Janine Langdon-Lee
  • Home
  • Work With Me
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Connect

Sleeping Beauty Part 2

/ Body, Health & Wellbeing, Sleep

In Sleeping Beauty or Sleepless Beauty I wrote about how my lack of sleep tuned out to be OSA and in this second post, I share how my CPAP trial went and how it has transformed my life!

What is sleep, apnoea?

The WellSleep Centre defines Obstructive sleep apnoea as A sleep disorder caused by the blocking of the upper airway.” I describe it as continually stopping breathing for a few seconds throughout the night.

What are the Symptoms?

Symptoms can vary from person to person. For me I began to notice;

  • Loud Snoring (Mike and others noticed this)
  • Gasping for breath
  • Peeing when I wake, on a lousy night eight to nine times a good night was two times.
  • Morning headaches
  • Falling asleep during the day
  • Mood swings
  • Waking up and feeling bone-tired
  • Constantly hungry and craving carbohydrates
  • No longer dreamed
  • Constant dark circles under my eyes
  • Weight gain

Sleep Trial

I started trialling the CPAP machine at the end of March. The staff at the WellSleep Centre were terrific. They demonstrated the CPAP machine and I was sent home with it for the duration of the trial. These machines are smart as they download data so the centre could track how many hours I slept to how many apnoea’s I would have in an hour and if my mask would leak. Over the next four to six weeks I would visit the centre to review progress and the data. Despite the assistance I struggled with the trial for several reasons;

  • Everything seems so much harder when you are functioning on fuck all sleep!
  • I was pissed off that I had allowed myself to get into this position in the first place!
  • Wearing the nasal mask felt claustrophobic
  • I had to change how I breathed to inhaling and exhaling with a closed mouth
  • The pressure to use the machine for four hours minimum per night

How does it work?

I explain to people that the CPAP machine delivers air into my airways via the hose and nasal mask that I wear as I sleep. The nasal mask forms a seal around the nose and is held in place by the four straps that go over my head.

Part of the trial is working out what type of mask and pressure suits you. Throughout the trial I struggled on a set pressure and it turned out that the auto setting suited me which means the CPAP adjusts the amount of air while I sleep.  I tried both the facial and nasal mask. As much as I struggled with the nasal mask it suited me better. I had to adjust the way I breathed in my sleep from open mouth to breathing through my nose. When I had my last appointment with the sleep clinic they advised that I managed to squeak in and the machine was mine to use.

Transformation

As the months progressed and I began to increase my hours on the CPAP, I began to notice quite a few improvements such as;

  • No longer falling asleep during the day
  • Dreaming again
  • The dark circles under my eyes disappeared
  • I was able to do more in my exercise sessions
  • A shitload more energy
  • My weight loss started to take off
  • Returning to my pre-sleep routine of waking once or twice in the night
  • No longer feeling like I am walking through concrete every day
  • Stable moods
  • Concentration levels have improved
  • A regular bedtime routine
  • Feeling refreshed.

When I found out that I had OSA, my wellbeing journey took on a new meaning! I want to reduce my OSA from severe to mild.  Mild is five or less apnoea’s an hour. While it may take me a few years to accomplish this; I am determined to get there. While going through the trial I didn’t know anyone who had sleep apnoea that I could talk too about this. While the centre staff were helpful, it would have been nice to chat with a fellow user about the struggles.

If you know someone who has just found out that they have sleep apnoea I am more than happy to chat with them in person or via skype. Although it took me a few good months to get comfortable with the CPAP, it was worth persisting as the benefits far outweigh anything else.

Filed Under: Body, Health & Wellbeing, Sleep

Pin Share Share

Trackbacks

  1. 162.7 Reasons says:
    November 22, 2019 at 6:21 am

    […] overwhelmed.  You can read more about sleep apnoea in these two posts that I wrote here and here.  I was confronted by the realisation that I needed to stop burying my head in the sand and sort […]

👉Okay am going old school & showing my age! 

👇My fav cartoon was👇

 "The Jetsons"....anyone else remember that? 

👇Share with me your fav in the comments👇

⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself⁠
and if you truly like the company you keep⁠
in the empty moments.⁠
⁠
-Oriah Mountain Dreamer⁠
⁠
💕When you are alone with only your thoughts for company, how does that make you feel? Six years ago I felt uncomfortable with mine so I would distract and suppress my thoughts with food.⁠ ⁠I now know I did this to protect myself from pain and discomfort. I didn't want to feel. ⁠
⁠
💕Two years ago when I began the Nourish part of my health and well-being journey, I had to learn to sit with my thoughts, feelings and emotions. At times this was and still is messy.⁠ 
⁠
💕The reality is I will struggle with this. Food was my emotional comfort blanket for six years and it wasn't going to be a quick fix to change.⁠
⁠
💕I still have moments where I stumble.  This happened to me recently. In the scheme of things it was a drop in the ocean compared to what I used to do. That in itself was an achievement. ⁠
⁠ 
💕 I have made peace with this and the biggest lessons I took from this last speed wobble was to:⁠
⁠
Forgive myself⁠
Get back on track⁠
Don't give up⁠
Nurture myself⁠
⁠
💕After all as they say - "Progress not Perfection"⁠

How do you dust yourself off after a setback? 
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
💖Advice to my younger self would be this!⁠
⁠
👇👇👇⁠
⁠
When we begin and start off on a good note we can reap the benefits at the end. I would also tell her that she didn't have to race to get to the end either! She is exactly where she needs to be right now.⁠
⁠
What would you share with you younger self?⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
🏃‍♀️Saturday I am coming for you! 👉I 🏃‍♀️Saturday I am coming for you! 

👉I now know after 2.5 years that fitness is not about being better than someone else, it’s about being better than you used to be!

🏃‍♀️Have a great Saturday lovelies. I am off to Pilates reformer class with a 30 minute circuit class via zoom later this morning followed by a massage in the afternoon. 

💕What are your plans for today?
💕At 49, I knew if I didn't start now, I would s 💕At 49, I knew if I didn't start now, I would spend my 50's feeling fat and frumpy! Damn it, I wanted to be 50, Fit, Fabulous & Fierce! ⁠
⁠
💕It was never about a number, it was a desire to feel good within myself. At 52 I can say I do love and value who I am.  A feeling that has seen me come home to myself. ⁠
⁠
💕Changes to your life don't have to be big transformative things, even the smallest changes can create ripples in your life.⁠
⁠
📝I began self-editing my SWYA (Start Where You Are) book again this week. I want to launch this book into the world in July. I was reminded how these four pillars were the foundation of my journey of self-discovery, love and worth. ⁠
⁠
👉Hit "save" so you can come back to this post
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
👉We grow through change! ⁠👈 ⁠ 💕At the 👉We grow through change! ⁠👈
⁠
💕At the age of 49 and 50 fast approaching I was  increasingly aware that I was in a state of transition and change was looming. ⁠
⁠
💕Maybe you have experienced this too whether it's children leaving home, or a relationship ending, a move to a new city or the end of a job or a health and wellbeing crisis.  Add to the mix being peri-menopausal or entering menopause and we find ourselves wondering about life and soul searching.⁠
⁠
💕For me it was craving a deeper connection with my feminine self. I realise this feeling was my soul’s way of getting my attention. To guide me back into alignment from pushing and sacrificing my own needs in order to meet the demands of others to feeling empowered, connected, supported and confident within myself. ⁠
⁠⁠
💕After suppressing my feminine energy for decades, this was a slow awakening. As I began to embracing her, she in turn, helped me reconnect to soul and transform my inner life which created ripples into my outer life. ⁠
⁠
💕If you are a mid life woman I’d love to hear your thoughts about what I wrote or the challenges you are facing in the comments, or lets chat in the DMs.⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
Connect on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

© 2019 Janine Langdon-Lee | Website by Form & Flourish

×