You just want to sleep “like normal” again

A fighter pilot, Bane, and Darth Vader walk into a bar…

The bartender says, “Hey guys, why the long faces?”

Fighter pilot:  “Aw, man, CPAP sucks!”  

Bane:  “No, it blows!”

Darth Vader:  “We’re just . . . (chhhh) . . .  venting.” 

What is normal sleep to you?  When people who are trying to use CPAP describe normal sleep, it means sleeping without the mask, the blowing air, and the awareness of all the equipment.  Just being able to sleep without a contraption, am I right?  

It’s understandable.  I empathize with you, for sure.  And I can relate to the jokes about Darth Vader and Bane.  But lamenting about not being able to “sleep normally” with CPAP is not serving you.  Stay with me here, I am going to make a case that this idea of “normal sleep” is causing you pain.  

Straight talk:  You have sleep apnea, so you are not sleeping normally when your sleep apnea is untreated.  And you haven’t been sleeping normally for a number of years.  Who knows when your sleep apnea started . . . but it was a while back.  It took some time to get discovered, and now you have this knowledge that you obstruct your airway and stop breathing during sleep.  Stopping breathing during your sleep is definitely not normal.  It causes drops in your blood oxygen levels and hundreds of interruptions in your sleep cycle.  Also not normal.  Over time, untreated sleep apnea will erode your physical health and your mental health.  Normally that is not the outcome that you are going for.  

With sleep apnea, your sleep is not normal.  

You can choose to use CPAP as the tool to treat your sleep apnea.  The air pressure keeps your airway open so you can breathe.  If you can breathe, you can sleep normally.  

In a way, CPAP is a preventative measure.  Kind of like you use your toothbrush and toothpaste to prevent tooth decay.  Or your treadmill to prevent heart disease.  Or like fighter pilots use their masks to prevent being distracted by oxygen deprivation– so they can fly tactical aircraft.  CPAP is a tool that helps you sleep normally because you can breathe normally.  That means you can keep performing normally during wakefulness.  

The story you tell yourself about sleeping normally impacts your success with treating your sleep apnea.  What if you redefine normal for yourself?  If you choose CPAP, you might as well tell the story of how it helps you to sleep normally.