Sleep of the Sith

After many, many, many years of suffering from sleep apnea, I finally bit the bullet, jumped through the hoops, and got my CPAP machine.   When I picked it up, the technician suggested I try the nose-plug mask since it was the least problematic. They also have mask that cover your nose and/or mouth, but I'd probably have to shave the goatee to make that work, so I'm hoping the nose-plug thing will work better.

But yes, the mask is kinda weird and makes me feel like Darth Hobbes. At least the CPAP machine is silent, so there's not heavy-breathing effects.

I tried it out for four hours last night (they recommended that I ease myself into wearing the mask by wearing for four hours a night in the first week, then all-night afterwards). It felt really weird having something press against my nose like that and it was also disconcerting to be forced to breathe only through my nose (my mouth needs to remain closed to ensure a proper pressure seal).

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep. At 4am, I took the mask off. I don't know why this happened, but water leaked into my nose at one point (the CPAP machine has a basin of heated water so that the air being pumped into my system remains moist). Maybe I shouldn't put the CPAP machine on the shelf above my head? I guess I need to read through the product documentation.

Ms. Carotte reports that I did not snore last night, so that's one problem tackled. I don't know if I feel especially refreshed today, but time will tell. The benefits of using this machine are supposed to be as follows:

• Restoration of normal sleep patterns.
• Greater alertness and less daytime sleepiness.
• Less anxiety and depression and better mood.
• Improvements in work productivity.
• Better concentration and memory.
• Increased sexual drive.
• Weight loss.

This is going to be weird to get used to. Hopefully, it's worth the effort!