The Slow Transformation

Something happened to me a few years ago, and i've been trying to pinpoint the moment it happened.

Doctor's are never concerned on how you got to where you are, they're only concern is where you're at today, and where to take you in the future.

But what happened to me as been on my mind.

The last few years have been riddled with extreme fatigue, slacking coping skills, distress, even a little anxiety.  Is it normal for a person to barely make it through a work week, and want to fall into bed the minute they get home from work?  I don't think that's me, but it has become me, especially in the last year.

Then it occurred to me: I turned 50.  

I had a quick discussion with a dear friend about her and her husbands headaches and exhaustion levels.  And it dawned on me..they're probably not sleeping either.

I brought this to her attention, and to my surprise, it never occurred to her.

Then I had another revelation.  My poor sleeping habits have been with me since I was a kid. We just sucked it up and dealt with it. A few of my family members have been dealing with it, either surgically or with a sleep coach, but the others just suck it up. The results are a constant level of illness and irritability, but what is down the road for them?

I've been tackling this issue for myself for a while. I've had some luck trying to get my hormones tracking correctly, I even had a nose surgery to fix some structural problems, but the bottom line is " I am not sleeping". 

My cycling has gone to shit.  The thought of even getting on the bike seemed insurmountable, until i insisted on getting a sleep study done.  I fought hard for the doctors to listen to me.

For about a week, I've been adjusting to the CPAP machine. I don't really like it, and i can only use it, thus far, for about 4 hours a night. In a week, i've gone from a person who could barely function, to someone who just rode 100 miles on saturday. WHAT?

What is behind this? Sleep. To bring this around to the age of 50.  At some point in our lives, if you've suffered from bad sleeping, you're body has been able to handle coping with it, regenerating your body and life in general, plus exercise.
But after 50 (or some age thereabouts) the body just simply can't handle it all.  I think this is what is happening to me and all of these middle agers who are suddenly falling off the cliff.

In one week, my life is turning around, even with just a few hours of really awesome sleep. Now, it's only been a week and I'm not quite adjusted, so I am watching to see what happens over more time. Is this just a fluke? 

I can't really say it is.  For months, I could barely ride, and this weekend, I kept up a really steady pace over a whole day. 

So, for you out there, who knows you snore, or wakes up exhausted, look deeper into your sleep. You might be surprised!

Clear Skies.