Around Halloween time, there seems to be two crowds: those that sort of shrug their shoulders about the whole thing and those that dive in head first. Yeah, yeah, yeah – there’s a lot of hoopla and why does every vacant storefront have to turn into a Halloween shop? For sleep apnea sufferers, though, there may be more to this whole Halloween thing than you originally thought. All Hallows’ Day, as it was originally called, was an official holiday where people would use “humor and ridicule to confront the power of death.” Well, with sleep apnea’s power to kill, it may be time to take Halloween a little more seriously. Here are five Halloween survival tips for sleep apnea sufferers.
1. Enjoy Your Halloween – Stay CPAP Compliant.
Halloween lands on a Friday this year, which means an entire weekend of costume parties, socializing, pumpkin carving, last minute decorating, taking the kids out trick-or-tricking and trying to help your kids come down from their self-induced sugar highs. Yes, they will be bouncing off the walls – followed by hysterical crying fits. You will need to stay compliant to your CPAP treatment if you want to be awake, alert and fit enough to take on the social and physical demands that go into All Hallows’ Eve and all the activities surrounding this strange and spooky holiday.
2. Beware Zombies – Stick To CPAP for Your Heart’s Sake!
It is also important to stick to CPAP for the sake of your heart, which will be oh so vulnerable during Halloween time. Obstructive sleep apnea has been linked to numerous cardiovascular issues – including the risk of suffering from a sudden heart attack. Around this time, people are literally dropping dead in haunted houses as a result of heart attacks. Can you imagine being literally scared to death? There will be lots of ghouls, goblins, monsters and ghosts jumping out at you, so you’ll want your heart to be in good enough condition to take on all those jolts to your heart.
3. Painting Your Face, Dracula? Avoid Chaffing…
Even if you despise Halloween, there will be someone in your life that will convince you to dress up and wear make-up. It could be your spouse, or a friend – someone always has a plan for a couple’s costume that they want you to be a part of. A horse costume always needs two people – let’s just hope you aren’t the hind part. This is why you need to stock up on new cushions and seals for your CPAP mask. You may also want to purchase some RemZzzs CPAP mask liners to further improve the seal and comfort of your mask. If your mask is older than a few months, you may start to experience chaffing, which can happen as a result of moisture leakage and mask slippage. The last thing you want is to put a fresh coat of white ghost make-up on a sore and chaffed face – it will only make the irritation and the pain worse.
4. Bane, Anyone? Incorporate CPAP Into Your Costume!
If you don’t know what you are going to dress up as this Halloween, you are actually at a unique advantage being a CPAP user. Not only is CPAP beating your sleep apnea, but you can also incorporate your CPAP into your Halloween costume. All you need to do is find an old hospital gown – the kind that patient’s wear – rub some fresh dirt and grass into the fabric and use some sandpaper to rough it up a little. Next, scruff up your hair and wear your CPAP mask with the hose dangling down. Ta da! – You are an escaped hospital operating room patient. With a CPAP mask, you can actually get really creative with costume ideas, so you aren’t at a total loss.
5. Easy on the Treats! Try To Minimize Your Candy Intake…
Halloween is often an excusable time of the year to gorge on candy and to raid the stash your kids brought home. There is a good chance that they scored a few full-size candy bars over in the neighborhood that has lots of fancy cars and gates in front of the houses. However, what you should really be looking for are the apples and oranges that the crazy cat lady or church deacon dropped in their bag, because as a sleep apnea sufferer, the disorder can make you prone to type 2 diabetes. This is why you want to take it easy when it comes to your candy intake. A few Tootsie Rolls won’t hurt you, but don’t even start with the candy corn – you won’t be able to stop.
In the end, Halloween is often survival of the fittest for fanatics and non-fanatics alike. But for a sleep apnea sufferer, Halloween can be a much more consequential time. Not only is there the symbolic referencing of warding off the evils of sleep apnea, but also there are a number of real ways that you can make All Hallows’ Eve a lot more fun and less damaging to your health. Sticking to CPAP treatment is imperative – so that you can remain active and alert, and keep your heart in good fighting condition. Also, you’ll want to stock up on cushions, seals and liners to avoid chaffing. Moreover, you may want to think of incorporating your CPAP into your costume – if you don’t already have one. And lastly, curtail your sugar intake – it may be a day celebrating the dead, but living is a lot more enjoyable.
