MASHANTUCKET, Conn. — Mike Napoli’s pillow has never felt so good.
Napoli underwent successful surgery in November to alleviate his sleep apnea, which the Boston Red Sox first baseman revealed Saturday was actually much worse than anyone ever imagined.
“I couldn’t do it anymore, the way I was feeling,” Napoli said Saturday at the Red Sox’s Baseball Winter Weekend event at Foxwoods Resort Casino. “I was like, I’ve got to have surgery or I’m not going to play anymore. That’s how bad it was. That’s why I went to go do this procedure. I came in and I was like, I need to have this surgery now.”
The last eight years have been a nightmare for Napoli, who, ironically enough, said he’s finally able to dream. The slugger’s sleep apnea had prevented him from entering REM sleep, which meant no dreams, plenty of fatigue and the reality that his baseball career was in jeopardy.
“It was tough. I’d miss batting practice. I’d be sleeping during batting practice, wake up for the game, trying to sleep, so it was hard,” Napoli said. “I was always tired. There were games that I came out of that people didn’t really know what happened, but it was because I was dizzy and really sleep deprived. I couldn’t focus or anything. It was tough.”
Napoli has carved out a successful major league career despite his sleep apnea. He hit a career-best .320 with 30 homers for the Texas Rangers in 2011, earned an All-Star selection in 2012 and compiled a career-high 92 RBIs en route to a World Series title with the Red Sox in 2013. Last season proved difficult, however, as Napoli, who turned 33 in October, dealt with finger, toe and back issues in addition to his restrictive sleep problem.
The final straw for Napoli with regards to his sleep apnea occurred toward the end of the 2014 season. It finally became clear that no medication, mouthpiece or CPAP mask was going to do the trick.
“I had a really bad episode one night,” Napoli said. “I would wake up, and I couldn’t breathe. I’d kind of freak out. You don’t know where you’re at. I had a really bad night. It was when I was wearing the machine, and I had an episode.
“When I was younger, I could get away with (not wearing a CPAP mask),” Napoli added. “Now that I’m getting older, it was tougher. I came in and I’m like I need to go see the doctor now. I want to have this surgery yesterday.”
Napoli, whose efforts to combat his fatigue by drinking Red Bull failed miserably, finally underwent a complicated procedure at the beginning of the offseason. The surgery was performed by Dr. Leonard Kaban (the chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital), who literally broke Napoli’s upper and lower jaw in order to move them forward and, in turn, increase his airway space.
Napoli spent two days in an intensive care unit. The pain lingered for roughly 10 days. Activity was minimal and discomfort reigned supreme in what Napoli described as a “brutal” process.
“It was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done, to tell you the truth,” Napoli said.
But as laborious as the recovery has been — Napoli still can’t feel his lips — and as inconvenient as it has been to go years without a good night’s sleep, things finally are looking up. Napoli said he feels refreshed, energetic and ready to take the field come Opening Day.
“It’s been a good offseason. It’s been a tough offseason,” Napoli said. “But I think it’s worth it.”
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
