I fell asleep in the middle of my workout.

I'm not even exaggerating.

In the middle of what was supposed to be a 45 minute walk on the treadmill, it hit me like an attack. A sleep attack. If I don't get off this machine right now, I am going to keel over sleeping and kill myself.

I get off the machine. Only 14 minutes walking and two minutes running, damn.

I get down on the floor. Ok, this isn't so bad...I can do some yoga stretches while I'm down here...zzzzzzz.

Thirty minutes later I wake up to find my face stuck to the carpet with the treadmill next to my nose. This is not going to look good on my bodybugg daily workout chart.

I briefly ponder getting back on the machine and realize it's hopeless. Must sleep. Right now.

If it weren't kind of funny, I might just cry.

Modafinil: A short story told in pictures.

This is how I feel on Modafinil*!

...and this is how I feel the day after Modafinil.

* Modafinil is also known as Provigil

Sleep Study

My polysomnographic study (sleep study) was not nearly as restful as this...

Did you know that a sleep study requires quite a bit of monitoring? Between EEG wires glued into the hair, ECG leads glued to the chest, wires attached to the legs to monitor for restlessness, wires in the nose to capture breathing and a pulse oximeter on the finger, it is not easy to pretend you are home in your own bed.

Despite the odd sensation of having a video camera pointed at me whilst tied to the bed with wires, I managed to fall asleep quickly and slept straight through until the wake up call at 6:45am. (Of course, I can fall asleep pretty much any time, anywhere these days...)

In the morning, I asked the technologist about my night's sleep. After the usual disclaimers, the tech told me that my study surprised her. Given my level of sleepiness, she expected to find clear indications of sleep apnea or restless legs. However, despite some arousals throughout the later part of the study, my oxygen remained high and my legs remained still.

I am now waiting for final report from the physician, but not surprised that I had another unrevealing test.

After the test, I made my way home, ate breakfast and went back to sleep - for the rest of the day.

One possible explanation...

I'm not actually "late" yet, so chances are that this is just an evaporation line; but it would go some way to explaining the bizarre attacks of sleep I keep having.

Brilliant Husband says you get what you pay for (in this case, $1.25) and that perhaps I should buy a test from somewhere other than Dollerama. I'll do that in a few days...

What the bleep is wrong with me?!?

The past few days I have slept nearly non-stop around the clock - waking up only to complete the most crucial life functions...like eating.

My body hurts in ways that make no sense. My elbows hurt. My legs ache. I feel like I completed an Ironman and then lost a few rounds in the boxing ring.

Walking from the kitchen to the bed I am short of breath and dizzy. I hit the mattress and find myself asleep for 6-8-12 hours at a time. I wake soaked in my sheets from night sweats.

The sun outside hurts my eyes and I hide in the darkest room in the house to avoid the light.

All of the gains I made in the past few months have disappeared. Where did they go??

No point in calling the doctors; they've heard it all before and have anything new to offer. No point in telling my friends, who wants to hear this crap? My family are kind, but worried...I don't want to trouble them either.

Is this a flare?

A relapse?

Extended jet lag?

I can't find a single diagnosis that matches my symptoms and it is frustrating as hell.

Thanks for listening...I'm going back to sleep now.

On the floor, sleeping

For the past week I have been in a hypersomnolent trance. I have come to realize that the word 'fatigue' doesn't do any justice to what I am experiencing.

Have you ever taken Benadryl or Gravol? Any medication which induces sleep that you just cannot fight? That's what I am feeling.

Last week, I was too sleepy to take care of myself or my animals. I packed up my bags and my pets and moved over to my mother's house for a few days until DH got back from his trip. Even with all of her health issues, she could at least walk the dogs. And I slept...and slept...and slept.

At one point, I went to the kitchen to talk to my mother. I was so tired I sat down on the floor. But I was too tired to sit, so I laid down...and fell asleep on her travertine tile.

I flip between hot and shivering, but my temperature is almost always 97.2 (not even normal, let alone fever).

This, my friends, is not normal.

crazy fatigue

How tired am I?

Can't even put it into words.

Sleep delays my life (get up! get up!)

Ever heard the REM song "Get Up"? I am living it right now.

After months of feeling great, the past few days I am like a zombie. I could close my eyes and fall asleep at just about any time. The past few days I had to lie down and take a nap mid-day (about 2 hours) because if I didn't, I was going to fall asleep standing up. It is like a bloody sleep attack.

I'm sleeping well at night, using my "happy light" in the mornings, taking my Synthroid, iron & B12 supplements. I just hate this feeling. I'm all stuffy and congested and sleepy.

The good news is that despite this little setback, my mood is still really good. My thinking is still clear and I'm not in any pain. But yeah, sleep is delaying my life...I wish I could just get up.