night of sleep for granted. This is not the case for Prince Fielder of the Texas Rangers. After complaining about having trouble sleeping, Fielder underwent a sleep study that led to being diagnosed with sleep apnea. The disease stopped Fielder from breathing 39 times in an hour during his sleep study.

“I wasn’t panicking,” Fielder said. “I just wanted to make sure I was okay. I felt like I was sleeping long but I wasn’t feeling rested. That was my concern trying to figure out what was wrong. Now that I know, it’s good.”

Symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring and feeling fatigued when waking up from sleep. Fortunately for Fielder, he took care of his problem by undergoing the sleep study to determine what may have been his problem. Having put the uncertainty behind him, Fielder returned to the team feeling upbeat and ready to have a good time with his Rangers teammates.

Fielder, who is now wearing a breathing mask when he sleeps, is also now advising others who could be affected by sleep apnea to take it seriously.

“As you get older, it starts to affect you differently,” Fielder said.

Sleep apnea was to blame for the passing of NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White in 2004. Those with sleep apnea are reported to die at a rate three times that of those without the condition, according to SportsDay.

On an unrelated note, Fielder made a brief guest appearance on the Snapchat (and Twitter) account of his previous team, the Milwaukee Brewers.

[SportsDay]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.