Please God, Sleep Till 6
Our road trip begins with an answered prayer
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
How I Learned to Love My CPAP Machine
I have tried everything over the past three years, trying to get a good night’s sleep.
Here is a partial list:
Sleep test and consultation with Dr. Sullivan at Mass General.
CPAP machine, which I hated because of the look of it and the bother at night.
Meds prescribed by Dr. Sullivan.
Consultation with a sleep psychologist in Maine.
Abandoning the CPAP.
Undergoing a procedure at Mass Eye and Eye designed to improve nasal air flow. (This was on September 28, 2021—the day Hurricane Ian hit Florida hard.)
Getting another sleep test, which showed moderate apnea only when sleeping on my back.
Getting Dr. Sullivan’s okay to not use the CPAP if I use something to wake me up when I’m on my back.
Getting a digital band to go around my neck with increasing levels of wake-up buzzing and sound when I’m on my back.
Getting a new and smaller face mask for the CPAP that fits better.
Trying it out before this 18-day drive Sanibel.
Meditating, breathing mindfully, and praying for sleep.
Last night here at the AC Hotel in Cambridge, Mass., the night before we drive our first leg of the trip, to Scranton, PA, I found myself awake before 5 a.m.
I created and repeated a prayer like a mantra: “Please God, Sleep till 6.”
I didn’t think it was working until I woke up at 6:20. My Apple Watch relayed the amazing news: I’d slept for a total of 7 hours and 20 minutes. Et voilá.
Let the road trip begin!
Len I have the same issue but have not yet tried the Cpap or buzzer. I sleep with a t-shirt that has a tennis ball sewn on back to keep me from sleeping on my back. Exercise helps I find. Safe driving