I Survived the Week.

I blogged that this was going to be an awful week. It was. My biggest problem is that I was tired all week. I didn't get enough rest and felt exhausted all week. Every time I wanted to take a nap, I couldn't because I had to go somewhere or someone was going to be here.

Finally last night I got into bed around 8 or so to read. I didn't read very long before I fell asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and fell back to sleep pretty quick. I woke up at 830. That means close to 12 hours of sleep. I needed that sleep.

I feel much better today.

Its amazing how important sleep can be. If you do not get enough rest your body is running on its last legs. Its can be as important as getting food and water. Most people can get by on a few hours of sleep for a few nights. But me, I need my eight hours or more of sleep. Now ten hours is better for me. And I need to be able to spend some time during the day taking it easy.

But now we are on to another week where I do not have anywhere as crazy a schedule as last week. Sleep and rest will be high on the agenda. I will pencil in some naps as well.

I wish I could go back to the days where I could go from one activity to another. Those days are long gone. I just have to get used to that part.

The Snoring Controversy

Do you snore? No of course not. You have never heard yourself snore. So of course you don't. Sometimes its possible your spouse/partner/significant other will infer that you might snore a tiny bit. But that doesn't mean its really true. Does it?

Last night I had the oh-so enjoyable sleep lab test. I had a sleep test about two years ago so it wasn't all that unfamiliar but I don't remember squat these days.... But because of my blood oxygen levels and my feelings of fatigue it was time for another one.

I got there at 830 last night and was escorted to my 'comfy', 'little' (hospital) bed. They gave me time to change into my PJs and hit the bathroom before they put about 800 leads on my head and face. No not 800, maybe 22 or something. But it took about 40 minutes to get me all connected and then of course I had to pee again so I took the whole concoction with me to the bathroom and then got back in bed.

Then I took my sleeping pill so I could pretend I would actually get some sleep. Then she said 'don't stay up late on your phone and she closed the door and shut off the light. Like I was 8 years old. I should have brought a flashlight so I could read under the blankets in bed.

I finally fell asleep and I must have slept for five hours or so. When I woke up I lay there sort of awake but not really for a couple of hours. Half in and half out of it.

At 530 in the morning, the technician was all perky and said it was time to wake up. That was way too early to be perky. I asked her if I snored. She said she COULDN'T TELL ME! What? She said I could ask my doctor after the report was ready. Which is in two or three weeks. She said the sleep lab generates about 900 pages of crap to be read and then it was summarized in a report for my doctor.

After another 20 minutes of her taking off my million little cables, I was allowed to get out of bed finally and got changed back into my clothes. Unfortunately the cafeteria wasn't open yet so I struggled to the gym without coffee.

And I still don't know if I snore or not. I will definitely need a nap later today.

Why Can't I Sleep?

So I am always in pursuit of the land of nod. The only way I seem to be able to sleep is to take a sleeping pill but that doesn't guarantee a full night's sleep. If I get so exhausted I can't watch tv I usually get a couple of hours of sleep. Sometimes I can even sleep all night. But I'll tell you my secret for sanity in the middle of the night. I pull out my tablet and play computer games until I can fall back to sleep.

I am always looking for help with sleep. WebMD can always provide assistance with all things medical. They sent me an email the other day on the Causes of Fatigue and Seepiness and How to Fight Them. It wasn't that helpful. It included things like hidden UTIs, dehydration, heart disease and apnea. None of those are me. And the one that is me didnt help.

"Fatigue Cause No. 14: CFS and Fibromyalgia
If your fatigue lasts more than six months and is so severe that you can't manage your daily activities, chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia are a possibility. Both can have various symptoms, but persistent, unexplained exhaustion is a main one.
Fix: While there's no quick fix for CFS or fibromyalgia, patients often benefit from changing their daily schedule, learning better sleep habits, and starting a gentle exercise program."

I have done all that. We even got a new power bed with a good mattress where I can raise and lower the head and the feet. I do exercise. I do everything else. I am just very complicated.

I might need to start counting sheep or something.

Not A Good Week Ahead

This coming week is going to be long, stressful, and sleep deprived. I don't know what I was thinking but I think the real answer is I wasn't thinking. This is my week:

• Saturday (today) - craft show where I will have a table all day
• Sunday: Lunch and dinner reservations with two different groups of people. Lunch at noon and an early dinner at 4 PM. 
• Monday: 930 PM MRI for my neck. I should be home by 11. I never stay up that late.
• Tuesday: Deep cleaning at the periodontist with novacaine. How fun! 
• Wednesday: The only good day because there is nothing on my calendar
• Thursday: Lunch plans with a friend. Sleep lab overnight to see if there is anything else wrong with me. This means another night of not enough sleep.
• Friday: Leave the sleep lab at 630 am and go directly to the gym.

What was I thinking? I don't know. I need to allow enough time for plenty of sleep each week. Monday morning I hope to sleep late. I also hope I can sleep in on Wednesday and Thursday since I will be up too late and do not expect enough sleep at the sleep lab.

My goals then for the week: focus on getting enough sleep and rest and pretend nothing will hurt. This is just a lot of poor planning on my part.