Update On Sleep Problems

Since I recorded that last note, I've been able to get myself to turn off the light a little bit earlier and I think overall that I'm feeling a little bit better. But, something I noticed yesterday was that I felt groggy throughout most of the day, even though I probably got 6-7 hours, which is usually enough for me to function. Anyway, it occurred to me that part of the problem might be the amount of melatonin I'm taking (9 mg at night). So, I looked it up and found one website where they claimed that a known side effect of melatonin is sleepiness during the day, which sounds reasonable especially if you're taking a large dose and traces of the substance are still active in the body the next day.

So, to address this I cut it down to 6 mg last night, and while I still feel a bit tired as I write this, it's nowhere near as bad as yesterday. I'll try to stick to 6 mg for a few days and then move it down to 3 mg and see how that works.

Also, I have a sleep study scheduled for early next month. This is one of those take-home deals where you check out the equipment the night before and then bring it back in the morning. Supposedly, this sort of test can help diagnose sleep apnea, which I really hope I don't have. I suspect my problem is that I'm just not a good sleeper and that I'm effectively walking around with narcolepsy most of the time. I have noticed, for instance, on those rare occasions where I do get enough sleep, that I feel remarkably different that day. Everything is better.

Something else to consider is that I haven't worked out for about 2 weeks now.

Lack of Sleep Insanity

I feel like complete crap today. The lack of sleep hits me the hardest on Mondays. I can't concentrate on anything at work and after work, all I want to do is sit in my condo and read or watch TV - as opposed to going to CrossFit or meeting up with people at a happy hour event or really anything at all that's more productive than just hanging out with my TV and my cat. It's really pretty brutal and it's beyond me why I do this to myself. What is going through my head at night that I'm unable to put myself to bed?

The way I've fixed other problems is by writing about them. Something about the process of writing about an issue and tracking it over time seems to help keep it top of mind. All I know is that this is killing me right now on a number of different levels; throughout the week, I'm more or less miserable and unproductive, unable to concentrate on anything that's the least bit cognitively demanding, and really just sort of barely scraping by. The toughest part is dealing with ambiguous tasks, which is probably 3/4 of my job, or dealing with the rare escalation or crisis situation that gives me the stimulation necessary to focus and concentrate.