I thought I was exhausted by being a single, middle-aged parent. I learned sleep apnea was the culprit.

As a 48-year-old single mom moving full-time and raising 2 teenagers successful Seattle, 1 of America's astir costly cities, I was exhausted. I'd precocious represented myself successful a prolonged divorcement and custody case, was struggling to make a surviving arsenic a freelance communications consultant, and worried perpetually astir really to salary the bills.

I desperately wanted to amended my circumstances, but I was conscionable excessively tired. I felt overwhelmed, pinch nary measurement out, erstwhile each I wanted to do was nap.

My world felt for illustration it was getting smaller by the time arsenic my soul professional suggested, "Maybe you're conscionable lazy."

I thought this was what midlife was expected to consciousness like

When my fellow and I vacationed successful Hawaii for 2 weeks, each I wanted to do was sleep, but moreover that was thwarted by his loud, chronic snoring.

At the extremity of the vacation, alternatively of emotion rested and relaxed, I was truthful stressed that I threatened to extremity the narration if he didn't get it checked retired immediately.

When we returned home, he was diagnosed pinch obstructive slumber apnea (OSA) and started treating it pinch a CPAP machine.

Once he began sleeping better, he noticed that I, too, was snoring and gasping for aerial astatine night, which amazed maine since I associated the information pinch older, overweight men, not middle-aged women for illustration me.

So I was moreover much amazed to study that I besides had OSA. And though I was relieved to cognize location was a logic for my symptoms, I wasn't hopeful. As a ray sleeper, I assumed wearing the CPAP instrumentality and mask required to dainty OSA would only make it harder to get a bully night's rest, and figured I was doomed to walk the remainder of my life chronically exhausted.

Still, I didn't person thing to suffer astatine that point, truthful I decided to springiness it a try.

Using the CPAP machine wasn't astir arsenic bad arsenic I expected, and I almost instantly began sleeping soundly for the first clip successful years. Within 2 weeks of accordant use, I went an full time without craving a nap and started emotion for illustration I was getting my life back.

Getting accordant slumber changed much than conscionable my nights

It wasn't agelong earlier I had the bandwidth to commencement making changes that antecedently seemed retired of reach. For the first clip successful years, I felt tin alternatively of frantic and overwhelmed.

One day, I woke up, and alternatively of stumbling astir successful a haze of exhaustion, I grabbed an aged creation notebook and started journaling while drinking my coffee.

A fewer weeks later, alternatively of taking that afternoon nap, I laced up my sneakers and started taking short regular walks successful my neighborhood, yet upgrading to a three-mile loop astir my favourite section park.

Slowly but surely, I started emotion for illustration a different person. Someone pinch the power to go the female I'd wanted to beryllium each along. Journaling helped maine get to cognize myself amended and get clarity astir my life goals. Walking regularly and spending clip successful quality helped clear my mind and calm my tense system.

For the first time, I was enjoying life alternatively than conscionable surviving. My early nary longer felt for illustration thing I simply had to endure.

I realized exhaustion had been shaping my decision-making process

I besides began to spot really chronic exhaustion had affected almost each facet of my life, and I couldn't thief but wonderment really galore decisions I would person made otherwise if I hadn't been making them done a sleep-deprived fog.

Would I person been kinder to myself? Left that unhealthy narration sooner?

I'll ne'er know. And that makes maine sad, moreover arsenic my newfound power excites maine astir my future. Because treating a chronic aesculapian information I didn't moreover cognize I had helped maine grow my life successful ways I ne'er could person imagined.

Seven years later, I wish I could spell backmost and show 48-year-old me, "You're not lazy, you're conscionable sleep-deprived."