Healthy Living: Sleep Apnea- Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor -of- Sleep, Your Snorers Yearning to Breath Free

If you're one of those suffering from restless, tossing sleep or you wake up often -catching your breath or gasping for air, you may have sleep apnea and not be aware of it.  In this post I will focus on the kind of sleep someone can expect to generally experience after being treated with CPAP or other therapy for sleep apnea.  This is the big payoff, and can help you on your personal road to achieving healthy living.

Many people, like I did, begin to fall asleep only to be suddenly awakened with shortness of breath.  You get to the edge of sleep only to be rudely awakened again and again through the night.  You may sleep in fits and starts over the night, but you never achieve the deep REM sleep that your body needs to be healthy and restored.  Sleep apnea is a cruel condition,  robbing you of that sleep-through-the-night luxurious rest that our bodies crave.  I know; I've been there and tossed through the night, never really getting into restorative sleep; always hovering just below awakeness, only to get out of bed in the morning feeling like I was hit by a truck.  Usually I would make it through the day, however,  I was usually so exhausted, I would take naps throughout the day and then sleep fitfully the following night- starting the cycle all over again.  Ugh...there's gotta be a better way.  AND THERE IS....

Fast-forward a year and a half.  I finally came to the realization that I had sleep apnea and took the leap to do something about it.  I guess for some of us it has to get bad enough for us to take action. Two sleep studies later and after a period of time adjusting to a CPAP mask, I began to experience what I had been missing all those years.

Today, when I fall asleep with my mask on, I usually do so within 5 to 10 minutes and boy, is the sleep great!  Never before had I experienced what true deep REM sleep feels like.  Ok, so what is this great sleep all about.  Let me give you a profile of what a typical night is like now.
I will:

1. fall asleep quickly and deeply.  
2. have vivid dreams in rich detail. (I recall dreams where I saw highly ornate tiles with vibrant colors and intricate designs).
3. dream in color and can recall the colors associated with people, places, and things when I awaken in the morning.
4. have interconnected dreams through the night, even if I wake-up and then fall back to sleep.
5. sleep for 71/2 to 81/2 hours per night and then have to get up...can't sleep anymore.  I am wide awake, refreshed, and ready to meet the day.
6. work through the day without the need for naps...and feel really healthy, alert, and alive!

It's hard to believe that all this could be true; the end effect of simply wearing a CPAP mask, but it is.  I hope  my experience can serve as a window into the world of sleep apnea and as an encouragement to anyone that suspects that they, or someone they care about, might be suffering from sleep apnea.  Don't put it off like I did.  Get checked out.  
If you have any comments or experiences to contribute, I'd like to hear from you.