Sleeping With A CPAP Machine

5/2/2016

Jeff and I both have sleep apnea.  We've used our CPAP machines and assorted types of headgear for years.  When Benjamin sleeps over, he always pulls my mask over to my pillow, so that it's easy to reach.

Wearing a mask takes some getting used to, and trust me there's nothing even remotely sexy about one!  But each night, we dutifully "gear" up and sleep very well.  And, yes, we travel with our machines.  When you have sleep apnea, you must take the machine with you.  

Yesterday, I was ambitious and I took my water chamber apart to wash it and remove some of the build-up from the minerals in the water.  The chamber looked good as new.  Jeff was gone most of the day at Andy's house, and by the time he got back and went to bed, I had forgotten that my water chamber was still in two pieces.

Now it shouldn't take a rocket scientist to put two (count 'em two) pieces of plastic together.  I tried for over 30 minutes to get these pieces put together and finally gave up.  I knew I wouldn't sleep well without my machine, but I didn't want to wake Jeff up at midnight to tell him that I was incapable of accomplishing such a simple task.  

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well at all.  When I don't use my machine, I become a mouth snorer, which gives me a very dry mouth.  I got up early this morning to feed Maggie, because she was convinced that she would die without breakfast this moment.

Once I got into the kitchen, I found that Jeff had seen my problem and had assembled my water chamber.  Thanks so much Jeff.  I took the chamber upstairs, filled it with water and slept until 11:00 this morning.  Since retiring, there is very little chance of me being the early bird who catches a worm.

My sleep from 7:00 to 11:00 was restorative, and when I woke up felt much more energized than I did at 7:00.

The message is simple: if you have sleep apnea, and you have a CPAP machine, wear it every time you go to sleep.

P