Friday 18th November 2016
A couple of weeks ago I went to the doctors to be referred to the CPAP clinic because I have sleep apnea. It basically means that I can have restricted breathing in the night.
A CPAP machine is what I sleep with at night and is a mask over my nose. It blows air down my nose keeping my airways open while I am asleep. I have used this machine for about 15 years and I am very used to it now. Because of this I find that I rely on it to sleep.
If you have sleep apnea, unless you have a machine, you often don’t get very good quality sleep and make you feel very tired throughout the day. It can also increase your risk of a heart attack.
Being overweight is often a cause of sleep apnea. The extra weight adds pressure around the neck narrowing your airways. Now that I have lost so much weight I’m hoping that I don’t have that problem anymore.
When I saw the doctor I think she thought I had totally lost it. She has never had someone come in with improved health questioning whether their treatment for sleep apnea should continue!
It took a while for her to refer me and she wanted to go through all the regular checks. But eventually she did.
Yesterday I had that appointment and I was given a machine that I had to wear on my wrist and finger which monitored my sleep pattern. However it meant that I couldn’t wear the CPAP machine all night.
I have never been without it for a whole night before. This year I have taken it off for a few hours just to test but never the whole night.
It took me a while to get off to sleep but when I did it was ok. I didn’t wake up tired like I’d had bad quality sleep and I stayed awake the whole day.
I am still waiting for the results but the way I feel today is real progress. However I do feel that the machine is a crutch and that it might take a little longer for me to not be fully reliant on it.