Coach To Lose

Another symptom of being obese is sleep apnea. For those that might read this in the future I want to send you some encouragement to follow through with that doctor visit.  You know who you are.  You wakt up a couple times a night.  You have already gave up the idea of a full nights sleep.  You figure it must be that the weight is affecting your bladder.  And perhaps it may be, but that was not my case.  I was diagnosed 2 years ago and here is what they told me.  I had found out that I had gone over 45 seconds without breathing pretty regularly.  I was suffering from severe depression and often felt like I was loosing it totally.

They told me that the reason I woke up 2-3 times a night is that my body would release a chemical that would elevate my blood pressure and activate my bladder.  All in defense to wake me up and get me to breath.  That the same chemicals help to increase weight retention and that I should be sleep tested to see how bad it was.

I broke down in tears when he explained why I was feeling the depression and disconnect in my thinking patterns.  It had everything to do with not getting proper sleep for over 5 years.  That it would get better once we figured out how to treat it.  Well I went through sleep testing and found out that I never reached rem sleep, that I woke up on the average of once a minute.

They put me on a cpap machine and withing two weeks I could feel my sanity back.  Within three I was dreaming (still light sleep I found out).  Within 4 I was used to getting a full nights rest again.  I had forgotten what it felt like.  Two years later I start my weight loss journey and look forward to getting rid of the machine as well.  But it has been a literal life saver.

Oh and all those dark and strange thoughts are all gone.  Life is much easier.

Enjoy your journey!  Going inward is a good place to find your true strength.
Be blessed along the way
Rick