Janine Langdon-Lee
  • Home
  • Work With Me
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Connect

Sleeping Beauty or Sleepless Beauty?

/ Body, Health & Wellbeing, Self Care, Sleep

In March of this year, I was diagnosed with (OSA) Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. While I was relieved that I had an explanation for the sleep issues it also freaked me out as I knew it would mean having to use a (CPAP) Continuous Positive Airways Pressure Machine to help me sleep! This post sets the scene of how it developed while my second post, (due to be published over the next few days), I share what sleep apnoea is, the ups and downs of trialling a CPAP machine and the changes it had made to my life and why I am even more passionate about my health and wellbeing!

Wake Up Call

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and in my case, the situation could have been resolved earlier if I had listened to the messages my body had been sending me. When you are so disconnected from your body, you brush off symptoms and ignore your inner voice telling you that what you are feeling isn’t right.  However, 2018/2019 became my wake up call as ironic as it was to sort my crap out and make my health and wellbeing a priority! My rock-bottom moment happened on the 20th of February 2019, when I found myself being weighed by a nurse at the respiratory outpatient’s clinic. When I saw the number on the scale, I was shocked and angry with myself, and as the tears rolled down my face, I wondered how the hell had I managed to let things slide so much? (I will write about my weight loss journey in another post in future). It took me a few weeks later to realise that sleep is one of the pillars of health and wellbeing and sleep is something I will never take for granted again.

If I had to pinpoint a moment in time when I could have listened to that inner voice, sending me a message, it would be back in October 2017 on the second day of our three week holiday in Canada, I ended up with insomnia which took another three weeks once we came back from Canada to overcome. Then I ended up spending a lot of time sitting on my ass after my fall in late November; initially, it was to keep my leg elevated, and later the moonboot became cumbersome, so it was easier to sit down rather than walk. No longer needing the moonboot, I found myself waking up a few times a night to go to the bathroom; however I would fall straight back to sleep, gradually the number of times I would wake up would increase. Some nights I could wake from 5 to 8 times, a bad night which happened often would see me waking on the hour every hour!  A good night for me would be once or twice a night.  The continual waking became my new normal, and I had convinced myself that what I was experiencing was due to peri-menopause.

Around November 2018, I was exercising five times a week and had noticed that instead of feeling energised, I was feeling tired all the time. I found myself nodding off while reading or watching T.V. sometimes I would fall asleep and not know that I had until I had woken up. These naps would be anywhere from 5 minutes in duration to 20 minutes or even two hours and more than often it was while I was sitting upright. Then there was the snoring! Mike used to call my snoring “princess snores”.  Well, those princess snores over time transformed into loud scary dragon snores! There was no longer a princess in our castle anymore. I remember my mum commenting during a stay that she could hear me snoring from her bedroom, which was located further down the hall and her door was closed! When I would wake up in the morning, I felt tired! Bone tired! After a few months of this, I felt like I was walking in wet concrete all the time! Some nights I would be in bed by 8.00pm and other nights 11.00pm!  I no longer had a regular bedtime or wake up time. During this time, I tried several natural remedies as well as meditation, my Shakti mat, and none of these things made a difference. I had no issues with falling asleep I would joke that it was my “superpower” as I could fall asleep in an instant! The problem was that I was no longer sleeping solidly throughout the night.

After eleven months, my sleep issues were getting worse, my mood would vary depending on how much sleep I had, I  craved carbohydrates all the time, and nothing satisfied me. I then thought that perhaps my iron levels were low again, so I made an appointment to see my GP. That inner voice kept whispering to me that maybe what I was experiencing was sleep apnoea.

Pillow Talk

Towards the end of November, I saw my GP and mentioned feeling tired all the time and that I  would fall asleep at any time throughout the day, and yet when I went to bed I had issues with broken sleep! I explained that I was exercising five days a week, yet instead of feeling energised, I always felt tired. My GP ordered a blood test and got me to fill in a form about sleep issues; each answer had a score attributed to it. I scored highly enough for her to think that I might have sleep apnoea, and she sent a referral to the sleep clinic.  In the meantime, my blood test results came back, and my irons levels were normal, which bothered me, as I was hoping it would be that and not the possibility of sleep apnoea.

In February I saw the specialist who made me complete the same form that my GP had used, once again I scored highly and after an examination of my throat, breathing and measurements of my neck and answering his questions, he felt that I had sleep apnoea, however, I would have to have a sleep trial to confirm this. A few weeks later, I found myself wired up and ready for a sleep trial at home. The data obtained was sent to the clinic to analyse. I was more worried that they wouldn’t have enough data to make a diagnosis and that maybe my sleep issues were peri-menopausal.  A week later, I had a follow-up appointment, and the sleep psychologist confirmed I had sleep apnoea. While I felt relieved that I had a diagnosis, I was also disappointed that this is what I had as I knew what would be coming next!

Filed Under: Body, Health & Wellbeing, Self Care, Sleep

Pin Share Share

Trackbacks

  1. 162.7 Reasons says:
    November 22, 2019 at 3:20 am

    […] appointment, overwhelmed.  You can read more about sleep apnoea in these two posts that I wrote here and here.  I was confronted by the realisation that I needed to stop burying my head in the hand […]

Whether last year was the ultimate stressful situa Whether last year was the ultimate stressful situation or you have painful memories of past Christmas seasons, this exercise will help put this years Christmas into perspective. ⁠
⁠
Take some time to think about the top 5 outcomes you want for this years Christmas season. They could be things like: more family time, less running around and more relaxation, see Christmas lights, don't do neighbours gifts, have people bring a plate to share for your Christmas Day meal, etc etc.⁠
⁠
Now that you have time to think and process your top 5 outcomes take some time to write your list down. When you write down what you want they are more likely to happen. ⁠
⁠
Check out the comments for one of my outcomes....I would love to read what one of yours is?⁠
⁠
#makingalist #magicofchristmas #magicaltimeofyear #present⁠
#holidays #festiveseason #lessstress #coach #wellingtonnz⁠
#mindfulliving #metime #calm #takecareofyourself #quietthemind #reducestresslevels #quietyourmind
🌳There are seasons in your life in the same way 🌳There are seasons in your life in the same way as there are seasons in nature. ⁠
⁠
There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures. ⁠
⁠
There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding. ⁠
⁠
And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end. They have reached their climax and must be harvested before they begin to fade. ⁠
⁠
And finally, of course, there are times that are cold and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream. ⁠
⁠
Those rhythms in life are natural events. They weave into one another as day follows night, bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but messages of how things are.⁠
⁠
― Chögyam Trungpa⁠
⁠
I do love how like nature we can ebb and flow in our own rhythms & sometimes our seasons of life don't quite match the physical season. ⁠
⁠
I am in the cultivating and creation stage and looking forward to sharing new ideas and ventures with you.⁠
⁠
❇️What season are you in?⁠👇
THE BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT. ⁠ ⁠ Thanks to @dan THE BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT. ⁠
⁠
Thanks to @dan.thehuman, a few years ago he shared some top advice – that completely changed my life. ⁠The advice?⁠
⁠
Movement is Medicine!⁠
⁠
When I first began to exercise with my mindset at that time was crap, I had limited mobility and was morbidly obese.  I saw exercise as a quick fix, for me to do until I felt better. ⁠
⁠
His advice helped me transform from a couch potato who saw exercise as punishment to a woman who loves to move her body 5 to 6 days a week – one step at a time! No quick fixes.⁠
⁠
🤸‍♀️Movement boosts your mindset and energy levels and more importantly allows you to feel connected to your body and can help you determine where your energy and time should be spent. ⁠
⁠
💕When you choose movement that:⁠
• supports your body and is sustainable you’re investing in your future health and self. ⁠
• you love rather than endure you make time for it in your life and this creates consistency.⁠
⁠
🐢Remember,⁠
⁠
•Movement is not a short-term fix; it’s a lifelong habit!⁠
•It’s your journey – don’t compare your progress to anyone else’s and take your time⁠
•Small steps applied consistently over time yields results⁠.⁠
⁠
⁠
Who's someone in your life who gives great advice? Tag them in a comment below!
🌻Everyone grows & develops at a different rate. 🌻Everyone grows & develops at a different rate. 

Give yourself permission to grow. 

Give yourself permission to grow beyond people around you. 
You may outgrow some people all together or in a certain capacity.

Don't allow people that refuse to grow hold you back. 

Save this post as a reminder.
.

.

.

.

.

#raiseyourfrequency #surrendertotheflow #mindsetmentor #quotesofthedays #liveauthentically #instagramquotes #instaquotedaily #thegoodquotes #womenover40 #femaleslifecoaching #inspiringquotesandsayings #Friday #quoteofinstagram #wholeheartedliving #quotestolivebyforever #mindsetwork #quotesforwomen
Do you believe that reaching out to someone, e.g. Do you believe that reaching out to someone, e.g. a coach somehow indicates that you aren’t enough? That it somehow means you’re incapable and not smart enough, strong enough or good enough? ⁠
⁠
-Well let me assure you, the people who come to coaching are all of those things, extremely capable, smart, strong and a whole lot more.⁠
⁠
-They choose coaching because they are ready to accelerate their personal or professional lives and working with a coach helps them to achieve their goals faster, easier and with better results than they could on their own. ⁠
⁠
-If  coaching doesn't feel like the right time, for you there are 3 (free) ways you can learn from me: ⁠👇⁠
⁠
1. Sign up for my newsletter.⁠
2. Join my Facebook community.⁠
3. Check out my blog posts. ⁠
⁠.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#consciouslifecoaching #changinglives #trainyourbrain #femaleslifecoaching #reframe #selfbeliefcoaching #empowermentquotes #reset #simplethingsinlife #lifecoachingnz #onelifeliveit #confidencequotes #observe #womenover40 #standupforyourself
🤸‍♀️Act Your Age! How often do we hear th 🤸‍♀️Act Your Age! How often do we hear this phrase – facetiously or not? 

When someone says this to me and (trust me I have heard this a few times in my life) as an adult!

🤸‍♀️I remind myself that:
-Each of us experience aging in a different way.
-Age isn’t something to be acted, but experienced. 
-Expressing our inner joy is fulfilling!
-Having a little fun in life doesn’t mean we let go of our responsibilities of being an adult. 

What are your thoughts on this phrase?

.

.

.

.

.

#divineplay #laughwithafriend #allabouttheplay #remembering #playfulattitude #playinspirations #introspective #connectedness #powerofplay #playislearning #pretendplay #playingislearning #detachment #abundanceandjoy #playfulmindset
Connect on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

© 2019 Janine Langdon-Lee | Website by Form & Flourish

×