Yes, I know I’m two days late for Gratituesday this week, but I couldn’t wait until NEXT Tuesday to write this post.  I just have one word for my sleeping experience last night… WOW!

Ok, I have more than one word, or this would be a very short post.  Bear with me as I gush for a few moments.

In case you are new or don’t know what’s been happening in my life (which is possible, since I have been posting about once a month)…  I got my CPAP machine last night, for my sleep apnea problems.

And now I know what a person is supposed to feel like when they wake up RESTED.

Even though this is a “gratituesday” post, let me just list the cons for one minute, ok?

Cons to the CPAP:

1. It’s a little weird to wear a mask on your face to go to bed.

2. It’s a little weird to have a tube running from your face to a machine on the nightstand.

3. It’s hard to cough, clear your throat, or scratch your nose while wearing the mask.

Um… I think that’s about it! So, the Pros?

Pros to the CPAP:

1. SLEEP

2. My body relaxed EASILY

3. I could SLEEP on my back

4. I could SLEEP on my side

5. Dreams…. ah, sweet dreams!

6. Did I mention SLEEP

7. Oh yes… NO SNORING!

I think I mentioned sleep in that list, right?  And seriously folks, about the dreaming?  It’s like my subconscious realized what was happening and said, “Really?  We get to do our thing?  We get to DREAM tonight??  OK THEN!  Let’s PAR-TAY!”

Because the dreams?  They were vivid.  They were many.  They were WILD.  (In a nice CHRISTIAN wild kind of way, mind you).  I was flying… I was running… I saw lots of pretty colors… there was lots of fun dialogue.  I even made a cameo appearance in my sub concious’s version of  “Star Wars”. (I’m sure this is because we’ve been joking for awhile that I’ll be like Darth Vader while wearing my mask – how could I NOT dream about Star Wars).

I had high hopes for this CPAP and the changes it might bring to my life, and I am no longer hopeful, but now am SURE.  I woke up after the first two hours of sleep with the mask and I KNEW I was going to be better.  I felt better after two hours of sleep than I normally do after 6 or 7.

And my relaxation time?  Practically zero.  I usually have to do relaxation techniques all night long to get ANY sleep.  I do a technique where I start at my toes and tell all the parts of my body to relax (in a nice soothing inside my head voice).  Last night, I started this twice.  The first time I think I might have made it to my ANKLES… as in… toes, feet, soles of my feet, ankles…zzzzzzz.  The second time I know I made it to my calves.  Toes, feet, soles of my feet, ankles, calves…zzzzzzz.

So, to sum up.  Sleep… it is GOOD.  CPAP machine… it is GOOD.  Weirdness factor of wearing a mask to bed?  Who CARES!!!!

And I don’t to promise anything, but I’m sure hoping that once I get a week or two of GOOD sleep under my belt… I’m hoping I can get back to regular routine things like BLOGGING and such. (gasp!)

Have a super duper healthy happy day today, folks!

Oh, and you can check out all this week’s Gratituesday posts over at Laura’s blog.