How to Beat the Sleep Apnea Blues

Living with sleep apnea is hard. It can negatively affect every area of your life.

Can’t participate in the daily activities you love because of fatigue.

Cognitive abilities hindered from lack of sleep, leaving you unable to engage the way you know you can.

Relationships suffer, too. There is nothing quite like sleep deprivation to cause tensions or pushed buttons to escalate to outrageous levels.

The list goes on. It’s enough to drive a person crazy!

Truthfully, it may get harder before it gets better.

After you’re diagnosed with sleep apnea, a lot of change has to happen.

Lifestyle Changes

Getting used to sleeping with a CPAP machine. The mask, the noises, finding the right outlet when traveling…

Avoiding alcohol (like saying no to the mimosa at brunch).

Skipping out on french fries and desserts to maintain a healthy weight.

All of these moving pieces may seem daunting, and you could be feeling a little blue.

You might be thinking, is all of this change worth it?

Let’s pause right there and take a step back. Is it all worth it?

Yes, it’s worth it.

The answer is yes. All of the changes you’re going through are absolutely worth it.

In the moments when the blues start creeping up on you and you start to doubt the worth of these changes, pause and turn from that negative thinking.

Thoughts are powerful and can heavily impact your mood and motivation. Instead of letting your mind focus on how hard these changes are for you, focus on the purpose and the end goal.

Don’t say, “It’s too hard. I give up.”

Instead, say, “Yes this is hard. But I’ve felt so much better every morning because of the work I am doing.”

Creating a pattern of positivity in your life will carry you through these bluesy parts until it doesn’t feel like a chore to remind yourself to think about the good.

Does this perspective change happen overnight?

No! Be patient with yourself.

The Power of Positivity

It takes time to train your mind to focus on the purpose for what you’re doing.

Literally fighting for a new life without sleep deprivation and all it entails! It is a worthy and worthwhile battle.

Somedays, it feels easy to be positive and to look at your new lifestyle as an accomplishment to be proud of.

And sometimes, it feels like you’re fighting uphill and gaining no ground.

In the blue moments, think back to what life was like before you began treating your sleep apnea.

• Falling asleep at your desk.

• Gasping for breath multiple times in the night.

• Keeping your spouse and your children awake at night because of your thunderous snores.

• Having a short temper at work and home because you’ve averaged about an hour of real sleep a night.

Does going back to all of that sound appealing?

Not really.

Going through sleep apnea isn’t a walk in the park. Give yourself some grace.

Be patient. Be positive.

And keep your focus on where you are going, not back to where you have been.