Sleep Deprivation

I have a friend who recently went through a sleep study and was found to have sleep apnea. She stopped breathing an alarming number of times each night, and it reflected in restless sleep and constant motion. She now wears a device when she sleeps.

I was asked, because of my poor sleep, whether I thought I had sleep apnea and I could confidently say no. I may not sleep well, but when I sleep, I sleep like the dead and don’t move at all.

It’s actually that ‘not moving’ that wakes me up. The pain of lying in one position for even a couple of hours is enough to wake me. Sometimes it’s the need to go to the bathroom, but I think that’s often just coincidental.

After a few hours of sleep, I wake up and feel sure it must be morning; I feel I’ve slept that soundly, but it never is. I make do with a few hours sleep, numerous times through the night, and often give in and stay in bed late in the morning.

It would definitely help if I went to bed at a decent hour. I may go to bed early, as I need to rest my back and put my feet up, but I rarely go to sleep early. I watch television, or read, and have a difficult time putting down a good book.

What I need to do, and I think it would help with this chronic lack of sleep, is to take a nap each day. There is always that point in the day when the fatigue becomes overwhelming. I feel it’s a chore to sit, can barely keep my eyes open and feel my mind start to fog. This is when I should go and lie down, even if I don’t sleep, I would rest. Why I resist this I don’t know.

When you add in physical activities, like shopping or social time, the deficit to my store of energy is increased. I’m trying to get into the habit of lying down when I feel that tired, and I have been better, already had a lay down today, twice, once after my shower, an obvious energy drainer, and again after lunch.

I know it’s wrong, but having a nap just seems like giving in. I’m too stubborn for my own good.