Why do I ask? Because mine sucks. It's funny, too, how you look back, and you know that it hasn't been forever, but damned if you can remember when it started. I suspect though, that having Covid over Christmas, might have something to do with it.
I had a sleep study a couple of weeks ago, and the results were shocking.
I do NOT have sleep apnea.
Wow.
So I'm back to square one. Waking up many times a night, and not having the foggiest clue why..........unless it's post Covid stuff, which the doctor said is very possible.
Oh, yeah, and I have asthma. Go figure.
This is Naya and Willie's yard. There's a 5 ft high black chain link fence around most of it, and a stockade fence across the back. They have a dog door onto the screen porch, and in the summer, the kitchen door is open to the screen porch, so they can go in and out as much as they want.
Yes, they are spoiled.
The bush is a "snowball", a form of viburnum, that my mother bought me years ago.
It is a beautiful thing, but the blossoms are VERY short lived, which is sad.
It does have an odd shape, because my husband did some trimming around the bottom of
it, before I could catch him.
When asked why he would do such a thing, he said that he couldn't get his riding lawn mower close enough to it.
I think I threatened to kill him if he ever touched it again.
Looking back on that now gives me pause.
tooth paste, which I used to buy at the dollar store, because it was the
only store that carried it. Then suddenly they didn't have it either.
But I found it online, and ordered a box of it, so I won't be running out any
too soon.
When my daughter commented on it, I told her that at least she knew that I planned to stick around for awhile.
It's going to be a quiet weekend here at Crazy as a Loom. Everybody has plans to be somewhere, and the weather is supposed to be wonderful.
Naya says she is not impressed. With any luck there won't be any fireworks. If there is, she won't be looking this laid back.
Have a great weekend everyone.
i fall asleep within minutes of snuggling under my comforter (thanks to you its looking and feeling great) but i do tend to wake at least once to pee .. and the cats, bless 'em, walk across me around 3AM begging for food .. i get up toss some kibble in their bowl and go back to sleep til 5:30 .. then Lola starts making her take me out whine .. my advice is to try melatonin its OTC and herbal .. try one about 30 min before climbing into bed and it should help .. not getting enough sleep is an awful thing i hope this resolves .. soon
ReplyDeleteMy "best" sleep rules that I follow --
ReplyDeleteNo eating after 6:00 pm (sugar highs and lows, cortisol highs and lows wake us)
Cool (cold) bedroom of 65 degrees or lower (we have a room air conditioner hooked up)
Ambient noise (fan, white noise sounds)
DARK room -- essential
Melantonion about one hour before bedtime.
And viola -- great sleep!!
My sleep is a hit or miss thing. Some nights I would be lucky to get three hours in, a few nights of this and I pass out, waking up ten hours later! I do have sleep apnea, and use a CPAP machine. As soon as I put my gear on, I'm out like a light.
ReplyDeleteThen there are the nights when I know I'm doing something important the next day where I cannot sleep AT ALL! So aggravating!
I have to agree with P2P...Melatonin is my friend!
I've had sleep issues ever since working 19 years as a night nurse. That stopped in 2015, but I still have issues either falling or staying sleep. The falling asleep part has eased a bit with melatonin, but recently I read an article about how most Americans are low on magnesium, even though it doesn't show up in serum tests because it is so essential that the body will pull it from everywhere to keep levels appropriate. I've started taking only 100 mg of magnesium glycinate - the type that doesn't have gastro effects - and it has truly helped me fall asleep, to the point that I am weaning off melatonin. I seem to be waking less as well, although my nurse's back still bothers and wakes me. I am able to find a better position and fall back asleep more easily, though. I think I need a new mattress. Ours is a memory foam, and when I roll onto my back (which causes it to ache) it makes a ditch that keeps me there. Hopefully inner spring will be more beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI love my bed. It's a sleep number with a mattress pad, a 2" topper, 4" of cool gel memory foam and another 4" topper. Bamboo sheets in the winter, linen in the summer, a cotton blanket, a 15 lb weighted blanket and a down comforter. Cool to cold in the bedroom and totally dark, I have a ice pack/shawl type thing I put on when I get up to pee at 3 or 4 (it staves off a daily headache) and at the same time I put on a weighted sleep mask (my room faces east). I also take 10 mg melatonin about an hour before bed. Aside from all that I don't sleep all that well, (worse since menopause), usually very restless but oh my, even when I'm not asleep I have the coziest, snuggliest bed ever. If I have several particularly bad nights in a row I will take an Ambien. Not a refreshing sleep but it does let me sleep.
ReplyDeleteI have difficulty staying asleep. Fall asleep with no difficulty, but wake after 2-4 hours. Over the years I've discovered that low-level chronic pain in my hips and back is the culprit. If I get up, relieve the bladder and take an NSAID, I can finish the night just fine. For some reason, I don't recognize the pain in my sleepy state, which is why it took so long to find the solution.
ReplyDeleteI can't sleep without my memory foam bed otherwise hip pain and back pain will keep me up. For my asthma and post nasal dip from my allergies I have 2 inch wooden blocks under the feet of my bed by the head to keep it on a slight incline. Hope that helps
ReplyDeleteHey Hillary,
ReplyDeleteYour post today sparked my interest. Weaver to weaver, nurse to nurse... one negative sleep study may not give you the whole picture. In the last 18 months I've been on quite a journey when it comes to sleep apnea and it took two tests... the first in lab, the second at home... to diagnosis my issue. Please feel free to contact me. These days one must be one's own advocate when it comes to health care.
I have nothing helpful to add about sleep, but have read all the other comments. I guess one thing I do that helps me is I turn on an audio book when I wake up and the noise drowns out my own thinking and I go back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteI did want to comment on the Pepsodent though. That's my favorite as well and we too are now buying by the case. :-)
I suggest that you look into Narcolepsy.
ReplyDeleteI have what I would describe as mild sleep issues. I have some nighttime waking that comes and goes.
ReplyDeleteI would echo the comment above that suggested dark and cold being essential. Experts I’ve heard on audiobooks and podcasts say you are going for a cave-like environment.
I have also found a consistent bedtime routine helps me. It doesn’t have to be anything big. For me, it’s just brush teeth, wash face, hand lotion and I use a roll on sleep blend of essential oils. The key oil is valerian root. Then I usually read for 10-15min and as soon as my eyes start to feel heavy, stop and turn lights out for the night.
Good mattress/pillow helps too. We have a Purple mattress and I love it!
-JoAnna