Wayne
Senior Member
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- 4,300
- Location
- Ashland, Oregon
THIS LINK will take you to a discussion board, where the initial post (fairly lengthy) was made by a member named Ivy (DOES NOT HAVE ME/CFS). I first ran across this a couple years ago, and have thought about it off and on since then. Essentially, it's a story of how Ivy was able to overcome many health difficulties, many of which are common to pwCFS, simply by reducing sleep to about 4-6 hours / night.
I found this story intriguing because I too notice that I sometimes feel significantly better a day following a relative lack of sleep, although sometimes I feel worse as well. Anyway, thought I'd pass it along. You never know when some obscure kind of thing can make a meaningful difference in our lives. I found Ivy's comments about depression (bolded below) to be particularly interesting. -- Wayne
The first paragraph was part of Ivy's introduction, the following two longer paragraphs were part of the conclusion. The entire post is considerably longer.
I found this story intriguing because I too notice that I sometimes feel significantly better a day following a relative lack of sleep, although sometimes I feel worse as well. Anyway, thought I'd pass it along. You never know when some obscure kind of thing can make a meaningful difference in our lives. I found Ivy's comments about depression (bolded below) to be particularly interesting. -- Wayne
The first paragraph was part of Ivy's introduction, the following two longer paragraphs were part of the conclusion. The entire post is considerably longer.
This will probably not be interesting to many of you.....but for some, it could be invaluable. I will touch on many subjects under one heading, including insomnia, depression, anxiety, fatigue and well, spirituality.
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I waded through acres of conventional wisdom that said lack of sleep is dangerous. It will make you age faster and be more accident prone. It causes heart disease and mental impairment. You need plenty of sleep to restore and maintain physical and mental health. Nobody mentions that too much sleep can be debilitating for some individuals or that more than half of all depressed folk can be completely relieved of their depression simply by sleeping less. I found only two mass produced books on the subject of sleep reduction: Sleep Less, Live More by Everett Mattlin dispels many of the sleep myths. A later book called The Sleep Management Plan by Dale Hanson Bourke, echos the first book. Compare these 2 tiny paperbacks with the mountain of books devoted to getting more sleep.
I now have the gift of emotionally stable days and boundless energy. I have undergone a personality change that borders on a spiritual awakening. When you feel alert and happy and energetic, you are free to take interest in the world around you. I notice so much more than I used to. I am interested in so many more things than I used to be. I handle stress better and have an easier time solving problems. There is that feeling that every day is a gift and I don't want to miss a minute of it. I don't know if I should even mention this, because this is starting to sound annoying cheerful, but I also have more time. David Allen, move over! I've gained at least 5 hours a day between reclaimed "sleep" time and "recovering from sleep" time. That's 35 hours a week! Now in addition to working two jobs and caring for home, I also have time to read, sew, go for long bike rides etc.