Living with Sleep Apnea

I was initially skeptical about a polysomnography…and what the big fuss is over sleep apnea/snoring. I am a 48 yr old female, normal weight, good health overall, with ADHD since childhood treated (reluctantly) with Adderall. I also am a “window rattler” in terms of snoring and wake up choking sometimes. My husband tells me that I sometimes stop breathing when I am sleeping and it stresses him out because he is not sure if/when I’ll start up again.

If I fall asleep or roll over onto my back, he has to wake me and have me turn back to my side so as to reduce (not eliminate) the decibel level of my snoring. Sounds like I am a real “prize” in the bedroom.

It has always been hard for me to do anything in the morning save making coffee. I try not to schedule any work meetings until after 10 am because I’ll have minimal recall as to what went on or what I committed to do. I self diagnosed that I am a night person. Despite being tired on an off through the day, I would not fall asleep until 1-2 am or later. It was as if my body would not let me sleep, even to the point of pushing to stay awake when I rationally knew I need to sleep. For me, sleeping was not restorative. I did it because I knew that I had to. I realize now that only coffee and Adderall kept me going. And I wondered why I had no attention span despite being on ADHD meds and having had them work successfully before.

Anyway, I had the sleep study and they found I had moderate sleep apnea. I went back for the CPAP testing and spend a night back at the center looking like a science project gone haywire. But amazingly, I had a great night’s sleep with the CPAP. No snoring, waking, choking. And I actually had dreams. I can’t even recall the last time I had a dream when I slept. Woke up a 5:30 a.m. Felt rested. (The best I can say before is some days I felt less fogged than others.) But besides feeling pretty good without coffee, here’s the real clincher. I do not have dark circles under my eyes. I was actually thinking of cosmetic surgery because without makeup I looked like I had two black eyes most of the time. Both of my children noticed this immediately and unprompted. “Hey Mom, your dark circles are gone.”

So if you are not sure why you should get the test and what the big deal is about snoring or sleep apnea, or think that you’re immune because you don’t fit the typical patient profile, I hope my story helps you a little. Get tested and diagnosed. Most importantly, get treatment and be compliant. CPAP literally changed my life in one night. A night and day difference…except now I can sleep at night and actually enjoy the day!