Can you believe it? – It’s Thanksgiving, again. It always seems to sneak up on you – all of a sudden there’s turkey palm print paintings tacked to the fridge and maze cornucopias all over the house. Yes, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and to give thanks for all the wonderful things in your life, but it is also a time to gorge yourself on food like you’re at a county fair speed-eating contest and to apprehensively open your doors to the in-laws. Not to mention, you have Black Friday and Cyber Monday to prepare for. Here are some survival tips for sleep apnea sufferers to get through Thanksgiving with your sanity intact.
Stay Compliant To CPAP – Food Comas Are No Joke
It has long been believed that tryptophan is the reason why you feel like a beached manatee after a big Thanksgiving meal, but the truth is that tryptophan – a standard amino acid found in many different types of meat – isn’t what is causing drowsiness. In fact, the drowsiness is being caused by the tryptophan interacting with the carbohydrates found in stuffing and biscuits, which causes the release of insulin – insulin then helps release serotonin, which releases melatonin – a hormone that causes drowsiness. What you get is essentially a massive food coma. Sticking to CPAP during the Thanksgiving will make you more energized and alert, so that you don’t have to spend the whole weekend in an immobile supine position. Remember: you will have to get up bright and early to take advantage of all those Black Friday deals.
Clean and Disinfect Your CPAP – Imagine All That Gravy Grease
Another side effect of Thanksgiving is having greasy residue all over your face. All those mash potatoes and stuffing slathered with gravy will take a few days to completely wash away. As a sleep apnea sufferer, this can present a problem, because a greasy mouth and face also means a greasy CPAP mask and hose. This is why you want to clean your CPAP mask and equipment thoroughly during the Thanksgiving season. You can also use the SoClean 2, which will make sure to remove 99.9% of all bacteria, viruses and mold, so that you can enjoy a thoroughly sanitized CPAP experience. When it comes down to it a sanitized CPAP experience will offer much more comfortable CPAP experience.
Use A Heated CPAP Hose – You Could Be Sleeping In the Basement
If you are traveling to the in-laws’ house this year, you may want to bring your heated hose. There is a good chance that they will stick you in the coldest room of the house, like the basement or that guesthouse that has no HVAC registers. Heck, you may ask to sleep there on your own recognizance – just to get away. For this reason, you will need a heated hose to prevent rainout, which can occur when the ambient room temperature is lower than the air traveling through the CPAP. Some heated hoses use unique algorithms and heated plates inside the hose to make sure that condensation doesn’t build up and splash you in the face.
Bring A Battery Pack – You May Be Traveling
Another necessary item that you will need if you are traveling this Thanksgiving is a CPAP battery pack. Whether you are on a plane, in a tent in the backyard or in a room without an outlet, your battery pack will ensure that you can power your CPAP autonomously. In fact, a battery pack is an essential tool to have as a sleep apnea sufferer, because you just never know when you’ll be left without a source of power. During a massive holiday storm, the power could go out for days. Imagine being stuck in the dark with your in-laws and no CPAP treatment? – It’s a nightmare you probably don’t even want to think about.
In the end, the greatest thing you can be thankful for this year is not your membership at the driving range – the greatest thing you can be thankful for is your CPAP. Without it, you won’t be able to enjoy Thanksgiving. In fact, without CPAP you won’t even be able to enjoy your life. This is why you want to do everything you can to make CPAP treatment more comfortable, especially during the holiday season. In the end, the CPAP will be your secret weapon to battle sleep apnea and to survive the whirlwind that is Thanksgiving break.
