After working like a champ for two weeks, my FitBit now shows that I am sleeping soundly. NOT! I need to figure out what happened. But in the meantime, I started using SleepBot. It's a free app for iPhone and I think they have one for Androids.
This was last night. Doesn't look very restful, does it? I think this is why I feel so lethargic all day, every day. I have used Ambien for many years. When Dr. asked me to go off, I had no trouble. But after feeling so punk for so long, I think I do need some uninterrupted sleep. EVERYTHING looks better after a good night's sleep. Everything.
I never really knew how much sleep affects our health. WOW! It is responsible for so much in our lives. Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.
From the National Institutes of Health I learned sleep influences:
Healthy brain function
Emotional Well being
Physical health
high blood pressure
obesity
insulin production
ability to fight off minor illnesses
Daytime performance and safety
Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don't get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you're well-rested. (Hmmm ... this might help my WW venture ....)
Dr. just called me back. We had a good chat. He will prescribe Ambien but thinks we need to find out WHY I am waking up so much and fix that. Pain? Breathing?
CPAP here I come ...
I love Ambien but like your doctor, mine doesn't really want me taking it. I know why I don't sleep and it's because my brain won't stop thinking long enough. I wake up during the night with fully formed thoughts about something I did that day or will do in the future.
ReplyDeleteI had to (try to sleep) in a room adjoining Don's when he did the sleep apnea test and know it would be a waste of money for me. That place noisy and they made him go to bed at 9:00 when we were just to staying up until midnight. Then they sent us home at 6 AM.
I still love my Fitbit. If you're faithful logging in your food intake it's really easy to see then and how you lost or gained. So Far, I'm staying under 700 to 1000 calories than burned. If you go on the Fitbit message board and look at the sleep charts others have posted. That made me quit worrying so much because just turning over in bed can give you a mini restless reading. Others have huge bands of restlessness compared to yours and mine.
Slept like an angel last night! After my knee is healed, I'll try melatonin again and soothing music. Otherwise, I'm an Ambien Girl!!
ReplyDeleteI used to take Ambien, but it started bothering me--lethargy the next day, and my doc said it wasn't good for Seasoned Citizens. 5mg of Melatonin works just great for me. I can't believe it because, I just KNEW it wouldn't help. You have to take it a few nights in a row for it to build up in the body's system.
ReplyDeleteYeh, I'm not a big believer in herbal remedies but lately I've been proven wrong a lot! Watch out ... I may soon be selling essential oils!
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