It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do for a body

Insomnia sucks! For the past few years I've been struggling with it but over the last several months, it's become unbearable. Trying to function on 3 or 4 hours of sleep has been challenging. Not only have I been physically exhausted, I've lost mental clarity. 

I have tried everything in the book. No amount of herbal remedies or bottles of melatonin have worked. Even adding in Sleepy Time tea hasn't helped. Finally, at my wit's end, I made a call to my doctor. I was desperate. Thankfully, he listened and was willing to help. 

When the pharmacy called and said my prescription was ready, I was hesitant. I didn't want to have to take a medication to fall asleep, but when you can't make your brain stop, what do you do? 

Last night, I slept for 8 and 1/2 hours! That's the first time I've done that since I was a teenager! I woke up feeling rested and ready to face the day. I was so thankful. 

It's amazing how sleep affects one's ability to function. I think that's one reason a wartime strategy against prisoners of war is to deprive them of sleep. When they can break one's physical stamina, they can break the mind, too. 

I've read that the older one gets the less sleep a person needs, and while that may be the case, 3 or 4 hours is definitely not enough. 

I'm glad there's something to help, even though those types of medication can cause one to become dependent or even addicted. If you're suffering from insomnia or have suffered with it in the past, you know the importance of using medication like this responsibly and only for the period necessary to get your body back on track. If you've never had an issue with sleep, God bless you! You're one of the lucky few. It's so important to take care of yourself and that includes making sure you get a good night's sleep.

Multitasking failure

Today is Wednesday but it sure feels like a Monday in my book. I haven't been sleeping well and it has really affected my mental abilities. 

Earlier in the year, after a sleep study test, the doctor determined I have sleep apnea. He said I stop breathing an average of 8 times an hour. I always wondered why I'd wake with a start several times during the night and asked him about it. He said when you stop breathing your brain jolts you awake to make you start breathing again. I found that both scary and interesting. 

I was prescribed a CPAP machine and began using it right away. Using a CPAP is a complicated process. First of all, you have to be fitted for a mask. There are so many types of masks, and it took a while to find one that I felt I could deal with. 

The first mask wasn't really a mask but what they call a nasal pillow. It was a small cushiony thing that had two holes in it that were to match up with your nostrils. It seemed to work well for a few nights and then, it didn't. The air was leaking out and causing me to have dry eyes, so I had to switch to another type of mask.

The new one covered the nose and mouth. I thought it would be great, but it caused me to have tracheitis and gave me claustrophobia. After two trips to the ENT, two rounds of Prednisone and steroids, I finally got rid of the tracheitis. The pulmonologist said, "Lay off the CPAP for a month or so and let your body heal," so I did. During that time, Breathe Right strips came to the rescue. Though not a perfect solution, I managed to get some sleep which is better than none. 

Last night, after talking with my husband and getting his opinion, I decided to give the CPAP another try. I was scared and hesitant. I didn't want to get sick again. If you've ever had tracheitis, you know what I'm talking about, if not, imagine having the worst sore throat you've ever had but way down deep at the base of your throat. Throat lozenges and sprays don't reach that area. 

We prayed before I hooked into the machine asking God to protect me from infection and I got settled into bed, turned out the light and about thirty minutes later feel asleep. Sometime around 5:00 a.m. I woke up and realized I'd taken the mask off my face at some point during the night because it lay on the floor. 

Looking at the app on my phone that pairs with the CPAP, I saw my score. It wasn't very good. It was an 80. Usually, when I use the machine and do well with the hours of use, low levels of apnea, and good mask seal, I'm between 95 and 100. Although the score was low, I felt better than the night before when I'd only had a few hours of sleep, so I got up and got busy around the house.  

Things were going well until I spilled a glass of juice all over the kitchen table, my Bible, and the upholstered chairs. I still don't know how that happened, but after cleaning it up, I did some sewing and completed another project or two before it was time for lunch. 

While talking with my youngest daughter, I slipped a few frozen egg rolls into the toaster oven and turned it on. I had 25 minutes before they were going to be ready, so I folded a load of laundry and took out the trash. When the bell went off on the toaster oven, I was still on the phone with my daughter. Reaching for potholders, I went to take the food out and discovered I'd failed to plug in the appliance. Rats!!! So, I had to plug the oven in and start the timer all over again. 

I'm realizing one thing. I shouldn't multitask anymore. I used to be able to do it and do it well. Now, not so much. If all this happened when I got a pretty good night's sleep, what in heaven's name would have happened on the morning after a really bad night's sleep???

Maybe I'm just getting old or get sidetracked too easily to focus on more than one thing at a time, I don't know but today has been an epic fail in the multitasking department. 

I guess I'd better stay off the phone when I make dinner tonight otherwise another disaster might happen. I sure don't need that. 

It's so hot outside, I could fry an egg or two on the back porch, but I'll try to be a little more creative. 

Happy Hump Day! In 3 days, I'll celebrate my 8th cancerversary! I'm trying to think of a creative way to do it this year. If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment below. Thanks for stopping by!

iNsOmNiA SUCKS!!!

Yeah. I did that funky title on purpose with the lower and upper case letters. I wanted to draw your attention to the word INSOMNIA, did it work? And you may be wondering how I can be coherent enough to even blog today but that's the thing...my brain never stops working. That's partially the reason why I can't sleep. I can't figure out how to turn off the thoughts.

There's nothing like tossing and turning all night long trying to get comfortable enough to drift off to dreamland. It's challenging to even climb into bed when you know you won't find relief. This morning, my husband could tell it'd been a rough night for me. When he left for work, he could see me huddled at the foot of the bed with all my pillows trying to find a position conducive to sleep. I'm sure he wondered what in the world I was doing at the foot of the bed but I was trying to find something that worked.

Part of the insomnia is the result of coming off of Ambien cold turkey. My oncologist had prescribed it for me a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned I couldn't sleep. After researching the drug, I worried about being on a medication I could get addicted to or dependent on and decided I didn't want to risk it. I decided night before last not to take it any longer...OH MY GOSH! I don't know if it was a huge mistake or what but I'm back to sleepless nights. Not to worry though, I'm going to contact him today and ask his opinion. He'll probably tell me I'm a dummy for coming off it cold turkey and I'll take that slap on the wrist because I earned it.

So what do you do? Do you take the medication and get some really good, hypnotic sleep and risk becoming dependent on Ambien or do you keep on hoping and praying for sleep to come? I don't know. I don't know what the best thing to do is but I know I have to get some sleep or I'm not going to be able to function. This is not pretty. Something has to give. And you may be thinking why don't you just take the medication and go to sleep? It's not that easy. We just added Cymbalta to my ever growing list of meds 2 weeks ago and I'm getting tired of checking for drug interactions every time a new med is added to the list, but...as a responsible adult, I have to be careful about my body and my health. I need to know if I'm facing some life or death side effects because I can't trust the medical team to shoulder that responsibility for me.

Please pray I make the right decision and pray I can get some sleep. If you get a peaceful, restful night's sleep every night, I envy you. Please don't take it for granted because some of us don't remember what that feels like.