I am learning that for me, lack of sleep is public enemy #1 in terms of increasing my POTS and autonomic neuropathy symptoms. And my work-from-home job forces me into a terrible sleep schedule. And unfortunately, these are the only available hours, and it’s just too bad if I don’t like them. If I can’t do them, I can’t have my job. Here’s my work schedule:
Monday: 6:00AM-10:00AM, Tuesdays: 12:00AM-10:00AM, Wednesday: OFF, Thursday: 6:00PM-1:00AM, Friday: 4:00PM-11:00PM, Saturday: 8:00AM-8:00PM, Sunday: OFF
This schedule is very, VERY hard for me. As a matter-of-fact, when I look back, I can see that my health and overall wellness started to take a significant nosedive as soon as I returned to work in mid-December. Previously, if I had a really bad night of sleep, I could get extra rest the next day, because I wasn’t working. Now, with my weird work schedule, that’s often not the case. Since I work overnight on Tuesdays and don’t sleep that night (except for a brief nap during the day before), I am a total mess that day. Unfortunately, no matter what I try, I just can not sleep during the day for more than maybe an hour. This past week, my symptoms got so bad on Tuesday, I had to use a cane to get around the house, I could barely walk, and there was NO WAY I could safely shower, even with the shower seat, because I knew I couldn’t get in and out of the shower safely. My vision was horrible and blurry, I was weak, faint, and just a complete mess. It was actually pretty scary.
Thursdays are very tough for me, too, because I am just NOT a late-night person, and I can’t even see straight from 11:00PM to 1:00AM. Last night (Thursday), I thought I might throw up from fatigue, but it didn’t happen. THEN, of course, on Friday nights I finish up at 11:00PM, and come back on for 8:00AM the next day, and I get to work a lovely 12-hour shift on what inevitably ends up being too little sleep, because I don’t fall asleep at a reasonable hour.
I feel like every work shift is a battle, and it’s killing me. I wish I knew what to do.
While I don’t have any answers for you, I do sympathize. I know how hard it is for me when I don’t sleep well. And it usually happens the night before I help out with the grandchildren. I also can’t sleep during the day.