Sleep the Great Health Restorer

I struggle with my sleep being fully restoring and constant fatigue is my major symptom of chronic illness. I have learned a few things that have helped me have a better quality of sleep. Adequate sleep is important for your immunity as well as many other body systems.

The most important  issue that I uncovered was that I had sleep apnea. Being diagnosed and using a CPAP machine at night to help my breathing increased the quality of my sleep. The following link describes apnea and other sleep disorders and their symptoms. http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=50  The next link describes a CPAP and how it is used. http://www.sleepeducation.com/CPAPCentral/  One advantage of the CPAP after you get used to the mask is the quiet sound of the machine acts like white noise to block out other sounds making it easier to fall asleep.

I started to use an eye mask to block light while I slept and ear plugs to block noise. I bought a memory foam bed topper to decrease pressure on aching joints and pressure points. Education on sleep hygiene helped me make some wise changes in my routines around sleep and the comfort of my bedroom. This link gives helpful advice on sleep hygiene and how it helps the quality of your sleep. http://www.sleepeducation.com/Hygiene.aspx

Shutting off my racing thoughts to allow me to have a restful sleep rather than a restless night remained a problem. Writing down a list of things to do the next day allows my mind to let go of those future tasks. Journalling to relieve emotional stress allows me to let those issues go overnight. Sometimes I need to use a relaxation CD to allow muscle tension to release before I can sleep.

Changing all my meds that have fatigue and tiredness as side effects to evening doses instead of taking them throughout the day was another step to a more restful sleep and to a decrease in fatigue during the day.

Allowing myself to return to bed on the morning that I awake severely fatigued has helped also. As well as resting lying flat at times through out the day so my fatigue doesnot become so overwhelming that I am so overtired that I cannot sleep.