Sunday, August 10, 2008

So Far, So Good

It has now been a number of months since I went to see my doctor about my sleep issues. My problem was not falling asleep as much as staying asleep. My night seemed to be made up of lots of short naps, leaving me more and more exhausted each passing day. My outlook on life and my mood would be hard-hit by this situation and would not improve until I was so exhausted I would actually sleep through the night. However the relief would be short-lived and around I would go again with the poor night's sleep.

I have a great doctor and after discussing the situation she gave me a prescription for a medication that you don't see all the commercials on. Since then and over time I have been happy to have a much improved nightly sleep where most nights I may only wake up once or maybe twice (vs many more in the past).

Much has been written about being very cautious about using medication for this type of issue, and rightly so. However I can report no noticeable side effects and a better sleep experience.

My advice would be to heed the warnings about the use of medication, especially when it comes to short and long-term side effects as well as potential addiction (my prescription is not known for having addiction problems but time will tell). If you can solve your sleep problems with better sleep hygiene then GREAT!!!! BUT do not eliminate out of hand the potential for the right medication to improve your quality of life if that is the solution you require. Take full advantage of sleep clinics and your doctor to help you. If you have any doubt about the importance of sleep and the dangers of not getting the sleep you need, a quick search on the internet on the topic should cure you of that fairly quickly :-)

The Dangers of Sleep Apnea

Some recent headlines on sleep apnea:

Sleep Apnea May Be Deadly

Sleep apnea can raise risk of death

Sleep Apnea Linked To Increased Risk Of Death

Sleep-disordered breathing shown to be deadly

Mask provides good night's rest and promise of long-term relief for those suffering from sleep apnea

If you have sleep apnea or suspect you might have sleep apnea, you need to get it treated as soon as possible as you can see from the above headlines!! 'Nuff said.