Going through life needing a nap

That's me. Yesterday I went to bed around 10pm and woke up at 9am. Today I did the same thing. I did lots of nothing and got motivated to go to the gym. Now I need a nap. I also should do laundry but that may not happen. Or I will con talk my husband in doing it.

The dilemma of the day is do we cancel on a friend who was coming for dinner because I am not sure I am up to it. I'm not sure going out to dinner would be any easier either. And I am not sure we are going to the beach tomorrow even though I really, really, really, really, really, really wanted to go.

If I do too much I get tired. I mean really tired. I mean able to sit on the sofa and watch bad TV without caring for hours.

I work three days a week which means I have to get up and go to work on those days. But then I have to get caught up on my sleep. I am told that you really can't make up for lost sleep but I try anyway.

Doctors have said to me - are your thyroid levels okay, are you exercising too much/too little, are you doing too much, are you taking all your medications when you are supposed to, are you eating healthy, do I get enough iron/fiber/vitamins, etc? In other words, they aren't sure.

I have my own theories: Fibromyalgia causes fatigue. Rheumatoid arthritis causes fatigue. Living in pain is tiring. Stress is tiring.

In the meantime I'll take a nap and think about it.

Napping is so underrated

Yesterday I took an hour and a half nap. Spontaneously. I mean I lay down to read a book and fell asleep solidly. The result was I woke up this morning at 330 and had a hard time getting back to sleep. I should stayed up later.

We have visiting family this week and are running around doing the things you do with out of town guests. Yesterday we did some Revolutionary War history - we live 2 miles from the Shot Heard Round the World. They do an annual reenactment at the crowd control time of 530am on Patriots Day which is next Monday, April 15 (as opposed to Patriot Day which is September 11). Yesterday afternoon was the dress rehearsal for the battle reenactment so they did it twice.

We wanted the British advance, curse at the colonials, insist they lay down the arms, and watched them die on the Battle Green and get tended by their wives and families - twice. But it was worth it. And we did not have to be some place by 530 am.

By the time we got home, we were all a bit tired and started to feel a little snoozy. I was the only one who slept.

Today we are off to do more tourist things - maple barn for brunch and some local wineries. I hope to make it to the gym later today but after wineries I might not be up for it. I might need another nap.

Day by day

These days I live things day by day. What I mean by this is I plan to have a normal schedule and be the normal me (as much as I can be considered to be normal) and then I start making alterations to my schedule based on how I feel. Some days I keep my schedule and some days, I make short cuts, go  home early and take naps.

Yesterday I was supposed to go out to dinner with family but I opted to stay home.  I was sore, tired, achy, and felt my pink fuzzy pajamas were calling my name. We stayed home and had tuna sandwiches for dinner and I went to bed early.

This week I am taking it easier than most. The accident did leave me some (additional) aches and pains which have slowed me down some more. I will see my primary care next week. I called her office to ask about my CT report and as soon as I said that I had been in an accident that brought me to the ER, they said of course she needed to see me. How about Tuesday at 1030?

I am learning, slowly of course - as I am not always quick on the uptake - that I have to make changes in my life. A few months ago, I would have pushed myself and then spent three days recovering. I used to over schedule myself frequently and now I do it less.

Now I know, nap first, motivate later.

A Lull in the Action

Yes I am enjoying a lull in the action. The action of doctor appointments that is.

I have one (yes, one, singular, 1) doctor appointment in the entire month of March. I have one (again, one, 1, solo) doctor appointment in the entire month of April. And both of those are appointments with my therapist so the odds of my needing to change into one of those little gowns are extremely slim (and they make such a fashion statement).

What shall I do with my time? I mean besides keep up with my blog. I'll have so much free time!

Daily naps would be a good option. I can use that since I get so tired these days. More exercise Doubtful because I need a a day of rest between exercise. More time paying attention to the cat. I can unless he is sleeping. He's old and needs his 22 hours of naps per day. Quality time with my husband.

Maybe in my absence the hospital will renovate the ladies room in the lobby. It does need a bit of updating - probably because it is the most used room in the building.

But in the month of May, sadly, I have one of 'those' days where I have test, test, doctor appointment. I will blissfully ignore it between now and then. Ignorance is bliss in this case. Its also a case of avoidance.

Sleep

"Never underestimate the power of a good night's sleep."

I don't know who said that but it is true. Maybe its just a mattress commercial but I still like it.

I have never been the late night partier (well except college but who wasn't then and maybe a few other times but the statute of limitations is now well past on all my 20 something activities).

I believe, and have for decades, that 9 pm is a good time to go to bed for adults. A friend once accused me of living like a little kid by going to bed so early. My husband believes the same thing - I think mostly due to his military years and maybe because 21:00 looks much later than 9pm.

I have always been an early morning person. Even as a teenager I never slept until noon. Sleeping late would mean getting up at 8. The cat loves this because he likes a 5am breakfast. During the week we have an alarm clock with a back up cat alarm. Sleeping late and getting to work late was never a problem.

Usually I have slept pretty well with growing problems of insomnia over the years. Chemo treatment and stress are definitely insomnia problems. Back pain can make it had to get comfortable and sleep.

But now I no longer have any sleep problem - other than not getting enough. Both rheumatoid and fibromyalgia cause fatigue. In the past few months I have been able to take naps daily if I want, sleep ten hours a night. In the past few weeks I need both hands to count the number of times I have slept in past 8 am. I have also gotten more than 10 hours of sleep on many nights. Yesterday I woke up at 930 am.

Each week I find that by Friday I am exhausted from getting up to go to work three mornings. I can't get enough sleep during the week. By Friday night I need at least 12 hours.

I don't have enough time in my life to sleep so much. I'll have to give something up - like going to doctor appointments. That would give me more time for sleep. Ha. As if.

My daily nap

I have never been one for taking naps. I mean probably since I turned 3 I haven't been much of a napper. There was one semester in college where I found a daily nap meant I could stay out late at the campus bar, make it to my early classes at the same time, and keep my grades up. But I was also young then. During chemo, I did become a fan of napping for a while but then I got past that. And those naps were chemically induced shall we say.

Now I have again learned about the benefits of my daily nap. When possible I seem to fit in a daily nap of 2 hours or so if I can. Even if I go to bed early I still need my daily nap.

This is a side benefit of rheumatoid and fibromyalgia. I call it a benefit because my cat appreciates the daily nap as well.

There are people who do not understand my need for sleep and rest these days. Its not going to change anytime soon. Nor is it possible to work up to staying up and not requiring sleep. Evening events are tough for me, not that I have ever been much of a night owl but now you can pretend I'm either 2 and need a daily nap or 90 and need a daily nap.

For now, I need my sleep. There is hope I will get past this at some point but I'm not so sure.