You know that your life is pathetic when you are excited to go to the hospital for a sleep study…because you know that you are going to get a night all to yourself.
But that’s exactly how I felt last night when I checked into the Sleep Disturbance Center at my local hospital. The room was motel-like. Homey. Satellite television. Continental breakfast. Oh, and about four dozen wires and tubes attached to various body parts. And sure I was being video-taped while I slept. And had to change position and sleep on my back at some point. But other than that, it was like a mini-vacation. Bed to myself. No kids to rouse me during the night or early in the morning. And I slept as well as usual. Which is to say…I woke up tired.
I always wake up tired.
I am tired most of the time.
I spend too much time trying to figure out how to schedule a nap into my hectic schedule. This scheming usually begins about twenty minutes after I’m up in the morning.
Blood work is normal.
So is my thyroid.
Turns out, I probably have a mild form of sleep apnea. I head back to the sleep center tonight for confirmation.
And I’m still excited.
Not just because I get another (relatively speaking) quiet mini-vacation. But because it means that there is a real reason that I am tired. Last night, according to the really cool information they gathered and showed me on the computer, I only had two REM cycles. And the first one was merely five minutes. During a full night’s sleep. In other words, while I got a healthy quantity of sleep, it wasn’t the right quality. Which attributes to the sense I had that I never really got into a deep sleep. Because. I. Didn’t.
Taking steps to discover why I am not functioning at my best is empowering. For now, I am relieved to know that it’s not just in my head. In the long term, I see more energy, more clarity, and an overall better sense of well-being.
What’s NOT exciting about that??
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Rebecca,
I wish to share with you my experiences with sleep apnea. This may help you if not it may help somebody else. I for years have suffered from chronic tiredness. After a mound of tests I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and sleep apnea then told that there was nothing that they could do. In my 30s I began to have laryngospasm when I began to get several a day I was tested for what I thought was everything and then told to go home and relax. Ugh really? I had 2 periods like that that slowed down to every so often. I lived tired and in fear!
Well to make a story short. I got sick here in America with extreme laryngospasm and a doctor opened a door just in time. Then other doctors helped save my life. We found out that my vocal chords are very sick, but the news that can relate to you is we found out that I have Celiac disease. When I took Gluten out of my diet I began to heal. But the other problem of sleep apnea and chronic fatigue disappeared. At 49 years old after 30 years of tiredness I feel great. My larynx box unfortunately will not be the same but my tiredness is gone. I feel I have more energy than I did in my 20s.
What I suggest for you and anybody else with health problems that seem unsolvable is to go to http://www.enterolab.com They can test for a list of problems regarding food, if I would of discovered this sooner I would have a whole larynx box and not just energy, though that is good too.
Good luck with the second round of your Sleep-Away Vacation. I too think it sounds fantastic to have a night of guaranteed no-interruption sleep, and that a few wires are a small price to pay.
I hope you nail the apnea thing down, and then work out how to banish it.