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Could we all just be REALLY, REALLY Tired? Could our bodies just be exhausted?

A few nights ago, James (my partner) worked a really long day. It was 20hrs. He started at 8am and because we had guests who had a birthday party, he was serving them until 4am in the morning. He then had to get up again to make them breakfast the next morning at 8am. He ran all day and eventually slumped on the couch late that afternoon. The next few days were not much better and after 4 days, the poor guy was just exhausted. Now, I had never really noticed what happens to someone when they are really tired…. until now.

Here are the symptoms that James had while  he was in his sleep deprived state:

  • Irritable
  • Got cold easily. Now, I must just say that James NEVER gets cold. He can stand in freezing conditions and he still has warm hands. So, this was really interesting!
  • Mentally slow. James is usually good with memory and being “with it” on things. He was completely hazy with things. Forgetting things, being disorientated and what I like to call “foggy brain syndrome”.
  • He had little energy and everything was “too hard” or difficult when I brought up something to do.
  • His digestion was terrible – won’t go into too much detail here but you get the picture 🙂
  • Physical exercise was just too much – kinda obvious but you’ll see where I am going with this.
  • He was stiff everywhere. His whole back, legs and body felt stiff and tight.
  • His skin wasn’t as good.
So, what is the connection?
If we look at these symptoms, they are the exact symptoms we experience almost daily – for most of us. Now, I know there is probably more too this but here is my theory…..
Okay, so the body does all it’s detoxing during the early hours of the morning – the liver that is. The better we sleep, surely the better the liver will do at making this happen. So, here are the connections and how having more quality sleep we could get rid of them:
1. The liver would clear out excess toxins in the body. Toxins cause cramping and stiffness in the body, so by flushing out the excess toxins we get rid of this symptom.
2. The liver also regulates our hormones. The hormones that control our moods (serotonin) and our other hormones responsible for our endometriosis growth. If it had enough quality sleep to get through this, then perhaps it could do a better job of regulating that.
3. Whatever toxins the body doesn’t flush out by itself, it will often excrete through the skin. Something, we would love to avoid:)
4. We struggle with cramping and bloating. These set of hormones are called prostaglandins. If we have these on a normal level, they will reduce bloating, cramping and inflammation. They get worse with more stress. Stress is often brought on by being irritable, due to lack of sleep and feeling like “life is all too hard”, taking too much energy… etc.
5. The liver is responsible for all the “foggy brain syndrome”. By getting the liver to work off things better, it will be less foggy and we can focus, do things properly and remember stuff!
So, my theory is… if we get better sleep then the body will flush out toxins better and we will have happier livers, which can do their job easier – making everything work better, including regulating hormones and our issues with Endometriosis 🙂 Simple but perhaps a clue to how we may have developed endo.
Here are some articles I wrote on how to sleep better:
I know I struggled with my sleep my whole life and it started as a teen. It is an interesting connection and I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you always suffered with insomnia? Do you sleep really lightly? Do you just not sleep well?
Hugs, Melissa x
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This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Melissa

    I am sorry to hear that Teresa. Big hugs and hopefully finding the answer will give you some comfort. We are here for you 🙂

  2. TERESA

    I’ve been up all nite in pain w / endometriosis won’t no for sure till the laprascopy but I have 99% of the symtoms

  3. Melissa

    It is great for helping you sleep. I get a natural sleeping tablet which has passionflower, valerian and camomile in it. You can get sleepy time tea too :). Definitely get focused on the liver. It controls soooo many of the symptoms we experience with Endometriosis.
    Check out these articles: http://endoempowered.com/how-are-you-sleeping-i-have-found-the-perfect-solution-to-get-that-absolute-best-slumber-feeling-ever-and-discovered-something-amazing-within-it/
    http://endoempowered.com/why-is-eating-healthynot-enough/

  4. Sonja

    I have not tried passion flower? What does that do and how do I take it – tea, tincture, drops, etc? Interesting you should say that about a liver focussed diet as the liver is implicated in a lot of other problems, which – funnily enough – I am dealing with, too, such as endometriosis and psoriasis. Maybe I need to look into that in earnest.

  5. Melissa

    Hi Sonja. That is really interesting and well done on figuring all that out about your body! Perhaps also looking at your liver function might help as I know this can contribute to poor sleeping patterns. I know my sleep was always better when I have someone to share the bed with too 🙂 Since going on a liver focused diet and taking a liver detoxer my sleep is much better and I feel more refreshed when I wake up. Have you tried Passionflower?

  6. Sonja

    I have struggled with sleep since teenage years, at least. Initially the problem was that I couldn’t get to sleep for ages when going to bed and then I would wake up in the early hours to watch the sun rise. Lovely, I’m sure and I never noticed any problems with this except it was annoying tossing and turning until dropping off. I am a very light sleeper and that was made worse with the arrival of my son and it has never reverted back to its previous state. I have had increasing problems with sleep to that effect that I would call myself a periodic insomniac. I always drop off no bother now, sometimes too quickly – they say that’s a sign of sleep deprivation – but I wake up during the night. It then depends on my frame of mind if I can get back to sleep again quickly or if it will turn into a 2 hour waking session. Sometimes I just can’t get comfortable during these times, other times I lie there quite happily, but not sleeping. I have to add, that during all these periods I am actually very tired, so the problem is not too much sleep. Now with self observation I have noticed this: I must drink at least 1 1/2 litres of fluids a day, that is discounting coffee, tea, coke, milk and such things. Water, juice and herbal teas are ideal and I have to spread that amount through the day. It helps my sleep pattern and if I wake during the night I am not uncomfortable. If I drink less and I wake I will not get back to sleep, am restless, and the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands burn up. The other thing apart from the obvious like coffee etc, is that I need to be careful with chocolaty sweets. A lot of them will disturb my sleep and I wake continually or don’t sleep deeply. Some chocolate is ok, but not regularly, and not just before bedtime. A Sweetheart Stout helps me sleep – inspite of the need to get to the loo because of this – as does a good quality German lager. As both are not good for the weight, it’s not something I like doing too often. I tried lots of things in the past including herbal teas, exercise, you name it. But nothing has helped as much as a careful watch on diet and fluid intake.

  7. Melissa

    Have you tried incorporating more natural diuretics into your diet? Try cucumber, dill seeds and Parsley. I found this helped massively. You can also make juice with parsley and apples. I hope you find some sleep solutions. 🙂

  8. Ann-Marie

    Gud sleep is a luxury, & ur right lack of it causes all kinds of problems in ur day to day living, I wake every night approx. 4/5 times to use the loo! I’ve tried cutting out liquids in the evening,drinking herbal teas specially mixed for sleep, exercising late at night to exhaust myself etc.. etc.. however, nothing stops my desire to pee through the night. Hate having dark circles around my eyes and never really feeling energised coz I just don’t get a proper nights sleep!
    It’s soooo annoying 🙁

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I'm Melissa

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