Tired? Women and Fatigue Part 4

After diet and exercise, the book covers other areas of life that are more or less in a person’s control. Alcohol, drugs (OTC or prescribed), and cigarettes are discussed. I read quickly through this part because I don’t really use any of these on a regular basis, so I don’t think that’s where my tiredness comes from. I don’t smoke and I rarely take a medication — and when I do need an antihistamine, it’s pretty obvious the effect it has on my energy level, so I try to get off them as soon as possible. Oce in a while I have a malt cooler with my husband. It just isn’t something that’s a dependency for me. Wish it was that easy with regards to chocolate and coffee.

The author did make some points about giving up cigarettes that rang true with regards to caffeine and sugar — namely, that you will feel worse before you feel better when you have quit. Also, that you can quit more than once without being an utter failure. Sometimes it takes several tries to accomplish the quitting for good, and those tries aren’t worthless. Hmm, that is rather reassuring. And it makes sense because there are a few areas in my life where I really have changed for the better over the very, very loong run.
Last of all is the section on sleep. Sleep problems are common among Americans nowadays — both quantity and quality of sleep. People who have to work the swing shift are often exhausted even after they’ve had time to adjust, which shows that we have natural biorhythms centered around the sun. People with health problems may have sleeping difficulties, which in turn debilitates them further since sleep is a necessary physical and mental restorative. And of course, the same is true of people with emotional difficulties — if they lose sleep it will make their emotional reactions more intense. I certainly have had my experiences with this kind of vicious cycle; and of course, with seven children, interrupted sleep is a regular feature in my life through the past 20 years.

I happen to be blessed with my father’s talent for napping whenever I have a spare 10 minutes, wherever I happen to be. (He is a physician and found this to be a great blessing during his practicing years). So in my case it’s usually quality rather than quantity of sleep that’s an issue. Unfortunately, I seem to need a LOT of sleep — 8 hours plus. When I short on this, I regret it. I try not to short. But I really wish my life weren’t so dominated by the longing to sleep.

This whole section was called “Change your Lifestyle.” After reading it, I think the first thing to do is to focus more on being in touch with how and when I eat, sleep and move. The next section is called “Ease Your Strains” and is about the physical and emotional conflicts in a woman’s life.