In today’s modern world we are often quick to look for the simplest way to fix an issue…once it becomes an issue that we can no longer ignore…
With research and development of medical treatment and pharmaceutical products, there seems to be a pill or machine to make everything better…or at least make it appear better.
Though, if we take the time to stop and think about it…more often than not the remedy is simply masking the actual issue…it is treating the symptom rather than the cause. The pharmaceutical industry is extremely competitive and relies on consumers buying their products repeatedly…there is no incentive for them to help you get better to the point of not needing their remedy anymore.
Now…I have never been a fan of taking medicine or tablets. As a child the mere thought of having to swallow medicine would make me sick. As I’ve grown up I’ve learned how to take a tablet…but I now don’t want to have to…I want to avoid being unwell in the first instance.
Drinking plenty of water, eating well and exercising are all things that I can control…admittedly it isn’t always easy to make the best choice…but it is all up to me…the other thing that helps keep me healthy and feeling good is getting enough sleep…though this is a more challenging to control.
I am well aware that I need to go to bed at a reasonable hour, particularly when I have to get up early…and I also know that keeping my schedule under control to avoid stress helps me sleep through the night without waking up worrying about what I need to do the next day…and lately I’ve been doing really well on that front…the one thing that is hindering the quality of my sleep that I feel I have no control over though is ‘sleep apnea’.
I never really thought much about how I sleep or what I do while sleeping…but David has been able to inform me pretty accurately that I don’t sleep like a baby…I fall asleep quickly, but then it starts…noisy breathing, spluttering, snoring and stopping…apparently I’m quite loud and disturbing, not just noise level but concerning…as I stop breathing quite often, known as sleep apnea.
I know there are options to help this such as wearing a mask…but I don’t want to have to do that for the rest of my life…I want to be able to go camping and travel and sleep on a train, plane or bus without freaking out the person in the seat beside me…
So…I choose to work on tracking down the cause and treating that…starting with loosing some weight and learning to breathe better!
On a separate note…I was brought to tears at work today when I received an email from Amanda with a recording of her calling into the radio station and nominating me for “hero of the weekend” for organising the car rally yesterday…I am proud of her for taking the initiative to ring through and talking on the radio and very happy that she appreciated the effort I made! As it turned out we won the prize…a Hero cap!