Writing While Sleeping...

It's 4 AM and I have been awake since 2 AM with a wicked case of middle-of-the-night insomnia. This is not the first time, and it is no coincidence that the name of this on-line journal is "Sleep Deprived."

Besides the feeling of sheer exhaustion, I am actually kind of okay with it. Actually, I do my best writing in the early morning hours - although usually a bit later in the morning - say, about eight o'clock, and usually into my second cup of coffee. But I couldn't breathe due to congestion this morning at 2 AM, and the resulting hour that passed trying to get back to sleep only awakened me more. Finally, at 3 AM I got out of bed with the hope that at least Robin would be able to get back to sleep.

I have Sleep Apnea, and use a CPAP machine to assist with breathing when I am sleeping. I have no idea right now what CPAP stands for, but the way it works is that it forces air down my throat at a relatively low pressure thus keeping me from stopping breathing, as tests show I do for about fifteen minutes every hour, as well as not sputtering, coughing, choking, and probably the most importantly, snoring. Lately I have been somewhat congested so I hooked up the humidifier device that came with the unit and got two of the most restful nights of sleep that I swear that I have had in years. It was heaven.

Then there are nights like tonight where even with the humidifier, and even after using a nasal spray to de-congest, I am sitting here at 4:12 AM, wide awake, and writing. The good news is that because the CPAP machine works so well, that I probably got plenty of good, deep sleep for four and a half hours before waking up. So while I may think that I must look and feel like burnt toast, it is a light burn, not blackened crust.

In reality, getting the Sleep Apnea diagnosis ten years ago has been a life-changer. I used to wonder why I felt tired all of the time. Girlfriends would tell me that I would stop breathing in the middle of the night and then wake up choking - none of which I remembered doing, so I'm sure that I was charming as I stood there denying that it could be happening.

After starting on the CPAP machine, I felt an immediate difference. If I look at the personal success that I have had in my life in the ten years since the diagnosis, I can only chalk it up to getting a good nights sleep (most of the time) and the CPAP machine. I am better mentally and physically than I was pre-CPAP. The reason is that the CPAP machine helps get me to that deeper level of sleep that people need, and since I don't stop breathing for extended groups of seconds at a time, my brain gets the oxygen that it needs to keep all of the cylinders firing.

I recommend that everyone be tested for Sleep Apnea, not because it is fun, but because it could save - or at least add years - to your life. Check out the website for the American Sleep Apnea Association, or take a look at this one-minute video.