“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.” -Kahlil Gibran

Sleep. Such a simple thing. Or so one would think, eh?

I recently did a sleep study, and my results proved to be somewhat of a surprise. Apparently, I don’t sleep well at all. I move an average of 55 times per hour, and wake up and average of 3-4 times per hour. Apparently – that is not good. Huh. (And more astonishing, the night I did the sleep study, I thought I’d had a really good night’s sleep!)

On the positive side, it helps me understand why I wake up every morning feeling utterly exhausted.

So – what am I going to do about it? I don’t know yet. That remains to be seen once I see another specialist. (Yumpin’ Yiminee – I have a lot of specialists!) What does it mean for me? Well – it means naps are a big time tool for me to manage my fatigue levels…so I will continue napping! (Mike and I love a good nap – nothing better than snuggling together and drifting off for an afternoon nap whenever we can grab one! Added bonus: regular snuggling keeps us close and deeply connected!)

On the curious side, I wonder – why? Why do I not sleep? Why am I not aware that I am not sleeping? Is it because of the brain lesion? MS? Medications? Perimenopause? Stress? Childhood trauma? Brain damage from concussions or seizures? All or none of the above? Would increasing my yoga to ensure some YIN Yoga just before bed make a difference in actual sleep? Does diet affect it? (Caffeine, yes – for me.) Time to start tracking my sleep patterns more closely, and seeing if I can discover more about myself. Oh goodie – I can be my own science project again!

Curiouser and curiouser, as they say. (Well, after all I am considered “utterly fascinating and complicated” by my diverse medical team!)

“Open minds lead to open doors.” -Unknown

Namaste

Carolyne

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