I've been neglecting my blog over the past couple weeks. This is supposed to be a fitness/training blog. Lately, I don't feel very fit, and I haven't been doing much training. (I ran a measly 28.6 miles in August.) The fatigue that started in August has stayed into September and I'm beginning to be more than mildly annoyed by it.
I went to my primary care physician for a physical, hoping it would be something as easy as an iron deficiency or (slightly more complicated, but still treatable) thyroid problems. Bloodwork all came back normal. Good, I know, but part of me wishes there were something obvious that could be fixed.
For now, the plan is to try to get me sleeping better and see how much that helps. I can't remember if I've talked about it before, but I don't sleep worth a darn. When I lay down in bed, I lay awake for 1-3 hours before I fall asleep. I don't have any particular stressor that bothers me. My mind just keeps going (and going, and going, and going...), often about nothing remotely important. And then I'm beat the whole next day.
For the most part, I haven't noticed that exercise or diet affect my sleep pattern one way or the other. Although, I have noticed that if I eat too much sugar, I feel hungover.
I don't watch TV or use the computer immediately before going to bed. I have my routine, I always read or do a crossword puzzle before trying to sleep. My doctor suggested warm milk, but I don't even like milk cold. I think Sleepytime tea tastes like crap. I've tried listening to soothing music. I've tried mental relaxation exercises.
My doctor prescribed a sleep aid for me. I told him I had reservations about possible habit-forming sleep aids, and that I needed to be able to get up with my son in the middle of the night if necessary. So he prescribed Rozerem. It's supposed to work similarly to melatonin, a hormone the body naturally produces that regulates the body's Circadian rhythm. I took it the first night it was prescribed and woke up dizzy the next morning. I'm hoping it was just a fluke, but I haven't taken it since due to having things to get done in the mornings. I am thinking about trying it again tonight. If I get dizzy again, I'll assume that it's not going to work for me.
I don't know, maybe it's just part of my SAD like I assumed before. Maybe I just need to buck up and deal with it, but I've tried that, and so far it's just not working for me. I have a son I need to play with, races I should be training for, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and a LIFE! I wish I knew how to dig myself out of this hole.
Do you have trouble sleeping (regularly or not)?
What's your get-to-sleep routine?
Any other tips or tricks?
Sorry you're dealing with that! I rarely have a problem getting to sleep (I'm cursed the other way and fall asleep when I don't want to) but when I do have trouble, it's because my mind is racing (like you mentioned yours does). I've found that writing down all the things I'm thinking about/worried about helps me to be able to put them out of my mind. Hope you get some sleep soon!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog via the nest. I know that all your blood work came back normal however; have you considered seeing a nutritionist who will test all of your hormonal levels? You may be lacking some vitamins and they will be able to get you feeling back to normal.
ReplyDeletePoor thing! I know stress--or just having a lot on my plate I feel needs to get done--keeps me up or wakes me up. Also, sometimes the stress of *anticipating* not being able to sleep will do it too. Oh, yeah, the sugar. Does that to me too. Sounds like you're doing what you need to do (and I feel the same about pills). What about a sitter to allow you to tackle whatever is keeping you up at night? With those things off your to-do list maybe your brain will let you sleep! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog from the H&F forum on the nest for a bit, and I finally wanted to chime in here. I could have written this very post, except that I don't have a hard time falling asleep, I have a hard time staying asleep. I'm up every 30 minutes to an hour, which makes me exhausted during the day. My bloodwork came back normal and I'm not ready to do a sleep study yet to see if apnea is a cause. Ugh. And I'm right with you on wanting to avoid anything habit forming.
ReplyDeleteDo you find you have memory problems when you aren't sleeping enough? I do, that's my big clue that I'm having a rough time.
I hope you find something that helps. If I find something that helps me, I'll come back here and share it with you. Good luck.