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insomnia

Supersleeper

April 3, 2012 by gracefulfitness 8 Comments

Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge* Day 3

{Read Day 1 here, and Day 2 here}

Superpower Day. If you had a superpower – what would it be? How would you use it?

At first I despised the prompt* for this post.  “Superpower”, really?  I can’t even really explain it but the idea of it got under my skin.

Until I thought of my superpower.  Now I’m all about it.

My superpower would be to be a super awesome, consistent, out-when-my-head-hits-the-pillow-wake-up-eight-hours-later-feeling-fresh-and-ready-for-anything SLEEPER.

Man, that would be amazing.

I’ve never been a great sleeper.  The serious trouble didn’t start until college but even as a kid I remember having a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep (no doubt due in part to my small bladder/big thirst, I’m going to be in serious trouble when I’m pregnant…maybe I should just make a bed in the bathroom).

At 22 I was struck with a deep and long-lasting case of insomnia.  I didn’t sleep for 9 months (I don’t know if that is technically possible-probably not-but I didn’t feel like I fell asleep ONCE for those first 9 months).  For the next 7 years I ran on little to no sleep and it took a toll on every aspect of my life.  My immune system was a disaster, I caught every little bug that came my way, my weight went up, and I was always tired.

Thank goodness for my husband and all of his infinite love and patience because I was not fun to be around a lot of the time.  There were mornings when I was so exhausted and frustrated after another sleepless night that he would literally have to help me get dressed.

Luckily, the insomnia finally dissipated and for the last 12 months I’ve been sleeping again. I still have long, fitful nights and tired days but nothing like the constant, deep, stressful insomnia and deep fatigue that plagued me for so long.

Still, I would feel superhuman if every.single.night was a deep, peaceful, restful sleep and everyday was awake, alert, and energized.

Watch out Wonder Woman, ‘Super Sleeper’ is a force to be reckoned with!

What would your superpower be?

*This month I am participating in Wego‘s Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  Wego Health is a social media network focused on health activism.  The challenge (HAWMC) runs the month of April and the goal is to write 28-30 (you get 2 days off if you need ‘em) health-related posts.  Wego sends you a list of prompts for each day and, although you are in no way required to use them, I will mostly be following the list.  I chose to participate in the challenge after stumbling upon it during an unrelated search and am looking forward to this “online writing workshop”.   You can participate too!  If you have a venue for online writing and this challenge sounds intriguing to you then join in! Sign up to have the prompts sent to you here.  Check out the HAWMC blog, Facebook page, or #HAWMC for more of the good stuff: health activism!

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Posted in: Writing Tagged: HAWMC, insomnia

Goo

January 8, 2011 by gracefulfitness 5 Comments

What the?!?!

Time for a little QEEG time!

What the?!?!?!

It all started last week when I got an e-mail from my friend Jessica.  She lives here in C’ville but actually we go back

That’s her on the right and then me, my older sister, and my younger sister. 🙂

Anyho, her e-mail read

Faith,
I was just reading your blog about having insomnia.  You should come in and try neurofeedback.  Sleep is one of the first things I’m able to improve with NF.  I’ll do 5 sessions on you for free so you can get a taste and see if it helps you if you’re interested.  I am sloooow right now, so finding a time won’t be a problem on my end.  Maybe we could even arrange it around a lunch date or something.  🙂  Obviously no pressure either if it doesn’t feel like the right time.
J

My response?

You just made my day.  Seriously. I need help and was at a loss as too which direction to head.  When can I come in?  THANK YOU!

You see, Jessica is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and practices Neurofeedback.   She specializes in ADD, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and depression, and, like her e-mail said, sleep is one of the first things to be improved with Neurofeedback treatment.

Our first appointment was Wednesday and we spent about 35 minutes talking about my history of insomnia (all 7.5 years of it!!!), past treatments (acupuncture helps a bit, Valarian makes me wired), and whether I have ever sustained a head injury (why, yes, in fact I have).  Then we went out to lunch. 🙂

My second appointment was yesterday and it was all about the brainwaves.

Those are my brainwaves!

But first came the crazy cap and the goo electrode conductive gel. The gel goes into each of the twenty sensors in the cap to ensure good electrical contact (not as scary as it sounds, I only felt the slight pressure of the tight cap, NOT the electricity).

 

The red dots changed color on the monitor when contact was made. (Yep, that pink blob on the top of the screen is “my” nose! :/)

 

 

I think I was plugged into this ↑ thing, which was talking to the computer.

Once I was capped and sufficiently gelled Jessica instructed me to sit still with my eyes closed for 7 minutes.  The hard part was that I wasn’t supposed to get droozy or dose off but stay alert.  Then I sat for still for 7 minutes with my eyes open but gazing down into my lap.

By the end…

 

…I looked like I was on drugs and had gone a little wild with some bad hair gel!

The purpose of the Quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG) is to gather information about the patients brain activity to assist in diagnosis and treatment (Jess, please jump in and correct me if I am misspeaking on any of this).  From my QEEG we saw that I had many big theta waves in the front of my brain

 

Jessica said that just from seeing this (and not knowing me or my history of insomnia) she would suspect that I constantly fell like I am “wading through mushy oatmeal”.  Actually yes, I am familiar with that feeling :(.

Overall it was a painless and fascinating experience.  I am excited to see what comes next!

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Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: health, insomnia
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I am Faith Levine, a movement instructor, home gardener, mountain biker, hiker, pickle maker, closet poet, and best of friend to some of the most amazing women in the world.

I’d love to hear from you,
gracefulfitness@live.com

Header photo: Meredith Coe

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Hi, I'm Faith! New? Check out I Am for my story, I Cook for recipes, and I Move for some motivation to get moving! I'd love to hear from you, e-mail me gracefulfitness@live.com
Header photo: Meredith Coe

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