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Happy Life The JJ Way, Issue #56 - Cure Sleep Issues December 01, 2020 |
![]() Cure Sleep IssuesHi, and the warmest of welcomes to "Happy Life The JJ Way". This month I share with you how to cure sleep issues. Plagued by wakefulness for many years, I share my very personal story - a triumph which may hold the secret/s you or your loved one need to know. As an ex-desperate-non-sleeper, I beg you on behalf of others to share this information - it could save a life.
Cure Sleep IssuesI had what I thought was an incurable sleep issue for many years. I’ve since found that there were most likely several issues affecting my sleep – all of them curable. I hope that reading this turns on the light for you regarding your sleep issues and how to solve them. All my life I had been a nine hours a night girl – but suddenly I found myself awake at around 2.00am – sometimes for the night, but sometimes able to nod back off around 6.00am. I didn’t just gradually come to consciousness as we normally do when we wake – it was like – snap - you’re awake – for hours. What's wrong with me?I had separated from my husband earlier, and while I wasn’t relishing thethought of our looming financial settlement, I still felt my problem was physiological, rather than mental or emotional. I was, after all, a meditation teacher, so quite familiar with relaxation techniques. Helplessness and hopelessness engulfed me as the nightmare played out night after night, friends told me I was menopausal and doctors looked at me as though expecting a good night’s sleep at my age was akin to requesting a fitting for a training bra. They offered no relief or reason, “Just one of those things.” When my beloved Nanna had told me many years ago, “Without your health, Jack, you’ve got nothing,” I had listened, good and proper! My health has been a priority (within reason) since, so you can imagine my horror at this ongoing torture. Anyone fool enough to be in my presence longer than five minutes was regaled with my lack-of-sleep woes. I was offering good money for a decent night’s sleep – to no avail. It has been my habit to exercise regularly (if not daily). I remember during The Wakeful Years when I would ride 50kms on weekends, thinking this would assure me of a decent sleep – but I thought wrong. No amount of exercise seemed to buy me the long, deep sleep I was lacking.
Help!Help was not forthcoming. Female friends appeared to have formed an evilalliance of acceptance. But how could this be fair? After all the reproductive/childbearing/childrearing fun we have, how could we possibly have been designed to finally have some semblance of freedom returned to us, only to use it staring at the ceiling every night – besmirching our plans for vibrancy the next day? Every day? EVER again? I know those of us who conceive of a God, mostly conceive of a ‘He’, but even the most vengeful male would not bestow such a heinous design upon his playmate, would he? DesperationAfter trying every herbal sleep remedy known to man, and severalfruitless visits to doctors, I eventually relented on my “no dugs” stance and out of sheer desperation, agreed to try a very weak sleeping pill. Well! That little beauty didn’t have me waking up at 2am – no - because it prevented me from falling asleep AT ALL! Not one wink! Not one Z! It even thwarted my gallant attempt at a sneaky afternoon, pre-party nap the next day. At the time I was working at home, writing, so had slipped into a routine of making up for my night wakefulness the next morning, which I didn’t see as helpful. In an effort to curb this and return some discipline to my sleep routine, I took a casual job for a few hours in the morning, commencing at 7am, sometimes earlier. Alas, my grand plan had no effect, and I often soldiered on with 2-3 hours’ sleep under my belt, unsafe in the knowledge of the effect this would be having on my health. The irony really struck home one day when I was invited to speak to a school group on the subject of the importance-of-sleep.html – having enjoyed my usual three hours’ kip and feeling wretched for it! ResearchMy research had repeatedly revealed magnesium to be a possible answer,but as a cramp sufferer, I was already taking bedtime magnesium. The other possibility was melatonin. I didn’t feel that I was lacking morning light, but nevertheless, off I trotted to the doctor to request a script to give it a try. For a while there were results. I wasn’t sleeping nine hours but there did often seem to be an increase in the amount of sleep I was enjoying. However, the change was inconsistent. My research also consistently turned up something called adrenal fatigue which was a new term to me. I can’t even remember why, but for some reason that was one rabbit hole I was evading. Deteriorating HealthApart from the Great Sleeping Pill incident, there was another standoutnight among the thousands that made up The Wakeful Years. At this point I had positioned myself in a very stressful, physically rigorous career with long hours and relentless demands.
I had also finally taken the leap and bought my own property after the end of my marriage, and was staying with friends during the 30 day gap until settlement. On the night in question, I finally fell asleep for the first time after checking the time at 6.40am, to be awoken by the alarm at 7.20am. I had a very busy day scheduled and finally dragged myself home after 9.00pm. No wonder I could see myself ageing before my very (bleary) eyes! And no wonder I felt like a shell of a woman whose health was deteriorating. But an answer was within reach… An AnswerAfter the turbulence of two house moves within thirty days plus a deathin the family and the associated interstate travel, funeral arrangements, etc., I gradually settled into my new home, fitting the “settling” in around my demanding career. Because of the physical demands during this period, I let exercise take a back seat for a few months. A couple of months after moving in, I suddenly realized one morning that I had been sleeping! Well! All night! For several weeks! What the…??? I knew from my research that athletes are often deficient in magnesium, and that we use it up when we exercise – so maybe all this time I had been taking magnesium, I just wasn’t taking enough? Which is why, when I stopped exercising and wasn’t using as much, I could sleep!! Oh happy days! The answer had been on my bedside table all along, but I had thought it was only the answer to my almost –nightly cramps – not the Holy Grail of Sleep! When I was ready to resume exercise, I increased my magnesium intake with great success. But I soon realized that I wasn’t sleeping well every night – there werestill nights of waking to use the bathroom and not being able to drift back off. Sometimes taking extra magnesium worked, other times, no. But generally, I was still sleeping much better than I had previously – the wakeful nights weren’t constant as they had been for years. While I have been health-conscious – enough that I don’t indulge in coffee – I have always been a chocoholic and enjoyed a glass of wine. During The Wakeful Years I found that red wine always caused a wakeful episode, so limited my intake. I had also been indulging in green tea for some years, so I scoured the internet for caffeine free green tea and bought it in bulk – it didn’t seem to make any difference though. Suffering HealthInevitably, my health began to suffer in the most impactful ways.Against the odds, I kept working and kept soldiering on with life – and now I had a new issue to research. Several doctors, specialists and tests revealed nothing, so I had no choice but to handle this myself. Fortunately for me, my ongoing unresolved health issues worried my daughter to the point where she bought me a book which was to change my life, my health and finally slam the door shut on my sleep issues.
Medical MediumIn attempting to solve my other issues, I have studied and followed the protocols of Medical Medium – also the title of his first book, which is saving my life. He explains how the adrenal glands effect sleep and by just eating the right foods at the right times can heal your sleep issues. (Remember the Adrenal Fatigue rabbit hole I previously refused to go down?)
He also advocates we avoid eating several foods, chocolate among them. While I have been living alone during a Melbourne winter in lockdown and forgoing the other foods on his “no” list, I staunchly refused to give up chocolate – my friend, comfort and companion during a bleak few months (a girl needs some pleasures in life). In order to be happy, we need to have something to look forward to, and chocolate was my shining light during the depths of winter. I knew it was too much to expect of myself to forgo my life’s one indulgence – so I didn’t. But I also knew that Spring would soon show her fresh, shiny, healthy, vibrant face that would allow me to let the crutches of a desolate winter fall away. And she did. And I did. From September 1, I embarked upon a Medical Medium cleanse, sans chocolate. After a few days, I realized I was sleeping better than I had in years – deep and long. While chocolate had been seducing me with its creamy, smooth, friendly face all these years, it was in fact a wolf in KitKat’s clothing – contributing its stimulating best to a war against sleep, one of the weapons of mass distraction I fought nightly in my ignorance. My battalion of increased magnesium, knowledge of adrenal fatigue and other general health information thanks to Medical Medium (and my daughter), along with the experience of sound sleep by avoiding chocolate, have seen me victorious after all those years.
Full CircleAnd that, Happy Lifers, is the end of The Wakeful Years. I am now backto a nine hours a night girl. If you know someone who is experiencing their own Wakeful Years, please pass this on to them! They may be encountering the brick walls I came up against, but I am living proof that expecting a good night’s sleep at any age is NOT akin to requesting a fitting for a training bra. Hmmm…..all this talk about chocolate….rustle…rustle…rustle.
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