Sleep Apnea and Me

Sleep apnea and me have been together way too long. What I discovered is that some of my symptoms that I took for granted were indeed due to sleep apnea. I used to wake myself up snorting. (You can laugh) I would find myself sitting up in bed gasping for breath. I would take a sip of water and go back to sleep not thinking much about it. I did not realize that my snoring was legendary. But it came home to me one morning while on a weekend trip with girlfriends. They sat me down and told me that I had quit breathing through the night and scared the sh– out of them.

So began my journey into snoring and sleep apnea. It’s been over10 years now and…

Enough is Enough

I am old. And weary. And mad as all get out. Let me tell you why. I am not ready for senior life. Nor do I want to sit on my heinie all day and not feel like doing anything. Yes, I am overweight, I have type II diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. Everything is under control with medication, until it isn’t!

Side effects of medications can be worse than the ailment. Let me talk about sleep apnea. I have a CPAP machine that I use every night for several years. Then I began waking up during the night fighting the tubing and nose pillows, batting them out of my way as if I were suffocating. With all the hassle my nose became sore as the nose pillows were trying to ram up the nose instead of just streaming the air.

As a result, I have not used my CPAP machine now for several weeks. This means that I am not sleeping as well as I should. Now, I sleep in naps of about 2 to 3 hours. My bedtime is midnight, 12: AM, and I like to get up around 8: AM. Trouble is, that is not how I sleep. I may go to bed around 1 AM and wake up at 5:30 -6:00 am. That is a good night for me. Although I am draggy and dopey, I get through the day. Then I start the process all over again. (I did consult with my doctor and he reprogrammed the machine so I am now using it again.)

Improving my Sleep Habits

I have bought OTC (over-the-counter) sleep aids that work, kind of. Too much melatonin and I sleep for 12 hours or get up and not good for anything until it wears off. Acetaminophen PM is better as it does help the aches and pain. Sleep is not much improved.