First Hand Experience with Sleep Apnea

I gave birth about three years ago. After a few years of breast feeding and getting up in the middle of the night, she began to sleep through and I didn't. I couldn't recover from lack of baby sleep - or so I thought. I constantly looked for the opportunity to take a nap or go back to bed. I began pursing medical attention when I couldn't handle my lack of ability to cope on a daily basis (for lack of a better explanation).

Depression
I thought I might be depressed. I couldn't remember the last time I laughed. I felt like I was just on the edge of a chasm and I was going to drop off any minute. Please note I never felt suicidal. I was tired and lacked energy and didn't desire to participate in family activities. I still was managing many daily activities like grocery shopping, laundry, feeding my kids and regular errands. When I talked to my doctor she thought I might still have post partum depression and put me on a mild prescription. I started to feel better but I was still tired.

Blood Pressure
During my pregnancy I had boarder line high blood pressure. It never changed, never wavered. After delivery, my blood pressure continued to sit at boarder line high blood pressure. Medication was changed but my blood pressure didn't budge. My doctor tried low doses of two prescriptions and it moved a bit but nothing grand. I was sent to a specialist.

Specialist
After a few other medical tests, I was sent to a specialist to analyze the results of my tests. Nothing really fit nor did I show many signs of any condition. It was recommended that I seek out a sleep study. It had been suggested before however I was nursing and my daughter was very young and it wasn't very practical for me to leave over night for a study. I didn't have all the signs that presented for a sleep study. I wasn't sure if I snored and if I did it appeared to be allergy related. Now that time had passed and nothing else was working, I gave in and pursued the testing.

Sleep Study
I checked in over night for my sleep study. It wasn't hard or difficult. The room was comfortable enough. I was tired so sleep was possible and desired. I was hooked up with many wires all over my body but it wasn't uncomfortable. I was woken up in the middle of the night to try a CPAP mask and the time it took for fitting and adjusting made me exhausted but I was now fully awake, so it took awhile to fall asleep. I was woken up the next morning, having all the probes removed and sent home. It took a few weeks to have my study analyzed and prescribed a sleep machine.

CPAP Machine
My adjustment to sleeping with a CPAP machine has been minimal. I don't sleep or nap without it. Momentary change may take place as it did for me but honestly my improvement and better feeling has happened over time. Sleeping without my CPAP machine, I awake groggy and tired. There is definitely a difference, but it didn't present as night and day for me as I have heard it do for others. I no longer nap during the day nor do I need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.