The Gentle Chapter

My Energy Givers (DP#24)

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As somebody who suffers from insomnia, I have to get my caffeine fix in the morning to top off my already low energy levels. My preferred coffee is Dutch Bros but due to the extreme unhealthiness of their drinks, I limit myself to one a week (on Fridays). We have a coffee maker that we use on other times, and we also get Monsters on those mornings we have my niece for a quicker shot of energy. I drink the sugar free ones to be a tad bit healthier lol I know they are still bad for you, but Monsters do not shoot up my anxiety like other energy drinks do.

When I have the temporary energy buff from caffeine, one of the most obvious aspects that control my energy is actually my own emotional state. I have found the happier I am or the more peace I am feeling at a time, the more energy I have. This increases when I am around others who are happy as well. While I hope I am not an energy vampire, it feels like I am getting residual energy from these happy and talkative people. Being an introvert as well, I do eventually begin to feel my energy decrease being around people in general, so it is very much a give and take situation.

Physical activity obviously gives me a longer lasting energy store after the fact; it is just a struggle to motivate myself to exercise when I am already waking up feeling like I barely slept to begin with.

Basically, my energy levels ebb and flow all day every day, so I need to be on top of it or else my mood and emotions do end up being affected.

12 responses to “My Energy Givers (DP#24)”

  1. Samana Avatar
    Samana

    Hahaha nice…. ☕ With 🍰 is 😋🤤🤤🤤

    Reply
    1. Ashley Kittrell Avatar
      Ashley Kittrell

      Oh heck yeah lol I love putting those stroopwafels on my coffee so it melts the caramel a little bit. SO good!

      Reply
  2. observationblogger Avatar
    observationblogger

    Colombia is a major producer of some of the world’s best coffee – which works out well for me, being a bit of a coffee aficionado. I used to power through five straight blacks every morning while writing, but I’ve cut back to three to help me sleep better and feel less jittery. I struggled with insomnia in the past, though that was more tied to alcoholism; since I gave that up, my sleep has improved considerably. Also my uptake in prolonged daily physical activity has been huge in assisting me with sleep. I understand your reluctance to exercise in the morning, given your insomnia and perhaps partly your asthma, but if you can push through the initial discomfort and make physical activity part of your routine, your morning hesitance will likely fade..
    These days, the only issue I have with my sleep is waking in the early hours to urinate, which prevents me from getting a solid seven or eight hours of uninterrupted rest. Do you find your sleep disturbed more by trouble falling asleep, or by waking during the night (or bit of both)?

    Reply
    1. observationblogger Avatar
      observationblogger

      Oops, I also forgot to mention based on my experience – nutrition is pivotal as well. Cutting out carbohydrates / sugars (bread, pasta, rice, cereals, chocolate, sweets, sodas etc) and replacing those with high healthy fats (meats, avocados, nuts etc) and lots of fruit and vegetables. And ceasing drinking, eating and mobile phone use within 3 hours of sleep time. Cheers.

      Reply
    2. Ashley Kittrell Avatar
      Ashley Kittrell

      Five black coffees is crazy to me lol I can imagine cutting back has helped you for sure. I definitely need to exercise more. There was a time where I was doing calisthenics pretty regularly and that did help. I just need to get back into the groove.
      At night, I find it difficult to fall asleep to begin with. I was taking melatonin which did help but it also causes you to have pretty vivid dreams, and it makes it harder to wake up in the morning. Because of that, I stopped taking it for a while. I do also have a tendency to wake up throughout the night multiple times. Honestly, I do not remember the last night I slept the entire time. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by a sense of dread that pulls me out of my sleep, and I lay there for over an hour sometimes trying to calm down.

      Reply
      1. observationblogger Avatar
        observationblogger

        I’m on my way to finishing my third and final black coffee as I write this lol Yummy!

        Sorry if I came across as a bit preachy with the exercise and nutrition tips. But the truth is, improving sleep often requires meaningful changes in diet and physical activity – sometimes even drastic ones.

        You asked if I took any medication, and I replied – just vitamins. When I recently suffered from insomnia, I did take a medicine called Trazodone, which is supposedly non-addictive. It worked wonders, getting me to sleep quickly and keeping me out for at least five hours.

        The sense of dread you described sounds awful! Dread about what? A dream or something else? I imagine that is related to anxiety which you wrote about?
        My mother gave me a tip for when she wakes up like you described. Instead of just lying in bed, she gets up, has something to eat, reads a little, and then goes back to bed—and that seems to help her.
        Anyhows, I do hope you able to achieve a good night’s sleep before too long.

      2. Ashley Kittrell Avatar
        Ashley Kittrell

        I did not take it as preachy lol It can just be hard for me to reply to every little thing all at once. I have heard of trazodone actually and people have recommended it for me as well. I am just nervous to try any sleeping pills like that since I have heard horror stories.

        Some of the dread comes from a deep sense that somebody is going to die all of a sudden or sometimes my dreams scare me awake so I am just ruminating in the fear. I know stress is the biggest trigger for these late-night feelings.

        We have a dog that sleeps in the living room so we I get up, she starts acting crazy and loud, waking everybody up so it is kind of difficult to do what your mom does. I have thought about switching over to tea instead of coffee to see if that would help me sleep.

      3. observationblogger Avatar
        observationblogger

        I haven’t heard of Trazadone horror stories. On the subject of insomnia, I had a crappy sleep last night and I don’t know why. So if that keeps up I may be back on the Traz. Here you don’t need a prescription to get it.

        Thanks for clarifying where that sense of dread comes from. It must be frightening to wake up with that terrible feeling. I hope you can ease the stress and lessen its impact on your sleep. I see the complications with your dog going bonkers if you get up lol ouch.

        Switching tea might be a good little experiment.

      4. Ashley Kittrell Avatar
        Ashley Kittrell

        I am just iffy about sleeping medication myself, I also would need a prescription anyways and I do not have medical insurance right now so that is a no go lol
        That stinks about your sleepless night. It really is unfortunate because your sleep schedule has such an effect on your mental and physical health, it is insane.
        Being woken up really stinks, particularly when I just had a nightmare. My mind also loves obsessing over stupid cringey things I have done and said in the past. Also with social anxiety, I am constantly over thinking everything I say. It is so hard to shut off and ignore.
        I do like certain types of tea, but I am not a fan of hot tea. Tea here is famous for having metric crap tons of sugar lol so not the best for sleep.

      5. observationblogger Avatar
        observationblogger

        Oh, it’s of course better to be on the cautious side re. medication and to consult a doctor. Not having medical insurance doesn’t sound too good. What if there was an emergency?

        The US health system seems one of, if not the worst in the western world. Many people from the US choose to fly to Colombia for medical treatment—especially dental and cosmetic (plastic) surgery—since it is often not only much cheaper (even after flight costs) but also of higher quality.

        I had another sleep last night like how you described yours – interrupted and short. I think I might have sleep apnea. I know I have a large tongue which can obstruct airflow etc.
        Fortunately, I rarely suffer from nightmares.

        That’s a shame you think too much about what you said in the past. I hope you are able to get past that, literally. You mentioned you have a young family and that can be stressful and have run-off effects.

        As I write this I’m having an aromatic tea and after that I’ll finish with a herbal sleep-inducing one. Then try to get a couple of hours more in. I wish you a fantastic Saturday Ashley. Cheers.

      6. Ashley Kittrell Avatar
        Ashley Kittrell

        Yeah, the healthcare system over here is a JOKE. You better hope and pray you do not have an emergency when you do not have insurance. It is so expensive! And the deductibles are so outrageous sometimes that you have to question why even waste the money on insurance to begin with.

        Sleep apnea is unfortunate. My father-in-law has to wear a mask due to his habit of not breathing all of a sudden when he is asleep.

        I haven’t had really bad nightmares in a little bit, it’s just so much anxiety in my dreams. I still dream of being in school and forgetting half my supplies at the house lol

        Happy Saturday to you!

      7. observationblogger Avatar
        observationblogger

        I never understood why the US didn’t incorporate a ‘Medicare’ system like Australia’s. I don’t know if the Obama care policy was the attempt of this or what?

        Ok, so Medicare in Australia in a nutshell is a small tax on your annual income ($1000 a year when I lived there) and ensures universal access to basic healthcare. I’m sorry how deplorable the system is over there.

        Yeh, I have to get a doctor’s appointment about this presumed Sleep apnea. Weird, because I was sleeping so well only a week ago and then this interrupted sleep came on so abruptly and I can’t shake it. Hmm. I’m getting very vivid and strange dreams too, not unlike yours which take me way back when I was a teacher. lol A bit of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ for us two. Haha

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Hello! I am Ashley and I simply love to read, and hope you do to!
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