The importance of sleep

I'm going to breifly take a break from the whole writing the coma dreams, because I have no clue how to explain the second one I had.

Today's topic: Sleep.

Sleep is important for numerous reasons. Cognitively, it allows the brain to destress and relax which improves brain functioning. Psychologically, it allows the mind to go through the day on it's own accord hence dreams. Dreams allow a person to deal with daily life and the stress that comes with it abstractively. Physically, it allows the body to rest. Without sleep, sleep deprivation occurs which can cause a whole onslew of problems such as hallucinations, metabolic disarray, and if extreme enough, physical and cogntive breakdown.

Sleep is a little more important to diabetics. Why? Blood sugar control. Sure you take the nighttime insulin but unless you sleep, it doesn't work like it should. The whole purpose of taking the long lasting active insulin at night is to smooth the pot holes that are blood sugar spikes that you can't control while you sleep. As the body goes through various sleep cycles, these spikes occur.

But what happens if you can't sleep? What happens you you lie there awake patiently waiting to fall asleep and it eludes you What if when you finally do sleep, it only amounts to about 4 hours?

Well, you're screwed.

As you lay conscious, waiting for sleep, you're still active as you toss and turn desperately trying to find that perfect spot to relax. Which means you stress. Stress causes adrenaline and cortisol levels to go up meaning your blood sugar goes up. Instead of getting your morning numbers between 90 - 110, they become 150 - 500. And then you have the rest of the day trying to figure out how you can bring those numbers down to a safe level. Even worse, if those are your fasting numbers on a daily basis, then sooner or later you'll DKA.

Since February, I haven't been sleeping well. First it was the muscle spasm, then the burning feet sensation. My numbers vary. But lately, I've noticed that my biggest problem is the fan that's on while I attempt to sleep. Bryan can't sleep without the fan on, and as it turns out, I can't sleep with the fan on. So I've been going to bed before him in hopes that I'll be out cold by the time he comes to bed turning the fan on. Only problem is he wake me up everytime he comes to bed by kissing my back or moving me and the next thing I know I'm up for the next two or more hours because of that damn fan. On top of that, the fan makes me cold and Bryan tends to hog the blanket making my feet cold. If my feet are cold, the rest of me is cold. No to mention with the apartment on at 70 with a fan on high, and I'm 110 pounds with hardly any body fat, I'm more prone to be cold. When I'm cold, I can't sleep. See the chain reaction.

To make matters worse, he won't compromise. Or he will, as long as the fan is still on. My husband's killing me, he just fails to realize it. So back to an extra blanket I go, in the beginning of March where I'll probably start complaining about how hot I get underneath it. All I want to do is be able to sleep. And the sad thing is, when he gets up for the day and turns the fan off for me, 10 minutes later I'm out like a light. Sometimes, I really hate marriage.