I JUST Woke Up!
By Maggiepie
@Maggiepie (7816)
United States
January 29, 2011 7:09pm CST
That's almost literally true; I did have to make a pit stop on the way to the computer, or risk a hydrolics failure...
As some of you know, I'm pretty sick; I have two--count'm--TWO different cold viruses, & I've spent weeks barking up my lungs & getting an average of 3 hours sleep a night. NOT fun. I think I'm finally seeing the light, here, but it's not a sure bet, because, while I was still very ill with the first cold, I said the same thing, then BOOM, cold numero dos hit me! So I ain't promisin' nuthin'!
Years ago I was in the hospital for bronchitis, & as it happened, some poor lady down the hall was in constant pain & she screamed every single moment she was awake. To make things worse, the floor I was on was being renovated, & daily there was the whine of saws & the reverberation of hammers. I had to check out to get rest! That's how much I need sleep; I just wasn't getting better 'til I went home!
I've long since found that sleep is my drug of choice for any illness or injury, & I turn into a wild creature when that happens. I just want to be left alone to sleep for as long as I feel like it, & whenever I do awaken, then talk to me about pills & injections. But I may just choose to go back to sleep anyway.
Last night (Friday) I fell asleep somewhere between 9 & 1o P.M., & it was about 15 minutes ago that I awoke--that is, 6:45 Saturday evening! Even my cat was alarmed at how long I'd been asleep!
So here's my question: is this a common method for many others of self-medication/repair? Please recall I hadn't been able to seriously sleep until last night. Do you, too, rely on sleep to heal, & can't get better if you don't have it?
Maggiepie
"The only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself." ~ Benjamin Franklin
As some of you know, I'm pretty sick; I have two--count'm--TWO different cold viruses, & I've spent weeks barking up my lungs & getting an average of 3 hours sleep a night. NOT fun. I think I'm finally seeing the light, here, but it's not a sure bet, because, while I was still very ill with the first cold, I said the same thing, then BOOM, cold numero dos hit me! So I ain't promisin' nuthin'!
Years ago I was in the hospital for bronchitis, & as it happened, some poor lady down the hall was in constant pain & she screamed every single moment she was awake. To make things worse, the floor I was on was being renovated, & daily there was the whine of saws & the reverberation of hammers. I had to check out to get rest! That's how much I need sleep; I just wasn't getting better 'til I went home!
I've long since found that sleep is my drug of choice for any illness or injury, & I turn into a wild creature when that happens. I just want to be left alone to sleep for as long as I feel like it, & whenever I do awaken, then talk to me about pills & injections. But I may just choose to go back to sleep anyway.
Last night (Friday) I fell asleep somewhere between 9 & 1o P.M., & it was about 15 minutes ago that I awoke--that is, 6:45 Saturday evening! Even my cat was alarmed at how long I'd been asleep!
So here's my question: is this a common method for many others of self-medication/repair? Please recall I hadn't been able to seriously sleep until last night. Do you, too, rely on sleep to heal, & can't get better if you don't have it?
Maggiepie
"The only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself." ~ Benjamin Franklin7 people like this
13 responses
@Jennlk84 (4206)
• United States
30 Jan 11
I definitely believe that sleep and even just resting really helps you get well when you're feeling sick. There is nothing I enjoy more than relaxing when I don't feel well. Whether it be a nap in bed or just lying on the couch enjoying the TV in the background, it's a nice way to just "be." I really think that it plays a roll in helping you feel better too! I always notice that when I'm feeling sick I sleep a lot longer at night. I go to bed earlier and sleep in later. Just goes to show that your body really does need that extra rest when it's trying to get better. I hope you feel better soon!!
3 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
It can't only be rest--it must be actual sleep, & the more, the better! I have had as much as 3 days in a row a couple of times, & I really needed it! I simply wasn't getting enough sleep these last few weeks--though I rested the entire time as much as humanly possible. Only rare forays into the kitchen or bathroom, with (at better moments) coming here to whittle down my burgeoning email box! 
And thank you. I actually am feeling a bit better. Another full round of sleep, & I might even be able to go to church again! Whew!
Maggiepie
"The problem with socialism is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money." ~ Margaret Thatcher
And thank you. I actually am feeling a bit better. Another full round of sleep, & I might even be able to go to church again! Whew!
Maggiepie
"The problem with socialism is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money." ~ Margaret Thatcher1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160483)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Since they tell us that sleeping and the hormones produced while we sleep are the keys to rejuvenating our cells when we are healthy, it stands to reason that that is also true when we are sick. I am fortunate not to have been seriously ill very often in my life, but it seems to me I have been told by more than one doctor: "If you are tired, go rest, and if you are sleepy be sure to take a nap." so I think this long sleep was "just what the doctor ordered" for you. Often when we are sick, the medicines we are given only really treat the symptoms, so that we can rest and our body can repair itself. It sounds like some of your treatments are helping your symptoms so that you will get better. Just do not push it.
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Don't sleep "too much," you mean? Well, that begs the question, how much is "too much?" I usually just let my body decide. Thank God I'm retired & can set my own schedule! 
I wasn't aware of the hormone thing. I did read once that we grow more when we sleep (maybe why we shouldn't eat too late? We'll get fat? LOL!), which explains teenagers' spurts of growth, & why little kids deprived of sleep don't do as well...but then, that's true of all ages....
Anyway, our bodies are forever doing sly stuff when we're not watching. Did you know, e.g., that when you smile, your brain produces endorphins that make you happier? A great solution for a glum mood, if that's so. I mean, if you find yourself feeling down, just grin, & soon you won't be down!
Ain't chemistry wunnerful? 
Maggiepie
"The problem with socialism is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money." ~ Margaret Thatcher
I wasn't aware of the hormone thing. I did read once that we grow more when we sleep (maybe why we shouldn't eat too late? We'll get fat? LOL!), which explains teenagers' spurts of growth, & why little kids deprived of sleep don't do as well...but then, that's true of all ages....
Anyway, our bodies are forever doing sly stuff when we're not watching. Did you know, e.g., that when you smile, your brain produces endorphins that make you happier? A great solution for a glum mood, if that's so. I mean, if you find yourself feeling down, just grin, & soon you won't be down!
Ain't chemistry wunnerful?
Maggiepie
"The problem with socialism is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money." ~ Margaret Thatcher1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
2 Feb 11
I can't lose interest in food no matter how hard I try! :D
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
2 Feb 11
Well, truth told, I admit I love my sleep as well, but when I'm sick, I just lose interest in everything else (yes, even food to a certain extent) BUT sleep, & I don't care if they drop a frikken bomb on my street, just go 'way an' LEMME SLEEEEEP!
Maggiepie
"There is no hater like one who has greatly loved." ~ John Steinbeck, novelist, Nobel laureate (1902-1968)
Maggiepie
"There is no hater like one who has greatly loved." ~ John Steinbeck, novelist, Nobel laureate (1902-1968)
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Sorry u are feeling so bad. Hope u feel better soon. Sleep is good for u. I am not a good sleeper anytime, wish i were. Take care of yourself.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Will do. Thanks. Sorry you have trouble sleeping; it really does help...perhaps you could try eating a turkey sandwich & drinking a glass of milk? It's a chemical combination that has been proven to relax the body.
Maggiepie
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep & bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
21 Feb 11
Hiya MP,
How awful for you to have to go through all that. It must have been terrible trying to get to sleep in that place they should have allowed you Home and sent in a Doctor to see you. That was terrible of them. I have had Bronchitis and it can leave you feeling floored I know.
I can never sleep that much I have tried to sleep like my Sons and Husband too and I feel like I have a Hangover after it is not a nice feeling too much Sleep.
I agree with you though sleep is the best healing medicine sometimes around. It can soothe your Nerves, take the misery out of a Cold for a while you can keep warm and let your Body rest and do it´s work if it can.
I once had to take a tablet to relax my Back and I fell asleep for a whole ten minutes which is not like me at all and even the Parrot was sitting beside me on the Sofa waiting for me. She was doing my Hair for me nice Hairstyle I must say.
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
23 Feb 11
Hi! I'm back now from the latest hospital stay, & somewhat better, too. (This last session wasn't all that bad, as hospital stays go--far better than the noisy one of which I wrote. That happened years ago...but I'll never forget it!) I'll be even better if I can find money to pay for all the new meds they want me to take at this new hospital! LOL!
Back when that other stay happened, though, they just didn't do house calls. Now some doctors do that again, & I've had EKGs & x-rays done in my living room, & blood draws in my own bed!
I agree that sleeping too long is as bed--in its own way--at not getting enough sleep. But it's so rare that I get too much, it's difficult to remember! ;o
I hate taking medicine. It makes me feel like such a wimp! But I have to take oodles of the consarned things these days, so, when ya gotta, ya gotta, y'know?
LOL re your parrot's grooming session on you! I knew a cat once that used to groom her mistress' hair. Too funny. That same cat (Halloween) used to housebreak her kittens, too!
Maggiepie
“Hope is a great breakfast, but a poor supper.” ~ Sir Frances Bacon
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Ya think?
Maggiepie
"The problem with socialism is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money." ~ Margaret Thatcher
Maggiepie
"The problem with socialism is that, eventually, you run out of other people’s money." ~ Margaret Thatcher1 person likes this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
30 Jan 11
Yes I do
One of the reasons I would not stay in Hospital 3 weeks ago, I wanted to go home and heal at home
which I am doing
I do not know how Hospitals can help ok with the Med and that they do but as for rest you have no chance
You just keep getting better sleep, keep warm and rest
Warm Hugs
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Oh, never fear, dear--I shall! And I am!
Maggiepie
"Human wandering through the zoo, what do your cousins think of you?" ~ Don Marquis, humorist & poet (1878-1937)
Maggiepie
"Human wandering through the zoo, what do your cousins think of you?" ~ Don Marquis, humorist & poet (1878-1937)
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Yeah, ain't that the truth, though! That's Elic's big problem, but then, she will let her roomies & all her cats run roughshod over her! But will she listen to common sense? Ha!
Maggiepie
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep & bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
Maggiepie
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep & bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Well, that's been my instinct all along! And I think I am a bit better today, thanks!
Maggiepie
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep & bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
@ChibiZombie (60)
• United States
30 Jan 11
I'm the same way! In my family I'm famous for not taking medications. I just want a nap. Just let me sleep it off for a day or two and I'll feel better. The only danger with that is that you can sweat and dehydrate in your sleep making you feel even worse. So when you're sick it's important to keep a beverage by your bed I prefer a sports drink like Gatorade or a drink like smart water which has electrolytes.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
I loathe those "sports drinks." They look & taste like sweat to me! But it's okay; I only take them (as medicine) when my electrolytes are a bubble off plum anyway. The rest of the time I'm a water-aholic, & I always keep at least 2 bottles by my bed. So never fear; I'll not become dehydrated!
"Smart water?" New to me. I'll check that out. Does it taste weird? I have picky taste buds, although, with colds I have trouble tasting things anyhow, so I guess it's 6 of one & half-a-dozen of the other, right?
Maggiepie
"Words are loaded pistols." ~ Jean-Paul Sartre, writer & philosopher (1905-1980)
But it's okay; I only take them (as medicine) when my electrolytes are a bubble off plum anyway. The rest of the time I'm a water-aholic, & I always keep at least 2 bottles by my bed. So never fear; I'll not become dehydrated!
"Smart water?" New to me. I'll check that out. Does it taste weird? I have picky taste buds, although, with colds I have trouble tasting things anyhow, so I guess it's 6 of one & half-a-dozen of the other, right?
Maggiepie
"Words are loaded pistols." ~ Jean-Paul Sartre, writer & philosopher (1905-1980)
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
30 Jan 11
Sleeping is one of the factors I trust to heal me from sickness. There are medicines and pills but sleeping is a natural way of recharging yourself. Maybe you should get a lot of it to get yourself cured.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Yes sir, Doctor, sir! I'm doing that!
Maggiepie
"Human wandering through the zoo, what do your cousins think of you?" ~ Don Marquis, humorist & poet (1878-1937)
Maggiepie
"Human wandering through the zoo, what do your cousins think of you?" ~ Don Marquis, humorist & poet (1878-1937) @frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
30 Jan 11
Sleeping is one of the factors I trust to heal me from sickness. There are medicines and pills but sleeping is a natural way of recharging yourself. Maybe you should get a lot of it to get yourself cured.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112737)
• El Paso, Texas
12 Jul 21
Speaking of sleep, I really wish I could get a good nights sleep.
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
30 Jan 11
LOL...Mags...I am a firm believer in listening to the body. It knows better than any of us what it needs and if it needs sleep, then you should sleep. At the same time, you should not stay cooped up indoors all the time...get out and breathe in some fresh air. Not necessarily take a walk...if you're not up to it...but at least step out onto the porch and breathe a few. Open a window and circulate the air. Don't let yourself be stuck indoors with stale air recirculating the same germs into your lungs again and again.
I hope this is the beginning of the end of your colds and may they never darken your doorway again! Hugs, girlfriend!
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
30 Jan 11
Thanks! So do I!
I think I'm about ready for the outdoors--if the weather holds. Say a prayer I can!
Love & cyberhugs to you,
Maggiepie
"Words are loaded pistols." ~ Jean-Paul Sartre, writer & philosopher (1905-1980)
I think I'm about ready for the outdoors--if the weather holds. Say a prayer I can!
Love & cyberhugs to you,
Maggiepie
"Words are loaded pistols." ~ Jean-Paul Sartre, writer & philosopher (1905-1980)1 person likes this
