When I went for my physical a couple months ago I told my doctor that I felt great except for 1 thing: I was exhausted all the time. I’d been falling asleep at work and spent most of every day thinking about how much I wanted to go back to bed. I mentioned that it didn’t seem to matter whether I was in bed for 5 hours or 9 hours, I still felt the same every day and it was really affecting the quality of my life.
After several questions, the good doctor surmised that I may have a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnea and he referred me to a local sleep center for an evaluation.
To make a long story short, I spent a night at the sleep clinic (not a very pleasant night) and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. Thankfully I escaped needing to wear a CPAP mask, but they did give me some medication to try and calm my legs at night. According to the study I was only sleeping 5 hours or less per night and my restless legs were constantly waking me up.
I put my skepticism aside and started taking the pills each night, and almost immediately I felt dramatically better. I felt like I was sleeping well at night and most importantly I felt awake and refreshed during the day. In the 2 weeks since I started the medication I haven’t fallen asleep at my desk and I’ve been in a much better mood and able to focus on other things besides wanting to go back to bed.
My point here is very simple: your doctor can be your best friend. While there is certainly tons of medical information on the internet, nothing beats a quick conversation with your doctor. In a matter of minutes he evaluated my symptoms, referred me to a professional, and I was on the way to a solution.
In retrospect, I had been suffering needlessly for a long time, dragging myself out of bed every day and struggling to drink enough Mountain Dew and 5 Hour Energy to keep me going until bed time. What a waste!
The past 2 weeks have served to remind me of the importance of my relationship with my doctor. Had I gone to see him earlier, I could have been evaluated and helped much sooner.
Learn from my mistake. If you haven’t seen your doctor in a while, make an appointment for a physical. If you’ve noticed a change in how you feel, tell your doctor and let them help you decide if it’s something needs to be looked at.
After several questions, the good doctor surmised that I may have a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnea and he referred me to a local sleep center for an evaluation.
To make a long story short, I spent a night at the sleep clinic (not a very pleasant night) and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. Thankfully I escaped needing to wear a CPAP mask, but they did give me some medication to try and calm my legs at night. According to the study I was only sleeping 5 hours or less per night and my restless legs were constantly waking me up.
I put my skepticism aside and started taking the pills each night, and almost immediately I felt dramatically better. I felt like I was sleeping well at night and most importantly I felt awake and refreshed during the day. In the 2 weeks since I started the medication I haven’t fallen asleep at my desk and I’ve been in a much better mood and able to focus on other things besides wanting to go back to bed.
My point here is very simple: your doctor can be your best friend. While there is certainly tons of medical information on the internet, nothing beats a quick conversation with your doctor. In a matter of minutes he evaluated my symptoms, referred me to a professional, and I was on the way to a solution.
In retrospect, I had been suffering needlessly for a long time, dragging myself out of bed every day and struggling to drink enough Mountain Dew and 5 Hour Energy to keep me going until bed time. What a waste!
The past 2 weeks have served to remind me of the importance of my relationship with my doctor. Had I gone to see him earlier, I could have been evaluated and helped much sooner.
Learn from my mistake. If you haven’t seen your doctor in a while, make an appointment for a physical. If you’ve noticed a change in how you feel, tell your doctor and let them help you decide if it’s something needs to be looked at.
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