So if you ‘ve noticed I’ve been a little lethargic lately it’s because I have been. I just haven’t been feeling great- fever, fatigue, cold chills. But no other symptoms like sore throat or stuffy nose. Just feeling really really tired all the time. I’ve got things to do but would pretty much always rather be sleeping.
The problem it creates is getting back to the gym because I’m so tired. I slept this entire weekend away and took Monday off work because I felt lousy and slept all day those days. I feel a little better today but am still very tired.
It’s frustrating because sleep is supposed to be this simple thing. This basic human function but not for me. There always seems to be a lot of drama attached to it. And to make matters worse when I am able to get to sleep despite being tired all day I often have a hard time getting to sleep. It’s just a huge mess.
Can any of you relate? I have to be careful who I mention my sleep issues too because I have found my Mom friends can be a little unsympathetic. Me a single girl tired! “Just wait till you have a baby” they say with their eyes. I get it but I really am tired. I promise! 😉
I just wish I could figure this thing out and sleep regularly like a normal person but I’ve tried everything from therapy to drugs to meditation. Sleep is my enemy and constant frustration.
All I know is I am soooooooo thankful to have a job I can do at weird hours that works with whatever weirdness my sleep is putting me through. There are no words for how grateful I am for that.
So, excuse the sleeping vent. It’s just frustrating.
Rachel's Musings 
I can very much relate. A theme on my blog at the moment. I try mental postcards … so at least I can dream even if I’m not sleeping
Whats a mental postcard? Sounds intriguing
They’re real places, somewhere in the world. I imagine I’m snuggled up there and it’s so peaceful (eg: sound of water or wind through the trees) that I wouldn’t care whether I was awake anyway.
https://kirstykarlsson.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/want-to-test-drive-these-new-3am-travels/
Now you’ve got me started. 😉 I had four babies, and I never suffered from lack of sleep or persistent fatigue, in part, because I exclusively breastfed for the first six months, I nursed for 12-16 months each, and I was in no hurry to cut out the nighttime nursing. My babies also were allowed to complete their brain growth in utero, they started labor when they were ready, and I didn’t have epidurals. Believe me, it makes a difference. As a retired RN with maternity department experience, as well as a lengthy career as a certified childbirth educator, I’m confident with saying, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” (Thanks for the loan of the soapbox. You can have it back, now.)
Back to your rant. Fever, fatigue and chills are among the nonspecific signs and symptoms shared by many diseases and disorders. Otherwise, sleep problems can have a neurological, behavioral, dietary, endocrine, seasonal or diurnal-cyclical cause (or have other contributing factors). This is, of course, no news to you.
You’ve been fighting this difficulty for a very long time, and I wish I could help. Feel free to e-mail me if you feel up to sharing exactly what kind of medical workups and treatments, and other things you’ve tried. Best wishes!
Thanks for your kind words. I’m glad to give anyone an opportunity to vent along with my vent. I’ve just noticed my friends who are moms sometimes arent the most sympathetic in this issue. Some are of course but often the fangs come out ;).
I’ve struggled with sleep issues since I was a little girl. Never took naps and would sit up at night thinking and wondering about stuff not sleeping. Guess it’s just part of being me. I’ve tried a sleep therapist, diet, essential oils, many different meds, sleep labs, meditation and more. The only thing that works is being strict about my bedtime schedule but that’s impossible. Sometimes life requires me to be late or up early.
I think I have been fighting a bug this week making me have those flu symptoms.
Thankfully I have the best job ever for someone with sleep issues. Sooooo grateful.
I can relate because I am a massive insomniac. So my general pattern used to be staying up until I could fall asleep, and just having a terrible sleep schedule, but now I work for 5 hours and then I get home a little before 5:00 P.M. and almost without fail I fall asleep for the next 5 hours. I stay up until about 5:00 A.M. after that and then I sleep for another 3 hours until I have to get up at 9:30.
I’ve tried keeping myself awake until an appropriate bedtime but if I do that the bizarre thing is that the tiredness just goes away and I find myself lying there for hours my mind resenting me for forcing it to go to sleep. My body is literally forcing me to be on this insane schedule and it resents any artifical attempts to control it. I think my body literally resists having to go to sleep for 8 hours at the set standard time.
And honestly at this point I’ve stopped even trying to fight it because it’s the only thing that really works for me. At least this way I get 8 hours, the alternative is I go in there and fall asleep at the desk and get put on suspension, or I fail the same test over and over get the course reset and hobble out after 5 hours, and I’ve tried hard to keep that from happening.
My father has these problems, too, but his job keeps him up working from home, and he seems able to change his sleep pattern a lot more than me.
One thing that has always worked for me though even through the worst insomnia days is the Sleepaid pills. If I take those I will get sleep – eventually.
With him the problem is mostly just going to bed and being able to fall asleep, or waking up again though. He’s even told me my problem is “crazy”.
Well, I have some of the same issues and trust me I’m not crazy. It’s just a frustrating medical condition and I totally relate to everything you’ve described. Thanks for sharing.
I’m sure you’ve tried a variation of this/have a much more intense situation than I can understand, but when I have trouble sleeping I literally count sheep…one flies by…two flies by…three flies by…and I rarely make it past 30. It takes a lot of concentration to not start thinking about other things, but when I focus on the sheep I sleep! Haha. Good luck Rachel!
– Suzanna
That’s a good reminder. Havent tried that for a while. Good to hear from you. How’s it going?
I used to have HORRIFIC insomnia…I think I tweeted you about it. But, when I started on estrogen (TMI, sorry) and used the magnesium, zinc, melatonin combo I am so thankful it worked like a CHARM. I wish you good luck in finding something out! I know that we need sleep and how awful it is when we don’t get any!
I haven’t tried that. I can use all the help I can get and nice to know someone found a solution
PS. LOVE LOVE LOVE the new blog layout! And, I never heard from your friend either, the one you recommended to me. Oh well! Thanks anyways! Do you know anyone else?
Thanks! Yeah sorry about that. Normally we do a valentine collaboration but she’s been too busy to even help me. Just bad timing I’m afraid. I don’t know anyone else.
No worries. Thanks anyways.
I’d been curious what people thought of the new layout so thank you for the feedback
You betcha! I haven’t yet paid the money for the upgrades so I can change it around, but I sure hope to one day!