Morning nap problem
Question:
dmi…@spamdelete.totalise.co.uk wrote:
: Thanks for the advice Scott. I’m trying the water and protein : suggestion and it does seem to be helping,as the last few naps have : been shorter! : In reply to your first question, I do continue to tire as the day goes : on until I can’t even watch Tv without wanting to shut my eyes. What : sleep problem does this suggest? My experience sounds similar to yours. I was always ready for a nap early in the day and could not stay awake when reading or watching TV in the afternoon. I changed my diet, as I mentioned, and it made a big difference. However, I still did not feel 100 percent. Then my girlfriend woke me up in a panic in the middle of the night because I had stopped breathing. Well, to make a long story short, I have been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. I am in the process of being treated and there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Some of the signs of sleep apnea include snoring, gasping for breath during the night, tiredness during the day, high blood pressure, low sex drive, and there are others that escape me now. Of course, many sleep problems can cause daytime tiredness. You might want to discuss the problem with your doctor. Hope you are sleeping a bit better, Scott
Response:
Thanks for the advice Scott. I’m trying the water and protein suggestion and it does seem to be helping,as the last few naps have been shorter! In reply to your first question, I do continue to tire as the day goes on until I can’t even watch Tv without wanting to shut my eyes. What sleep problem does this suggest? Thanks again Dave
Response:
I’d say it sounds vaguely like apnea, but most of us wake up with fatigue that just gets worse as the day goes on. Below is a partial quote from Doug Linder’s OSA FAQ sheet found at: http://www.newtechpub.com/phantom/faq/osa_faq.htm * Excessive daytime sleepiness/fatigue: Falling asleep when you don’t intend to. This could be almost anytime you are sitting down, such as during a lecture, while watching TV, while sitting at a desk, and even while driving a car. Ask yourself, "Did I used to be able to (read, drive, watch TV) for longer periods of time without falling asleep?" If the answer is yes, you may have sleep apnoea or another sleep disorder. Even if you don’t literally fall asleep, excessive fatigue (that is, you got plenty of sleep and you’re still really tired) could be an indicator. * Unrefreshing sleep with feelings of grogginess, dullness, morning headaches, severe dryness of the mouth.
Response:
I have a problem that to most people seems quite trivial, but it’s really getting me down. For the last 6 months or so, after I have been up for about an hour I get a sort of fuzziness in my head, that can only be relieved by having a half to full hour nap. I usually get up about 8:30 am and have the requisite 8 hours sleep. I have tried skipping the nap, but the fuzziness then turns into a headache. Any help would be appreciated Thanks, Dave
Response:
dmi…@spamdelete.totalise.co.uk wrote:
: I have a problem that to most people seems quite trivial, but it’s : really getting me down. : For the last 6 months or so, after I have been up for about an hour I : get a sort of fuzziness in my head, that can only be relieved by : having a half to full hour nap. : I usually get up about 8:30 am and have the requisite 8 hours sleep. : I have tried skipping the nap, but the fuzziness then turns into a : headache. Dave, If you skip the nap does it only turn into a headache, or do you get more and more tired throughout the day? If you continue to tire as the day goes on, you could possibly have a sleep disorder. However, there are several other possibilities that occur to me. From my personal experience I have found that I sometimes experience the same fuzziness you mention about an hour after getting up. It seems dependent on what I eat and drink for breakfast. If I don’t get enough water early in the morning, and complicate the problem by drinking coffee (which further dehydrates me), I will often crash mid-morning. Also, if I do not get enough protein with breakfast, I will have a terrible crash. I used to drink a lot fruit juice, have a bagel, and cereal with skim milk. However, this is a lot of carbs and relatively little protein. When I started to balance my diet a bit more, the morning crash disappeared. Have you changed your diet in the last 6 months? Just my 2 cents, Scott
