I'm still alive
I'm getting a sleep study tonight. I'd like to give them a nice letter. This was the best I could come up with though.
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My sleep problems have been very distressing. I've had sleeping problems since I was a teenager. Well into college I'd fall sleep in at least one class a day. I've gone on several outings with friends which were nearly ruined because I was collapsing due to fatigue.
A few times a year I'll be asked to write a log detailing my sleep/wake habits. A course of action gets recommended, the end results aren't satisfactory, and a month passes before trying things again. Not that the end result ever seems to change. No matter how much rest I got the night before I've never reported having a quality of sleep greater than a 4 on a scale of 10.
Tonight was a night I woke up in fits and bursts every hour on the hour from 9 pm until 1 am: twice waking up with a jolt. Yesterday I had a hard time falling asleep due to pain but I was able to stay asleep after 6 am. Sometimes I seem sleep during regular hours but don't wake up feeling refreshed at all. My norm is staying awake until I'm so fatigued I fall asleep and then waking up whenever I have to. For some reason it doesn't matter if I spent the day in bed or if I had a day filled with hours of physical activity.
I rely heavily on caffine to stay awake but that doesn't help with the damage done to my cognitive functioning. I spend most of my time tired, I have to think long and hard to remember mundane information, there's often a block in between the actions I want to take and the part of the brain that carries things out. This is most blatent when it comes to speaking but it also happens when performing tasks. When asked to clean I just sort of jump from small task to small task. This isn't because of some need to do things differently. Its because I have to reask myself "what should I do next to clean?" almost constantly.
Up until recently my sleep problems were assumed to be caused by one of three things. Lifestyle, depression, and anxiety. Sleep apnea would get ruled out reguarly because to the best of my knowledge I dont have a problem with snoring.
Presumed cause: Lifestyle
Treatment: Increase exercise, alter diet, consistent bedtime regimen
Outcome: Temporary improvements at best
Presumed cause: Anxiety
Treatment: Sleeping pills
Outcome: My sleep quality decreased even though the hours slept didn't change.
Presumed cause: Depression
Treatment: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Outcome: I learned effective strategies to deal with unwanted obsessive thoughts but nothing to help with sleeping.
Dr. Wright thinks I've almost certainly got a major sleep disorder, probably sleep apnea. In retrospect that makes sense. I don't like being on my back or stomach because then it feels like my throat is getting tighter. Sleeping pills would actually make sleep apnea worse by relaxing throat muscles instead of keeping them tight. Not falling asleep until totally drained of energy is a consistent symptom, as is not having much energy or presence of mind to perform high intensity activities. Not that this kept me from performing regular exercise for several months.
It's 5:04 now, I spent three hours trying to fall back asleep. The last hour was devoted to light reading before I decided to type this up. I hope you find this helpful.
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My sleep problems have been very distressing. I've had sleeping problems since I was a teenager. Well into college I'd fall sleep in at least one class a day. I've gone on several outings with friends which were nearly ruined because I was collapsing due to fatigue.
A few times a year I'll be asked to write a log detailing my sleep/wake habits. A course of action gets recommended, the end results aren't satisfactory, and a month passes before trying things again. Not that the end result ever seems to change. No matter how much rest I got the night before I've never reported having a quality of sleep greater than a 4 on a scale of 10.
Tonight was a night I woke up in fits and bursts every hour on the hour from 9 pm until 1 am: twice waking up with a jolt. Yesterday I had a hard time falling asleep due to pain but I was able to stay asleep after 6 am. Sometimes I seem sleep during regular hours but don't wake up feeling refreshed at all. My norm is staying awake until I'm so fatigued I fall asleep and then waking up whenever I have to. For some reason it doesn't matter if I spent the day in bed or if I had a day filled with hours of physical activity.
I rely heavily on caffine to stay awake but that doesn't help with the damage done to my cognitive functioning. I spend most of my time tired, I have to think long and hard to remember mundane information, there's often a block in between the actions I want to take and the part of the brain that carries things out. This is most blatent when it comes to speaking but it also happens when performing tasks. When asked to clean I just sort of jump from small task to small task. This isn't because of some need to do things differently. Its because I have to reask myself "what should I do next to clean?" almost constantly.
Up until recently my sleep problems were assumed to be caused by one of three things. Lifestyle, depression, and anxiety. Sleep apnea would get ruled out reguarly because to the best of my knowledge I dont have a problem with snoring.
Presumed cause: Lifestyle
Treatment: Increase exercise, alter diet, consistent bedtime regimen
Outcome: Temporary improvements at best
Presumed cause: Anxiety
Treatment: Sleeping pills
Outcome: My sleep quality decreased even though the hours slept didn't change.
Presumed cause: Depression
Treatment: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Outcome: I learned effective strategies to deal with unwanted obsessive thoughts but nothing to help with sleeping.
Dr. Wright thinks I've almost certainly got a major sleep disorder, probably sleep apnea. In retrospect that makes sense. I don't like being on my back or stomach because then it feels like my throat is getting tighter. Sleeping pills would actually make sleep apnea worse by relaxing throat muscles instead of keeping them tight. Not falling asleep until totally drained of energy is a consistent symptom, as is not having much energy or presence of mind to perform high intensity activities. Not that this kept me from performing regular exercise for several months.
It's 5:04 now, I spent three hours trying to fall back asleep. The last hour was devoted to light reading before I decided to type this up. I hope you find this helpful.