What kind of sleeper are you? Do you drop off like a stone and awaken refreshed, or do you need pitch black and silence to drift off to dream?
My husband has described me as a narcoleptic, I can drop off to sleep anytime, anywhere and sleep through anything. I have slept through an earthquake in Blandford, MA and I have fallen asleep in dance clubs. However when my children were babies, I could hear them turn over in their crib during the night, the only times that my sleep was so easily disturbed or interrupted.
I appreciate it so very much and I do not take my sleeping capabilities for granted. The only complaint that I have is that I have not wakened feeling refreshed in a very long time. It doesn’t matter how many hours I sleep, I wake up tired, finally after participating in a sleep study, my doctor has determined that I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Speaking of the sleep study, I was taken aback at how uncomfortable the get up was that they adhered to your body in order to take part in the monitoring, I didn’t have any issue falling asleep, but how do others sleep when sleep for them is an issue? I suppose that the goal is to track what happens during sleep, but when you have electrodes all over your body and your head attached to a large box next to you in bed, how do ordinary people fall asleep? I can sleep without mattresses, pillows and the dark; electrodes and wires for me was a no brainer. My experience gave me added compassion for those who suffer from sleep issues. I am very lucky indeed.
The sleep study gave no clues as to why I can’t find a way to feeling refreshed, hence the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis. So the best thing to do and the easiest way to live with the diagnosis is to embrace sleep, to embrace rest beyond sleep and to listen to the advice given to me by my dear friend Tilly, moderation is key to everything.
I have been reading about menopause and I fear that sleep disturbance is one of the things that come with menopause. I am very nervous about this, I love my ease of sleep and I really don’t want to see it go away. But don’t you worry, for now I won’t let it keep me up at night. 😉