All my life I have been a sound sleeper. All of my sleeping partners have always commented that they have never known anyone who fell asleep so quickly. Some did complain of my snoring but not all. In my bodybuilding days I would normally sleep for at least eleven hours every night. Like most people I never really thought about sleep. I just went to bed and opened my eyes 8 hours later. For me those days are a lifetime ago.
When I moved to the middle east in September 2009 I was in fine health. Three months later I was being fed high blood pressure medication and I was sometimes so tired I clock-watched till it was time to go home and crash. My worst experience has been where I had a sore throat and went to bed dehydrated. I closed my eyes for no more than 10 minutes at a time before I actually felt my throat close and I choked. It was like being slapped in the face every time I was on the verge of falling asleep. I got no sleep at all that night. The following day was a week-end so I got up at 4am as it was pointless staying in bed. I was a wreck. I walked around like a zombie all day and eventually tried to sleep again at 8PM. This time it was worse. I was experiencing a thumping heartbeat, sweating and damn near having panic attacks when I actually felt myself choke. The worst night of my life. I got up at 3am and sat on my couch near in tears until 6:30am when the medical centre opened. I explained what had happened and the doctor gave me anti-histamines, a decongestant and an order to go back to bed. I took the drugs and drank a litre of water. My kids were very worried about me as I was barely making any sense so for their sake I went to my bedroom and lay down. This must have been around 8:30am. I read a book sitting up in bed. The next thing I remember I woke up, book still in my hand at 8PM. My daughter was knocking on my bedroom door. I got up to tell her I was OK, took more drugs, drank a lot of water and then went back to bed and woke up again at 5am for work. I actually felt OK.
I learned something that night. My apnea is made worse by getting any kind of sore throat. If I have a blocked nose from a simple cold my breathing is affected very badly and I get no sleep. The antihistamine from the doc combated the allergic reaction which was giving me the sore throat and blocked nose. The decongestant cleared my airway. I also believe the water was crucial.
Here is how I avoid having another "worst night".
No shouting, chilled drinks, swimming in chlorinated pools or sitting near anyone with a cold.
I drink at least 2 litres of water at room temperature during my waking hours. I constantly sip from a water bottle while I teach. This keeps my throat nice and moist.
I use a humidifier in my bedroom for at least one hour before I go to bed. I have a humidity meter in my room so I know that the humidity must be around 70% to aid my sleep. Anything lower and I get a dry throat and more apneas.
I spend as much time as I can NOT in air-conditioned atmospheres. This is difficult in a very hot climate. I NEVER sleep with my A/C on as this almost guarantees apnea attacks.
I vacuum every day anywhere I sit for any length of time. My classroom is vacuumed by a cleaner. My bedroom is vacuumed everyday and mopped too. So is my living room and beloved couch. Dust is the enemy. Living in a desert, it is impossible to get rid of all of the dust but I try.
If I have a stuffed nose I use a decongestant one hour before I go to bed.
If I feel all bunged up I use a decongestant AND a antihistamine. Dust storms make me feel like I have a cold. This is an allergic reaction to the dust, hence the antihistamine.
I sleep on my side. My strategy is to hug a large pillow when I am on my side and this stops me rolling onto my back.
I sleep regular hours. There is no tv, games console or computer in my bedroom. Just a bed and a book. Bedtime is BED TIME.
I exercise when I can. Any exercise is better than none and it definitely helps me sleep.
Following these rules has given me a better quality of sleep and I feel better for it.
I need to clarify a few things here. My new job required me to get up at 5am. I have never had to rise at that time before and, frankly, I hate it. Everybody gets tired if they get up at 5am so I assumed my fatigue was just related to getting up early. It is very hot where I now live. Daytime temp can regularly be 45 centigrade, thats 113F in old money. It is also very windy and I live in a desert so the air is always full of dust. I live near oil fields so I can see gas being burnt off all around me sometimes leading to weird smells in the air. All of this, I believe, has made my apnea worse. Before moving here I believe I had mild apnea. I feel confident in saying this because I have never experienced fatigue before. My own hypothesis is that I am experiencing some sort of intermittent allergic reaction to something which cause me to have sore throats, mild throat infections and other relatively mild upper respiratory issues which really make my apnea worse and lead to terrible sleepless nights. I have gone for a month where I have the energy to exercise every day and never wake up during the night. Sometimes I have a whole week where I never get a full night's sleep. Sleep is now my major concern.
I am due to get a cpap on August 3rd 2010. I am hoping it will resolve a lot of my sleep-related problems. The science geek in me has doubts. Time will tell. And then I will tell you on my blog, here.
Till next time.
George
No comments:
Post a Comment