Enemies of sleep
Thomas Edison famously said that he never saw lack of sleep harm anyone. Truth is, Edison was full of crap. Lack of sleep is conducive to stress, weight gain, heart disease, stroke, and may even be a risk factor in Alzheimer’s. And it can make you dopey and irritable and have a massive headache in the morning.
After a highway trip, I stumbled into bed at midnight, long past my regular bedtime, with 6 am coming up fast. As I drifted off, I noticed a broken fingernail, but oh well. Then about 2:30 am, my eyelid must have itched or something because I unconsciously reached up to scratch it… and lacerated my eyelid. Subtract forty minutes.
4:00 am, had to rearrange everything – hip was bothering me. Subtract one hour.
5:00 am, major allergy attack. Subtract one hour. Oh well, what the hell.
I’ve been an insomniac most of my life. It sucks. There have been days when I was so exhausted that I didn’t know how I would make it through the day. It’s been a nightmare. Truly. I plan to do a post on all that I’ve learned as finally through herbs and such I’ve gotten relief. Still, I agree that Edison was fully of crap!
I have been losing sleep consistently because ot arthritis pain in one great toe, and pain from tendinitis in a rotator cuff.
Just yesterday I finally decided “enough is enough”, having the same thoughts about fatigue, stress and how those can actually dpress one, as well as contribute to heart problems, weight gain and even fatigu-induced mistakes in such simple tasks as slicing vegetables.
So it’s off to the doc for some help, cortisone, referral to physio, whatever is required
Sorry to hear about your sleep problems, that sucks. I really wish I didn’t need sleep, I would really enjoy that a lot.
Your troubles reminds me of a joke:
New recruit comes aboard a pirate ship and is shown all around the ship. Finally he asks, “Can I meet the captain?”
Pirate 1: Sure, he’s over there!
The recruit looks at a the captain and immediately notices the captain’s wooden leg, hook for a hand, and eyepatch.
Recruit: Holy crap! What happened captain?
Captain: Ah yes, well I lost me leg on my first day on this ship. We were hoisting the sails and me leg got caught in the rope. Ripped it clear of me leg.
Recruit: Wow! What about the hand?
Captain: Well, me hand was lost in the bowels of the ship. I was loading the cannon see and it fired without warning and crushed me hand against a barrel of gun powder.
Recruit: Whoa. Well what about your eye?
Captain: Arrr, well me eye I lost looking up at the sky. A seagull flew by and shat, right as I was looking up, on me eye.
Recruit: Hmmm, but how would that ruin your eye?
Captain: Ahh yes, it was me first day with me hook…