Why Am I Always Tired?

I used to be an insomniac. Maybe not by the official definition, but I always had a hard time falling asleep. I'd be up until 3am some nights, just unable to actually go off to slumberland. At the time, I understood why I was tired. I didn't sleep. Duh.



But I've gotten over that stage of my life (which means true insomniacs are even now no doubt claiming I was never one of them to begin with. Sorry, insomniacs. I feel your pain.) How did I get over it? Mainly by waking up at about the same time each day, and avoiding naps. I've discovered it doesn't matter so much when I go to bed--it's all about when I wake up. If I sleep in too much, that can really throw off my sleep schedule.



But I digress.



The thing is, even though I'm sleeping more (or, more consistently), I'm still tired. All the time. Not to the point that I'm weak and can't do anything (I was that way when I was living in Utah), but just a general malaise. And I can no longer point the finger at insomnia. Instead, I think it boils down to two factors.



First, I need to sleep more. Getting to sleep is one thing. Sleeping enough is another. I get 6.5-7 hours of sleep a night, pretty consistently. Sometimes as much as 8. Sometimes as little as 6. I know I need more sleep. And yet there are so many shiny movies to watch, books to read, words to write, games to play, parties to go to, friends to talk with, children to play with . . . Something's got to go. But as I get older, I'm starting to wonder if doing as much as I do is worth it at the expense of being tired the whole time I'm doing it all, or if it wouldn't make more sense to do less and sleep more--thereby enjoying what I do more, since I (theoretically) wouldn't be as tired.



And this leads me to my second conclusion: I'm getting older. Those of you who are younger than me are no doubt nodding and saying, "Yup. He is." Those of you who are older are shaking your head wryly and thinking, "Just wait, kiddo." You're both right. I'm old enough to be feeling the effects, but not old enough to have earned the right to complain about it. Poor me!



Now, I could always do what the rest of the world seems to do when they're tired: drink some caffeine. But setting aside the fact that I try to avoid putting artificial chemicals into my body when it's not really necessary (Peeps is a necessity. Mountain Dew, not so much), I'm prone to migraines, which can be brought on by caffeine. So that's pretty much a no go. I'd rather be exhausted all day than having splitting migraines.



What I ought to do is exercise more. When I go for brisk walks, I wake up. One day, my desire to be awake will override my inherent laziness. That day is not today.



No, in the end, I just feel like complaining and not actually doing anything about it. And looky here--I've got a blog! A perfect vehicle for complaining and commiserating. So--let's hear it. Who else out there could go for mandatory nap time at work?