Quote From: caseknifeI related to the first guest who could not wake up in the mornings. I have somewhat of a different experience than what she described, yet a few similar symptoms. To begin with, I am a very vigorous dreamer for the most part. I have also experienced outside noises incorporating themselves into my dreams as she described. However, the most peculiar aspect of my sleep cycle is what I can best describe as a semi-consciousness between sleeping and waking up. When I am in this state, I am not quite lucid and am plagued with misconstrued priorities. For example, I will need to get up and get ready for work. I am aware of what my responsibilities are, yet my priority is to either stay in that state or fall back asleep. This is definitely not my norm. Usually, this will persist until I am overcome with anxiety once my normal thought pattern begins to surface. As a result, I am always rushing to get ready and many times running late. I can honestly say that I am displeased with my behavior and would much rather slow down and be on time. Also, on days that I do not have to be accountable, often I can sleep up to fifteen hours, sometimes more. I believe that the worst part about this conduct, is the skepticism and sometimes distaste of others who perceive this as laziness. For a long time I believed the same thing, but I am too self-critical in such circumstances to allow myself to continue if I could prevent such actions. I felt strongly about sharing this after I viewed the segment. I hope that if you experience something similar that you can find comfort in knowing that you are not the only one. I also want to express to those who cannot fathom this but know someone that exudes the same conduct, to please be understanding and supportive because that person is most likely disgusted of themselves.
Caseknife and Miranda: What you think is a sleep disorder, isn't. My experience, from the day I was born, is that I slept, all the time. My mom used to tell me that when I was a baby, I only woke up to eat. As I got older, that didn't change. I used to fall asleep at the dinner table, used to come home and nap again after daycare. After school, until college, I would come home and sleep after school, and go back to sleep at night. I could easily sleep 12+ hours a day. When I got to college, I used to sleep in my math classes, wake up and give the prof the answer to the problem he had on the board, lol. I would also sleep between classes, and sleep at night.
I didn't have a sleep disorder. I have hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a blood sugar issue in which a person's normal blood sugar level is low. Eating the wrong foods and eating too much sugar, can cause the blood sugar level to rise to a normal level, and then crash drastically, causing one to get tired or sleep very long hours. It leaves a person feeling lethargic throughout the day, and causes the body to go into a sleep deprivation state. That sleep deprivation state can cause people to gain weight (because they don't view food the same way, and thus, don't eat 3 times a day, throwing their metabloism out of wack), overreact to stress, etc.
My suggestion is to get tested for Hypoglycemia. It's a six hour blood test, but will be so beneficial. People with hypoglycemia have to eat 6 small meals a day so that their blood sugar levels don't spike and crash, and will give them more energy all the time. Also, drinking 64 oz. of water is necessary, for everyone, even if they don't have Hypoglycemia. For those with Hypoglycemia, that haven't learned how to eat, LA Weight Loss has a plan specifically for hypoglycemics. They work with dieticians and nutritionists and teach people how to level out their hypoglycemia. One of my friends did this (she also has hypoglycemia) and lost almost 30 pounds. Because of her experience, I started this plan and have lost 31 pounds so far. I have soo much energy, it's not even funny.
It must be noted, for people with Hypoglycemia, alcohol isn't a good thing. Alcohol is broken down into sugar by the body. While it may keep someone awake and energized, it can also have devastating effects (Miranda, from the show). It's like giving a diabetic alcohol and causes the same reactions.
Irish- Encourage your daughter to go to college. She may just hate high school and feel as though she doesn't belong with the people at her school. College is completely different from high school and she will love it, even if she starts at a community college and then transfers to a 4-year college. Don't let her give up on her dreams because she dislikes where she's at right now. There's a whole world out there for her to experience.
Have you ever felt like you’re running in place and going nowhere? What if you could learn some critical keys to increase your intelligence? Dr. Phil, along with Dr. Frank Lawlis, chairman of the Dr. Phil Advisory Board and author of The IQ Answer, gives you practical techniques to maximize your full potential. His first guest, Elizabeth, says she’s tried everything to wake up her daughter, Miranda, in the morning -- massaging her feet, splashing water on her face, even blasting rap music! Miranda says she can sleep up to 17 hours straight, and has lost five jobs because of her tardiness. Find out what happens when she gets a wake-up call -- Dr. Phil style! Then, Faith says her 17-year-old daughter, Myia, panics before taking tests. She gets headaches, stomachaches, and often comes home crying. Can Dr. Lawlis help the teen get over her fears? Plus, find out why Dr. Phil needs Dr. Lawlis’ IQ Answer, and learn important information every parent needs to know about retraining your child’s brain. Talk about the show here.
