Ailing for a Change

Being generally unwell for the past few weeks had practically worn me down. Although I have been sleeping more than normal, I still wake up feeling tired and dispirited. I tend to yawn and feel drowsy just two or three hours after waking. Wuan suggested that I change my routine ? wake up earlier and have the breakfast that I usually skip. Following her advice, I dragged myself out of bed at eight this morning and had a mug of hot Milo. Lunch was also served earlier than usual because I was already feeling hungry at ten. Perhaps my diet had not been giving me the needed nutrition in which case, I will have to resort to vitamin and mineral supplements. It is no fun feeling exhausted all the time. Hopefully this change from the usual will perk up my vigour again.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

15 thoughts on “Ailing for a Change”

  1. Usually when I sleep more than my usual hours, I wake up feeling even more tired and feel like sleeping right away again! I know, I’m a pig.

    Anyway yeah, some changes in your daily routine might do some good. Sometimes even the subtlest change can make a huge difference. I hope that they work out for you! 🙂

  2. sara, i feel the same too. funny on sunday when i can sleep late, if i wake up at 10.00am, i feel so tired and after a few hours, feel sleepy! but when it was during working days, waking up at 6.30am, i don’t feel tired or sleepy at all! well i try not to wake up after 10.00am because the later i wake up, the more tired i will feel. strange. i wonder how on earth can my sister wake up at 12 noon or even 1.00pm! (and she sleep earlier than me too).

    peter, yes it’s good to go for a change but you’ll have to see if you can adapt to the change. good luck to you!

  3. Sara and Lucia,
    Thank you. I hope this works out for me too. This extended poor health is affecting me emotionally as well. I am all stressed out and becoming withdrawn. I do not even have the vitality to be engaged in a simple conversation.

  4. Ummm have you ever tried the Zone diet by Dr. Sears ? Some have reported good results with it, and I feel energized and less prone to ailments eating a zone diet. Comment here or leave me a comment at my blog if you want to know more …

  5. Platypus,
    I have checked the Zone Diet site. Five meals a day is doable for me, barely. I will just have to adapt it to local tastes and complement my low-protein diet. From two meals, I am into three now. I will add one more for tea in the following days. If I need to know more about the Zone Diet, you can be sure I will give you a beep. Thank you.

  6. Use veges / fruits to get your daily ration of carbos. They are not so packed with carbohydrates and you will get your fill of vitamins and fiber too ( as much as modern veges and fruits can offer la that is ).

    Just following this tip will give u loads more energy as your body deals with veges and fruits easier as they are not as dense in carbos.

    One thing tho’ if you do decide to follow it be sure to watch your protein intake as yours is a special case …

  7. Platypus,
    Thanks for the advice. I need to watch what vegetables I eat too as they are some I should avoid too. Hehe. I am one delicate baby.

  8. Well i do hope things improve soon.
    I use to spend hrs upon hrs online
    lack of sleep became the norm for
    me.I didn’t realise how much it truly
    was bad for my health.

    I still have late nights online,but not often.
    I tend to go to bed by 11pm now,even if i can’t sleep i stay in bed.I must say i feel much better
    having at least 7hrs sleep.
    tcz

  9. Sweetspirit,
    I am trying to adjust my sleeping time. I still have difficulty sleeping before twelve.

  10. Have to comment on this, I am an Old Bird in Sleeping Pattern.

    Let nature take its course. Normal human beings have a biological clock of 25 hours as opposed to 24 hours in a day.

    We adjust our sleeping pattern to the 24 hours pattern ie. Sleeping at 11pm and waking at 7am everyday.

    Scenario 1: NOT ENOUGH SLEEP FOR ONE DAY
    Slept at 2am for 5 hours on Monday (-3 hours due to playing online games) waking up at 7am the next day.
    Effect:
    You will start to feel drowsy much earlier on Tuesday, normally after having your dinner as carbo contributes to drowsiness.
    What to do:
    Sleep 2 hours earlier than your normal sleeping time on Tuesday (9pm) and everything will revert back to normal.

    Scenario 2: NOT ENOUGH SLEEP FOR WHOLE WEEK
    Not enough sleep for the whole week Mon-Fri (-3 hours everyday)
    Effect:
    You will be sleeping the whole day on Saturday, Sunday will be a boring and lethargic day.
    What to do:
    Nothing. Self-motivation will get you up on Monday. Think of the things to look forward to on Monday morning to get you out of bed.

    Remedy for trouble getting to sleep earlier than usual:
    Counting sheeps are crap. Cut down sugar intake. Have a hearty dinner with lots of carbo. Have odd numbers of hours of sleep, ie 5,7,9,11 hours instead of the myth 8 hours.

    Remedy for trouble getting up:
    Sleep an extra odd numbers of hour, 1,3,5 hours.

    My personal record for marathon time awake:
    49 hours

    My personal record for marathon sleeping (without meals):
    49 hours

    Goodluck.

  11. i’m always at scenario 1 – i slept at 2.00am and wake up at 6.30am. oops. 4 1/2 hours only. well i’ll try to sleep at 1.30, so make it to 5 hours. i don’t feel drowsy everyday.

  12. Lucia,
    With five hours of sleep, I would get all cranky and be in a foul mood all day. Ideally, I need ten hours but I seldom get that much sleep.

  13. Hi Peter!
    Hope you’re feeling abit more chirpier today 🙂
    Do you spend time doing any physical exercises – simple calisthenics with your arms? Sometimes that helps to keep energy levels up. I also find if I eat less carbs, and more protein that I manage to get further in the day without getting hungry.

  14. oh and vitamin b complex is a great supplement for energy. Milo actually tends to make me sleepy if i have it and it messes up my tummy. They don’t make it like they used to ..

  15. Prema,
    I am slowly recovering. Thank you. Hopefully, all will be well again soon. Unfortunately, I have to cut down on protein because of my kidney problem. I subsitute that with more vegetables and fruits. I am taking supplements with vitamin B complex too. It does help to a certain extent. I need to sit down and plan my diet again to make sure I am getting the needed nutrition.

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