Watching Me Breathe

Michael is at it again. Without me knowing it, he has recently been spending a lot of time in the night watching and listening to me sleeping. He notices changes to the noises I make and the rhythm of my breathing.

My guardian angel.

He mentioned to me this morning that along with the diet and exercise, the use of the oxygen at night is equally important to maintaining my health. I hadn’t thought of that in that manner but he is right.

So many people I speak with who have gone through a sleep study and discovered that they either have sleep apnea or low oxygen during sleep, refuse to wear the oxygen devices. Their excuse is that it is not comfortable. It is a bother.

I had to get used to the nose cannula at night and learn not to sleep on my stomach. Now, it is not a problem. I understand that the C-Pap machines for sleep apnea are a bother and loud but is it worth it to lessen the chances of a stroke or heart attack or even death?

Through the years, I have learned that if we don’t get the oxygen we need at night, we become more tired daily which can trigger depression and other problems.

As Michael has said, for those who need oxygen, it is as important as exercise and diet to maintain our health as we are learning to live well with a bad diagnosis.