Things have been kind of crazy around here since hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast and just camped out for a few days. Our minds stayed focused on the relentless wind, waves, and rain that lingered long after most hurricanes made landfall, and ours hearts went out to the victims.
At work, a call went out for volunteers to go to the areas most in need of having communications and navigation systems restored. A few of my coworkers answered the call. For the rest of us, we received mobile communications facilities to check over before they were deployed to those areas.
Of course, on the heels of hurricane Harvey was Hurricane Irma which hit Florida and caused widespread destruction there. We worked late several days to make sure the mobile facilities were ready when they were needed.
Couple the added work and stress of that with a chronic lack of sleep, and I began to have some serious problems with focus and motivation. Weekends are typically a time when I try to get caught up on things, but instead I felt like I was falling further and further behind.
The feeling of overwhelm was starting to set in. I just didn’t seem to have the focus or motivation to accomplish much of anything. I started blog posts that I never finished, August’s newsletter fell by the wayside, and other writing projects never even got started.
The only things that I was consistently able to accomplish were house chores, namely laundry. Such simple steps for doing laundry (sorting, washing, drying, folding) kept me from being completely ineffective. In that fact, I was able to take comfort.
My chronic lack of sleep started about a year ago. I attributed it mostly to stress, but no matter what I tried I just could not find that knocked out, restful kind of sleep that had come so easily to me in years past.
My mood was also foretelling of something out of kilter in my world. Some of the things I noticed was that my body’s thermostat was not always working properly. I thought that because I was so tired at night that I just had trouble staying warm.
Last winter was miserable for me because I just could not seem to be warm enough in bed. With my husband being hot natured, it was difficult to compromise on room temperature and blankets.
But once spring came, I found that my body couldn’t decide if I was hot or cold at night. I woke up a lot during the night, turning from side to side. This of course, disturbed my husband’s sleep.
When summer arrived, my thermostat seemed to work better, but I still was not sleeping well. Then a few months ago, instead of my normal monthly cycle I had some pretty terrible hot flashes along with night sweats. And wow was I cranky!
Well, there you have it—menopause. Over the last year I guess I had been experiencing peri-menopause. Fluctuating hormones are known to cause sleep problems. Low energy and mild forms of depression are also side effects of low hormones.
With fall on the way, and the house cooling off at night, my thermostat has started being erratic again; at least I know why.
An occasional night of better sleep renews my belief that my current condition is temporary. I am resolved to push past this lethargy, and also to take naps as needed.
I am not at the point where I am treating my symptoms with any herbs or other treatments. I try to meditate more and stress less. I can only do so much, and I need rest, too.
I definitely have a greater appreciation for women experiencing menopause. It can be a long and difficult process fraught with frustration and confusion.
Right now, I just really want a nap so I am going to cut this short. I ask that you bear with me over the coming months as I try to stick to the normal way I do things.
Have a great week!
Proverbs 12:25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.
