Progress Report and This Week's Goal

Alright, I should have known planning posts for the weekend would be a bad idea. We’re just too busy most weekends for me to find time to write. We’ve had a good bit going on, too, (which I’ll explain at the end) so I didn’t get a chance to write yesterday either. So, I’m just going to throw my progress report, this week’s goal, and hand updates in one post and to heck with the product review for now. J

What is Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder?

I’ve struggled with sleep for nearly as long as I can remember. Since this week’s healthy goal is to get more sleep, I thought it would be appropriate to make an educational post about a specific type of sleep disorder, called delayed sleep phase disorder, that it often misdiagnosed as insomnia.

I was diagnosed with insomnia about 2 ½  years ago and have tried a couple of different medications to manage it. They worked in the beginning, but neither were the real solution I needed for normal, restorative sleep. So I’ve just continued struggling. Save for the nights I take melatonin, I don’t count on getting what you’d call a good night’s sleep.

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder: An Under-Diagnosed Condition

About four or five years ago, before my insomnia diagnosis, I was researching sleep disorders. It was then that I came across a circadian rhythm disorder called delayed sleep phase disorder. Sitting at my computer around 3:00 a.m. reading an article, I began to cry. It was if the article was written about me! I wasn’t crazy! I wasn’t just stubborn or lazy or insane! There were enough other people with sleep troubles similar to mine for there to be an actual name for the problem.

This Week's Health Goal: Get More Sleep!

I was thinking last week that, although I started this blog just to have somewhere to ramble, I could probably do with just a tad more structure than I have. So, I sat down and wrote out a tentative editorial calendar. In thinking about adding structure to my blog, it occurred to me that it might not be such a bad idea to add a little more structure to my life as well. (Not the first time I’ve had this thought, but ya know.) So, in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, I’ve settled on a few series of sorts.

Every Monday is healthy goal day. Each week, I plan to set a small, attainable goal that will work toward my becoming healthier and changing my lifestyle. And I’m going to share it with all of you! Don’t you feel special? J

A Seriously Overdue Update

Has it really been two weeks since I posted anything? I mean, I knew I’d been busy, but didn’t realize I’d been that  busy! This is going to be a long  post. You’ve been warned. J

I took a little time off from writing to go be a florist for Valentine’s Day at my mama’s shop, and then for a bit of rest from the stress that comes with working the insane amount of hours that I do. We also took a little trip down south for my oldest daughter’s first archery competition, and it was nice to get out and about to somewhere we normally wouldn’t visit.

Melatonin and Me

I’m a tad bit later getting started this morning than I meant to be…especially considering that I got up at 5:30 this morning. Why did I get up at 5:30? I’m not entirely sure. I am suspicious, however, that it has something to do with the fact that I was able to go to sleep by 9:30 last night, thanks to my lovely melatonin.

My brother turned me on to melatonin several years ago, but it wasn’t until about a year or so ago that I actually tried it.