Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

I’ve been feeling tired lately. Like really, really tired.

That’s not uncommon among people living with diabetes… if you consider all the time diabetes tasks require of us, it’s a wonder we get any sleep at all. Add in getting up to use the facilities thanks to a nighttime high, or getting up to ingest carbs thanks to a nighttime low, and you’re talking about even less shuteye.

Is my age a factor? Is it causing me to get less sleep, or not process the sleep I get as well as when I was younger? I suspect one or both of these might be factors.

Real people sick is a thing too. Managing a cold or the flu while already managing an existing chronic condition will wear out anyone.

And let’s not forget other outside influences: the political climate, an economy that we hope will be good but we’ve seen crash before, and work-related stress all play their part too.

In my case, I guess I would have to add in advocacy, and a renewed effort to connect to friends and family more. These are good things, but I can’t sleep when I’m at meetings or other gatherings. What I mean is, when we’re involved in more and more activities, we have less time to just sit, relax, and let our brains and bodies recharge.

For additional context, I’ll refer you to this post at Diabetes Forecast. I especially like the quote “Your brain is a glucose guzzler”.

So what’s a fella to do?

Some of these are no-brainer ideas. Some are just things that work for me. All of them, if implemented properly, should help me get the most out of my downtime:

1. Go to bed! When you’re “on stage”, as the Disney Parks management puts it, all day, it’s hard to come home and suddenly shut your brain off so you can sleep. But I’m also guilty of staying up late, really late, on those rare days when I don’t have something scheduled the next day. I usually get up around the same time every morning, so that means I’m not even getting the most sleep I can get when I can get it. That has to stop. Everything in moderation.

2. Get into better shape. I’ve always been active, but less so in the past couple of years as I’ve gotten busier. Not only do I miss working out more, I need it so I can be stronger on those days when I really need it. It seems counterintuitive to try to add more into my schedule, but in this case, I think there will be a significant return on the investment of my time in being stronger.

3. Find the hidden wastes in my daily routine. Like Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr. and his wife Lillian, I want to find the “one best way” to go through my days, so I can cut down on the time needed to finish items on my to-do list. I probably won’t find too much wasted motion, but if I look, I’ll likely find something. Even if I don’t find a lot of leeway, when your life is full of schedules to keep, every minute of leeway you gain is significant.

4. Stop complaining about it! Look, this is what I signed up for… this is what I wanted. I want to remain as healthy as possible, but maybe an attitude change could stop me from griping about how I feel every time I wake up in the morning.
 
 
There is probably more I can consider. But I think I’ll start with those four and see where it leads. It’s not about turning myself into a robot who only thinks of sleep, work, and wake. It’s about carving time out of my day to have the freedom to relax, or to have fun, or just to think.

We’re not meant to be robots. We’re meant to be living, breathing, flexible, adaptable human beings. But this human being needs to get more sleep.