Tip #138 Frugal Fixes and Patience Patients; Aaaaarrr Matey!

 The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible. Jean Kerr, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, 1957    

   How positive is that? And,if we extrapolate, what does that mean for the average "unhealthy," well-adjusted adult?  Hmmm, that might be a dangerous experience for morning people! Maybe that's why sailors commit mutiny? 

     Okay, well, not really dangerous or mutinous, but, the point is that it is good to get as much sleep as you can in life. When you are recovering from illness and/or trauma, it is especially important. Sleep (or lack thereof) impacts your body's ability to heal, and your brain's ability to cope with the illness itself as well as the treatments thereof. Caregivers, this applies to you too! Sleep is truly wonderful in recovery; It's wonderful to feel like the world is once again a good place, that the pain is more manageable, that you're more energetic, and that those around you seem more joyful too. Yep, it's very important to make sure you get as much sleep as possible during this phase of life. It's amazing when it happens!

It never happens.

Never.

Okay, so maybe not never, but not often enough!

Sleep often seems possible, but not really probable.

Ug. 
     How does one get sleep when one is so ill? A lack of sleep usually results in a lot more pain, and difficulties with coping with said pain. And, here's the real kicker - a lot of pain (and thus difficulty coping) makes it harder to get to sleep and to stay asleep, too! Anxiety, medications, and illness can all affect our sleeping habits. Have no fear though, there is some good news...

     There are a ton of things that you can do to help stop this crazy cycle. The one site that I especially like covers a lot of ground, and I'd encourage you to exploring the site yourself (you must click on one of the links below to get there, but once there you can explore more). However, if you'd prefer it, I've listed the three sections that I think are most relevant on said site in the links below.

Can't Sleep? Insomnia Causes, Cures, and Treatments

How Much Sleep do You Need?: Sleep Cycles & Stages, Lack of Sleep, and Getting the Hours You Need

How to Sleep Better: Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep.

      

     Okay, so where does the "frugal fix " part come in? It helps address the issue of getting back to sleep once you're up. Recovery can result in nightmares due to stress, sleep cycles being wonky due to medications, a planned wake up due to the need to take meds in the middle of the night, and so on...While the techniques on the site are helpful in this scenario as well, in my experience, nothing works so well for getting back to sleep as addressing pain and light. What? Re pain - ask yourself if your pain is controlled, and if not, rectify that situation. Re light - wear an eye mask. 

     Wow you say, that was huge. She's as intelligent as a rocket scientist and as original as a fine painting. No? I know it sounds silly to have such a simple solution for getting back to sleep, but when you're up and want to get back to sleep, why not try it? Now, I know that you may be resistant to wearing a mask all night, so don't. When you wake up and want to go back to sleep - address the pain med issue first, and then put the mask on (even if it's still dark). For most, this is relaxing, and it thwarts the biological clock that wakes you up when the sun is shining! And, a mask is under $10! Nice. 

     And finally, you ask why the Aaaarrr Matey? Maybe you're not asking, but I'll tell you anyway! I'm a bit of a moron (definitely not a rocket scientist!). For quite some time after I got my mask, I thought it was called a patch (and even got others calling it that too). I have to keep remembering "patient wears mask, pirate wears patch!" Silly, yes, but it works. And, laughing at yourself is never a bad thing. By all means, laugh away at me yourself, too. I don't mind at all:)

     On the other hand, maybe the whole pirate thing isn't entirely without merit. After all, the goal of wearing the mask does have a hint of thievery...  and the booty is stolen sleep! Aaaarrrr!

Happy Pirating!