

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.