Go, Nancy! I am so very jealous of good sleepers!
I think there's a distinction between the very common and pervasive problem of sleep deprivation and true insomnia. We have twice as much work as half the time to get it done in the modern world it seems but to live a fit lifestyle means getting adequate sleep. I would hazard to guess it's one area that may not get as much attention as it should even among the fit. I also think that the amount of sleep we require is varied. On average adults need 7-8 hours, but many, perhaps a much smaller percentage which I fall into, function really well on less and it is normal. If I sleep well, I need very little to be fully energized and highly functional. But, alas, I do every type of insomnia, which ranges from unable to fall asleep, unable to stay asleep, rising too early or unrestful sleep. When I fall asleep easily, sleep through the night and rise normally, which is very early for me, I need no more than 5 or 6 hours and I can go like gangbusters. I do not require an alarm clock, ever.
I do get out of whack sleepwise and experience periods of insomnia but it's only ever a problem when I am stressed. And since it increases stress in and of itself, it's a slippery slope. My tendancy toward light sleeping can become a one way ticket to Sleep Deprivation City.
Pinky, I have no reluctance to resort to RX when I get sleep deprived but sleeping pills, including heavy hitters, don't necessarily work for me. I have been prescribed every type of sedative, anti-depressant and anti-seizure medication known to bring on sleep and very few ever worked. I'm trying to get a hold of elephant tranquilizers to see if they'll do the job.
. The anti-anxiety medication Xanax has been the most effective and short term usage is much better than long term insomnia. Personally, I will use it as long as it takes because the quality of my life plummets when I can't sleep.
At the beginning of an episode, relaxation, exercise and the full range of good habits to bring on sleep are the starting point but if they don't work, I want drugs. I rarely stay up past 10:00 and I COULD sleep as late as 7:00 when ti's time to wake the kids but I am usually awake by 5:00 and lately it's been as early as 3:00 or 4:00 with little hope of falling back to sleep.
The most motivating factor for me is that I drive my kids a few million miles per year and I do not want to be a menace on the road due to sleep issues although it would be highly ironic to fall asleep driving since I can's do it under any other much more favorable conditions. More likely, is a decline in concentration and reaction time and that simply won't do. Sleep deprivation for whatever reason, causes many of the accidents out there today.
I undereat when I am insomniac, since my brain short circuits and I can't plan and execute my usual beautifully complicated meal plans and I really don't give a hoot when I am in zombie mode. My vocbulary flies out the window and I become very tragic and miserable and desperate. Exercise becomes difficult and motivation to exercise is hard to come by! Desperation is a vicious circle because the more desperate one is the more elusive sleep can be.
But it's cyclical and it's not unusual for me. I get on it as quickly as possible when the signs appear. I slept quite well last night and I'm hopeful I am shifting toward better sleep again???
Bobbi
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"
Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Mary Oliver
