My Sleep Story
As regular readers of my blog are aware, I am passionate about sleep. I have shared bits and pieces of my sleep story, but I have not compiled it into one cohesive narrative. This blog post will be exactly that.
Elusive Sleep as a Child
When I was younger, I could never fall asleep in a timely manner at night, no matter how tired I was. I would lie on my bed with thoughts swirling around my head, unable to calm them down and lull myself to sleep. For me, nighttime has always been a time to think, especially about serious topics. It may be due to my ADHD or the fact that, at a young age, I had to deal with the very adult situation of my parents’ divorce.
Whatever the reason for these philosophical adventures, it was a common occurrence for me to lie awake at night thinking about, for example, what would happen if you drilled a hole from one side of the earth to the other side and dropped a rock down it or reason my way to the same philosophical proof for the existence of God Saint Thomas Aquinas had written about, even though I had never read Aquinas. These thoughts would not cease, and I could not get to sleep.
Whenever I would go to my mom and tell her I could not sleep, she would have varying reactions. Sometimes, she would lie down next to me in my twin bed, stroke my hair, and try to get me to calm down. Other times, she was less patient with me. One time she yelled at me, “You haven’t even tried yet!” I ran back upstairs, terrified and confused. That made no sense to me. How could I have tried harder to fall asleep? In my mind, you laid down and closed your eyes. That was it. How does one try to sleep? It seemed the more I tried to sleep, the less likely I was to actually fall asleep. The incident where my mom screamed at me was one of the last times I went to her with my struggles to fall asleep. I soon resigned myself to the fact that I was just someone who struggled to fall asleep.
The Book That Changed My Life
Falling asleep in a timely manner is not the only sleep-related thing I have struggled with in my life. My sleep hygiene has not been the greatest throughout my life. The book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams changed my life when I read it. Because of what I learned from that book, I bought a new bed, began to set a strict bed time, and did many other things to improve the quality of my sleep.
A Sleep Disorder
After making all of these changes, however, I started feeling even more tired after an initial period of enjoying my newfound sleep hygiene. My exhaustion began to affect my coaching. In short, I was not able to be fully present in my coaching sessions. I finally went to my doctor and had a sleep study done. This resulted in a diagnosis of sleep apnea. I now sleep with a CPAP machine, and it has helped a great deal.
Epilogue
Now, I am able to fall asleep in a timely manner, have good sleep hygiene, and do not suffer the exhaustion I did prior to my sleep apnea diagnosis. I am now in a healthy place with my sleep. However, I do struggle to get out of bed in a timely manner in the morning, but I do not struggle with it so much that it has affected my daily responsibilities. I am actively scheming of ways to remedy the situation.
Moreover, I often discuss sleep with my coaching clients. I understand how fundamental it is to get good sleep every night, and I want to share that with others. Working with them keeps my passion for sleep alive.
I know there are many others out there who struggle with sleep, and I would love to help you. I invite you to discuss your sleep with me. Perhaps, I can help. To set up a time to meet with me click here.