What to do

The latest problem with the sleep mask, not a new problem, just the biggest lately is the mask straps.

They are supposed to keep the mask tight on my face. In reality, they are an annoying joke.

First off, they tighten or loosen with Velcro. But for me, the Velcro just made it easy for the straps to come undone when I was sleeping. This sort of defeats the purpose of keeping the mask tight on my face.

So we put tape around them to keep them tight. This works, but of course I can't adjust the straps if I run into a problem at night.

They also change length or something, it seems, because my head moves at night shockingly. So it will fit when I put  it on but wind up being a bad fit.

The upshot of all this is I wake up in the morning with a really dry mouth and I'm not even sure if the mask is doing its job.

I talked to my sleep doctor about some kind of procedure to put an object in your throat to keep it open, thereby doing the job of blowing air into my mouth. He originally said it would not work for me. When I asked about it again, he said that my sleep apnea was not bad enough to require the procedure, but if I wanted to spend another night in the sleep lab, which is in the hospital, I could see if my apnea had worsened enough to make the procedure necessary.

 I had no desire then, or now, to spend another night in the hospital. I don't even know if I want something put in my throat. But I am increasingly tired of a sleep mask I don't think works well for me.