Counting Sheep with Mom Math

DISCLAIMER: I am not medically trained and barely know enough to help myself so please consult your doctor or anyone other than me before following anything I have written.

 

As I continue my health journey, I feel a stupider with every discovery. I had felt pretty in tune with my body. Certainly, thought I knew the basics of how it worked…

 

Nope. I feel like was playing a video game on level 1 and thought I had it mastered only to discover there are hundreds, maybe thousands of higher levels I didn’t know existed and accidentally found myself looking at the gate of level 2.

 

Today’s lesson is on sleep.

 

I know its important. My Fitbit target is 8 hrs a night (and I reach it about 6 times a year). I even tell my kids to go to bed and how they need their rest. I have learned it is the time when the body repairs itself but.  .   .   

 

I    HAD   NO   IDEA.

 

Let me back up a bit. I feel tired most days. I yawn a lot. But even on those 6-ish mornings a year when I actually slept for 8 hours, I don’t feel refreshed, well rested, or like I could bust open the windows, sing to the birds and dive into my chores.

 

As a working parent, I sort of thought this was natural and part of the gig. Who isn’t tired all the time?

 

I wasn’t really looking for a cure because I didn’t think there was one. Instead, I was looking for reasons why I can’t seem to lose weight when I am eating better consistently, and the scale is moving down in ounces vs pounds. I assumed (and hoped) it was a perimenopause thing and there would be a quick pill or fix to get me back on track.

 

I hunted down a menopause certified gynecologist and discovered level 2 of my game. I went in thinking I had a few potential symptoms and realized I check more boxes than I knew existed.

 

My lack of energy and feeling perpetually tired could be:

·      Sleep Apnea (more on this later)

·      Anemia

·      Hormonal Imbalance (ex. high cortisol, low progesterone)

·      Probably other things too but these are the areas I am starting with

 

This morning, I went in for a sleep study consultation. I wish I had recorded the session because the woman I met with dished out so much great info, so fast I know I am forgetting most of it. (If this interests you, please get info from a professional source.)

 

Sleep Apnea is when you stop breathing during sleep. 5 or more times is normal, anything over 5 is diagnosed and treated. I don’t think I stop breathing during sleep, but it can happen so fast you may never know. Signs of this can be snoring, which I know I do at least some times. She looked in my mouth and said the placement of my tongue is also an indicator. I am a level 3 out of 4 meaning my tongue blocks some of the passage for oxygen to enter my body but not all.

 

My snoring, tongue placement and tiredness make me a valid candidate for this at home sleep study. I am a data junky, so I do encourage anyone with similar symptoms to explore their options.

 

I wear a Fitbit and have been curious if the sleep feature actually works. She said while they can’t use its data for medical diagnosis, she has found Fitbit recordings to be the most accurate of the ones she has seen.

 

I looked at my average for this month (the average for the year was almost the same) and:

·      Not counting the time I spend awake during sleep, I average 6 hr 35 mins of sleep

·      REM is 1 hr or 15.2%

·      Light is 4 hr 31 mins or 68.6%

·      Deep is 1 hr 3 mins or 15.9%

 

She mentioned that 20-22% of my sleep should be in Deep Sleep. She didn’t mention the others (or I don’t recall her doing so). I did google and read that I should be targeting 7-8 hrs of sleep each night so I am a little behind if my Fitbit is correct.

 

But Why?

 

Yes, I’ve heard that sleep is when your body repairs itself so think about your major organs recharging… But if you stop breathing during sleep and reduce the oxygen to your brain, it is stressed. Being stressed creates more cortisol. Cortisol raises your glucose levels which increases insulin resistance and can contribute to Type 2 Diabetes.

 

This where all the things I am reading about hormones comes full circle and it can easily steamroll downhill fast.

 

After my consultation, I was given a device (another watch-ish thing with a finger thing and a chest thing), shown how to use it, the app to download and all the things. It honestly seems easy enough. Tonight, I will hook myself up and the gadget will record my data and the app sends it to some dude who will decode it and in a week or two I will find out the results.

As for the other possible reasons for my tiredness:

·    Anemia – I am getting bloodwork done tomorrow morning and one of the tests will check to see if I am Anemic (meaning I am producing lower than normal healthy red blood cells).

o   I do get dizzy

o   Have tingling in my feet at night

o   Mild headaches

·    I am guessing if I have it, I will have to take iron and possibly other supplements assuming it is one of the easily treatable versions of Anemia (I’ve had it before)

 

·    Hormonal Imbalance: I’m not totally sure the tests I am having run will answer this one. There are tests to do so, and I may go deeper down this path if my battery does not include this. 

o   I am reading The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried, MD

o   Highly recommend if you are interested or 35+ yrs old

o   I am sure I will write more on what I am learning. I find it fascinating.

o   I also purchased Women, Food, and Hormones from her as well. 

 

Now I am off to go do my physical therapy exercises, step away from the screen and maybe read a bit before I strap on my sleep study contraption. I am really hoping my sleep is not the issue or at least that I do not require a CPAP machine.

 

Wish me luck, please.