Mind the fog

Ever awoken from a night’s sleep only to realise you could do with a night’s sleep? I certainly have, and on many occasions.

Poor quality sleep has impacted upon me for almost 30 years now. When first I consulted a GP about sleep issues as a student he had me try certain diet-related changes to investigate their possible impacts, sadly no impact other than my discovering a love for dark German Rye Bread. It wasn’t until 2003, when in Amsterdam with family members on a short trip, that sleep issues arose again. Sadly for them it was my snoring that impacted them, but it was that trip that gave rise to them informing me I stopped breathing regularly – sleep apnea; I had no idea, or what that even was.

Back in Australia following that trip I underwent a sleep study at one of our major hospitals, it took six months to get the appointment, but eventually was assessed and told I had an acute issue. Little did I know it was connected with such health-related issues like stroke and heart attacks if left untreated. I was immediately put on to a CPAP machine which improved my quality of sleep for many years, though not all was perfect.

As a restless sleeper my sleep is never that great, thus CPAP was only ever going to help so much. There have been some days where I have woken and by mid-morning I’ve needed three coffees just to function, and other days where I’ve honestly felt like my mind was like pea soup fog. On such days, no amount of coffee is going to help navigate a path and it’s just a matter of time and accepting the frustration.

Flood lights. I need flood lights. The mind’s equivalent of these are?