Sleep Hygiene

For the last six months or so, I've been battling severe daytime sleepiness. Often times by 9:00 am, I'm ready to go back to bed. Obviously, this makes the rest of my day extremely difficult. By 2:00 pm it's a struggle to stay awake. Getting out of work at 4:00 pm is a relief - I made it through another day! But then the rest of my life rushes up to meet me, and I have very little energy to respond.

Cooking, something I thoroughly enjoy doing, becomes a chore and as been restricted to nights when I have nothing else going on. It is my singular nighttime activity. It's sad. I know.

Yoga, another of my most favoritest things, becomes increasingly difficult to get to. By the time I'm done, I'm ready for bed!

The cause: unknown.

I have suspected for a while that it is the resulting side effect of a medication I have been on. So, I went to the doctor to switch it. We agreed that eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep were key in feeling awake during the day. I do all of these things. He said to exercise more and try this other medicine. Question: how do you exercise MORE when you can hardly keep your eyes open at 9:00 am? It's a challenge. Let me tell you. He also did routine blood work to make sure I didn't have a thyroid problem and that I wasn't anemic. The blood work came back normal, and after three months of being on the new medicine, nothing changed. I went back to the doctor and said, "Hey, this didn't work!" Want to know what he said? Trust me, you do.

He said, "Hmmm, let's keep you on this medicine for a while longer to see if anything changes. Also, try to exercise more."

That was it.

Bravo!

Anyway, I went to a different doctor, switched meds again (higher dosage of what I was previously on)- which has helped my energy level increase a bit - and got some more advice. Apparently, I have "poor sleep hygiene".

What is sleep hygiene? Sleep hygiene is good sleep habits. Getting up and going to bed at the same time every day. No naps during the day. No caffeine past 2:00 pm. Sleeping in a dark, quiet room, uninterrupted.

It makes sense, right? After chatting with this doctor, who has been very helpful in numerous ways - so I'm trying to go along with what he says - I realized how poor my sleep habits have become. It's actually kind of embarrassing, which is why I am not sharing them here :)

Here's my new plan:
1. Wake up daily at 6:00 am
2. Exercise for 15-20 minutes in the morning
3. No naps!
4. No caffeine past 2:00 pm
5. Exercise 30 min - 1 hr in the afternoon/evening
6. Go to bed at 10:00 pm
7. Sleep in my bed, in a dark, quiet room

It sounds simple, yes? I've been trying to do this since Thursday. How have I been doing? FAIL!

Thursday night I slept on the couch with the TV on.

Friday I had coffee at 2:00 pm (it was delicious and I wouldn't change that) and fell asleep on the couch at 9:00 pm.

Saturday I had coffee, took a nap, AND fell asleep on the couch before 9:00 pm.

Today, I was up at 5:30 am. Step 1 = success. I can work with this! Today, I WILL follow my new sleep rules.

I know it sounds silly, but I'm really at my wits end trying to figure out why I am always so tired. At this point, I'll try anything. Even if it doesn't work, it will be good to have my body on some kind of normal routine again.

My next doctor's appt. is on Feb. 23. We'll see if upping my exercise and sleeping better helps - if not, well... let's not think about that :)