Blog Dis
We are what we sleep
2024-05-02
Last evening's foray into slumber land started out good. Before falling asleep, I had thought about my 3-month follow-up visit with my skin cancer surgeon, which took place last Friday. I crashed early and fell asleep right away, then woke up merely two hours later, and had trouble falling back asleep; perhaps the worst feeling is wanting to sleep but our brain doesn't want us to sleep, and never the twain shall they meet. Regardless, I've reason to celebrate! My surgeon was impressed with my healing and said so. And that in turn makes me feel on top of the world.
This got me to thinking about sleep, and how the positively best nights when we sleep 7.5 or 8 hours solid are worth our weight in gold. Because I'm a fan of National Geographic, I'll happily pay for this specialty channel. There are a number of series that I've got set to record automatically. But even if all you manage to do is catch one of NG's documentaries from time to time, your hour will be well spent. NG produced one specifically to tackle the subject of Severe Social Anxiety Disorder (SSAD). And, NG didn't have good things to say about the pharmacological industry and their free-wheeling manner in which they entice and pay doctors to promote and prescribe the latest and greatest wonder pill. Apparently, Paxil is the hands-down favourite where at one time it was Prozac. According to NG, at any given time there are over 50 million North Americans popping anti-depressants, which are often relied on to help with sleep disorders, and not necessarily as part of the treatment toward the patient's depression.
Honestly, I don't know what it means to experience and suffer with SSAD or severe depression. I've gone through short periods of depression, such as what the majority of women experience on a monthly basis, and this too has had an impact on my sleep cycle. When I feel a tad depressed, I'll reach for exercise or other simple activities such as going to social events that require aimless conversations with strangers, which can cause those suffering from SSAD to shut down. Many, too, fear speaking in public more than death. Humans are affected by circadian rhythms. It's normal to have periods of feeling low, and abnormal not to have any at all. But according to people who suffer from SSAD, they're paralyzed and lose the ability to function in all areas of their life. The simple act of getting up in the morning and facing the world and its never-ending stress merry go-round is enough to exacerbate anxiety. Sleep is affected, of course, and the lack of sleep on an ongoing basis further compounds their condition, to the point that sleep doesn't come at all and when it does, it's not a deep, sound sleep. Eventually, those w/ SSAD will reach a point where the idea of sleep terrifies them. My heart broke as I watched this NG documentary, to listen to the sufferers talk about their particular anxieties.
I've experienced periods of wakefulness and I see the difference immediately in my state of mind the next morning. I've developed methods of complete deprivation when I sleep; an eye-mask to ensure a dark room. Ear plugs block out noise from outside, given that I sleep with my window open, even in winter. Because I live in a city centre, there are always people out late at night, when the howling begins (and I do not exaggerate, literally screaming at the top of their lungs). I don't eat hours, nor do I drink liquids right before bed. Alcohol is a big no-no because it thins out and inhibits oxygen levels in your blood, thereby affecting your sleep. When we're snot-nosed kids, we woke up every morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on our little world. But as adults, you resign yourself to the fact that you'll not likely get the right amount of hours each night, especially during the work week. Thankfully, on the weekends, I catch at least three more hours than usual, though I realize this doesn't apply to parents w/ young children, or pet owners, whose fur-babies don't recognize days of the week; it's all one big blending of days to them.
Sleep and depression and sleep and happiness. I'd like to place my order officially for the latter of the two, if you please. There are non-prescribed herbal medications for sleep, which aren't associated with depression or trying to combat social anxiety disorder. For me, Valerian works like a charm, an effective non-addictive herbal tranquilizer, commonly available, OTC, derived from a plant. I find it soothes my nerves w/o that narcotic effect and it promotes sleep. Friends have said , however, that Valerian is simply not strong enough for them. Perhaps some day the Government will recognize insomnia as a disability and the link between depression and sleep will be managed in tandem by the medical community and the Govt, instead of reaching for the nearest anti-depressant, to load up the brain with more chemicals.
Oh, and by the way, there is a distinction worth noting. The three most popular pharmacological medications are: anti-depressants (depression), anti-anxiety (anxiety) and anti-psychotic (to treat conditions like schizophrenia).
I wish I could wish for everyone a perfect sound sleep each night but I don't possess this power, even for myself. I predict that tonight's sleep for me should be reasonably good; they generally are when I cycle after work, a 1.5 hour-ride to wear down my body's energy, helping me to feel tired. Nothing promotes a better sleep quite like pure exhaustion from exercise.
Or... Sex too before bed is ideal, because an orgasm is never a waste, like a perfectly rounded 8 hrs of sleep.
This got me to thinking about sleep, and how the positively best nights when we sleep 7.5 or 8 hours solid are worth our weight in gold. Because I'm a fan of National Geographic, I'll happily pay for this specialty channel. There are a number of series that I've got set to record automatically. But even if all you manage to do is catch one of NG's documentaries from time to time, your hour will be well spent. NG produced one specifically to tackle the subject of Severe Social Anxiety Disorder (SSAD). And, NG didn't have good things to say about the pharmacological industry and their free-wheeling manner in which they entice and pay doctors to promote and prescribe the latest and greatest wonder pill. Apparently, Paxil is the hands-down favourite where at one time it was Prozac. According to NG, at any given time there are over 50 million North Americans popping anti-depressants, which are often relied on to help with sleep disorders, and not necessarily as part of the treatment toward the patient's depression.
Honestly, I don't know what it means to experience and suffer with SSAD or severe depression. I've gone through short periods of depression, such as what the majority of women experience on a monthly basis, and this too has had an impact on my sleep cycle. When I feel a tad depressed, I'll reach for exercise or other simple activities such as going to social events that require aimless conversations with strangers, which can cause those suffering from SSAD to shut down. Many, too, fear speaking in public more than death. Humans are affected by circadian rhythms. It's normal to have periods of feeling low, and abnormal not to have any at all. But according to people who suffer from SSAD, they're paralyzed and lose the ability to function in all areas of their life. The simple act of getting up in the morning and facing the world and its never-ending stress merry go-round is enough to exacerbate anxiety. Sleep is affected, of course, and the lack of sleep on an ongoing basis further compounds their condition, to the point that sleep doesn't come at all and when it does, it's not a deep, sound sleep. Eventually, those w/ SSAD will reach a point where the idea of sleep terrifies them. My heart broke as I watched this NG documentary, to listen to the sufferers talk about their particular anxieties.
I've experienced periods of wakefulness and I see the difference immediately in my state of mind the next morning. I've developed methods of complete deprivation when I sleep; an eye-mask to ensure a dark room. Ear plugs block out noise from outside, given that I sleep with my window open, even in winter. Because I live in a city centre, there are always people out late at night, when the howling begins (and I do not exaggerate, literally screaming at the top of their lungs). I don't eat hours, nor do I drink liquids right before bed. Alcohol is a big no-no because it thins out and inhibits oxygen levels in your blood, thereby affecting your sleep. When we're snot-nosed kids, we woke up every morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on our little world. But as adults, you resign yourself to the fact that you'll not likely get the right amount of hours each night, especially during the work week. Thankfully, on the weekends, I catch at least three more hours than usual, though I realize this doesn't apply to parents w/ young children, or pet owners, whose fur-babies don't recognize days of the week; it's all one big blending of days to them.
Sleep and depression and sleep and happiness. I'd like to place my order officially for the latter of the two, if you please. There are non-prescribed herbal medications for sleep, which aren't associated with depression or trying to combat social anxiety disorder. For me, Valerian works like a charm, an effective non-addictive herbal tranquilizer, commonly available, OTC, derived from a plant. I find it soothes my nerves w/o that narcotic effect and it promotes sleep. Friends have said , however, that Valerian is simply not strong enough for them. Perhaps some day the Government will recognize insomnia as a disability and the link between depression and sleep will be managed in tandem by the medical community and the Govt, instead of reaching for the nearest anti-depressant, to load up the brain with more chemicals.
Oh, and by the way, there is a distinction worth noting. The three most popular pharmacological medications are: anti-depressants (depression), anti-anxiety (anxiety) and anti-psychotic (to treat conditions like schizophrenia).
I wish I could wish for everyone a perfect sound sleep each night but I don't possess this power, even for myself. I predict that tonight's sleep for me should be reasonably good; they generally are when I cycle after work, a 1.5 hour-ride to wear down my body's energy, helping me to feel tired. Nothing promotes a better sleep quite like pure exhaustion from exercise.
Or... Sex too before bed is ideal, because an orgasm is never a waste, like a perfectly rounded 8 hrs of sleep.
