My progress on CPAP (or lack thereof)

I am tired in the morning, and get progressively more awake and more energetic until it's bedtime, at which point I'm ready to run a mile and clean the whole house

Yep, this is exactly how it is for me. I feel like crap in the morning, then get more and more energy as the day goes on.
If I am really not feeling tired, I don't even bother trying to go to bed because I know I will just lay there and stress out about not being able to fall asleep.
Instead, I lay on the couch in the dark and watch TV until I start feeling sort of sleepy, which usually doesn't happen until about 1-2 am.
Maybe I will give Melatonin a try now. Or the antihistimines. And meditation/self-hypnosis. I'd be all for giving that a try.

I'm hoping that when I get my Pur-Sleep trial it will help. I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

In other news, the DME rep at the sleep lab called me to let me know that Nationwide would be sending me a new AutoPAP machine. He didn't specify what one though, and as I was driving to work at the time, I didn't ask.
Then someone from Nationwide called and left a message verifying my shipping address. I called back to ask him what machine it was, but got the voicemail.

I told my doctor I wanted the Respironics Auto machine with A-Flex, so it should be interesting to see what actually gets sent to me...

Here is what I would recommend from my research into sleep. You do need to work off your sleep debt, so the idea of naps on the weekends is good, but you need to maintain good sleep hygiene as well, so this is what I would recommend.

Decide what time you will get up each day and get up at that time even on weekends--that is set in stone and should only vary by 1/2 to 1 hour.

Decide when you will go to bed each night--try not to vary it by more than 1/2 to one hour.

The midpoint between these two times is when you should take a 1-2 hour nap at the most. Otherwise you won't get to sleep at night. The idea is to be able to bank that extra hour or two of sleep not stay up half the night because you slept all day.

Spend the evening quietly. Take a warm bath about an hour before bed. Dim all the lights. Don't have any screen time (tv or computer) right before bed because they are very bright lights and bright light shuts down the melatonin pathway in the brain. Take a melatonin (usually takes 1/2 hour to get full effect) after the bath and relax in bed with a dim light and a book or magazine. As soon as you feel sleepy gear up and snooze away.

This, of course is an ideal scenario. I know you don't live in Eden, but this is what you should shoot for. Consistency is critical.

I was a biology major in college too, but I think mine is in the more distant past than yours! Regain brain cells--I feel more brilliant than ever and I always felt pretty scintillating anyway, except those last months b4 I was diagnosed when things got really bad.

By the way--I'm breaking most of the rules right now. Since my surgery my sleep is erratic and I've been sleeping on the recliner in the living room to give my airway more room (sitting semi-upright naturally lets the airway stay more open) since it is inflamed right now (but getting better all the time!).

CyberHug,
Jen

Thanks for more great ideas, Jen!