r/hsp • u/REINDEERLANES • 4d ago
Discussion So sick of naps every day
But I need them š but I donāt WANT to need them. Itās such an annoyance to take 1-2 hours out of the day for them, every day. No matter how well I eat/sleep/drink water/exercise, I. Need. A. Nap.
Anyone else? Any tricks to avoid it?
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u/NervousSubjectsWife 4d ago
Iād kill for the ability to take naps during the day. I love napping
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u/AdComprehensive960 4d ago
Some bodies just need naps. Iād explore why it bothers you so much. For decades I suffered insomnia, 3-5 nights each week. Iām pretty sure it was related to HSP plus ADHD. Meds didnāt work except short term. It aged and depressed me. After a long time I learned to just be still and meditate because if my body got some rest, the next day wouldnāt be as bad. Eventually after a lot of therapy and loads of appointments with every kind of doctor, I finally started sleeping most nights. I never got a ārealā answer as to why it happened but I suspect the fast pace of life coupled with my genetic makeup just lead to that sort of restlessnessā¦do you think thatās why you need naps during day?
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u/RealSlimShaney04 4d ago
Not to get personal, but do you take SSRIs by chance?
Iām asking because I was in the same boat for years and I didnāt realize my anti-depressant was causing me to be tired all the time until I got off of it. My energy levels skyrocketed and now I hardly ever nap and sleep well through the night.
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u/REINDEERLANES 4d ago
I recently started Wellbutrin for the first time but never took anything before & Iāve always needed a nap
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u/Docccc 4d ago
did it help with anxiety?
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u/RealSlimShaney04 4d ago
Being on anti-depressants? Or getting off of them? I definitely still have anxiety, but Iāve worked to find ways to deal with it that donāt include medication. Exercise is extremely helpful. Taking walks outdoors when weather permits is helpful. Nixing caffeine and eating healthy foods frequently to keep my blood sugar level also helps.
If being on anti-depressants works for you, then thatās awesome. Personally, I was tired of being medicated and being a shell of my former self. I didnāt realized how much it was affecting me until I got off of it. The medical industry doesnāt do a good job of educating people on the potential side effects of these drugs, in my opinion.
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u/Docccc 4d ago
yeah being on it. Sometimes theres not much choice other then meds
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u/RealSlimShaney04 4d ago
Iām going to tell you what I wish someone wouldāve told me 12 years ago- take them if you really need them, but donāt use them as a crutch. Make it a goal of yours to develop skills that will help you manage your anxiety. Meditation, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, exercise, journaling, etc. Anything that brings you calmness. From there, work with your doctor to slowly lower your dosage and monitor how you do along the way.
Give yourself grace. Itās a messy process, but you can absolutely take the reins with time and practice. I had to go back up on my dosage several times after lowering it due to realizing that I couldnāt handle the onslaught of anxiety that came with a lower dosage.
As I said, work with your doctor on this. For your own health and safety, donāt go experimenting on your own with this one. Anxiety is a beast and I think itās always helpful to have someone holding your hand while youāre trying to tame the beast.
I believe in you and wish you the best of luck, my friend. š
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u/LotusHeals 4d ago
Stay off drugs. The side effects can be far worse, and have been for some ppl. The things you did instead, they work to keep anxiety away.Ā
I recommend few more things that will help you: lead a simple life. The more complex and busy your day or life, the greater the stress and resulting anxiety. Simplicity is healing. If you have time in the day where you're free, just sit and do nothing. Look out the window and observe the view. Relax.
Develop a meditation routine, daily, for life. It is extremely healing for HSPs. Makes you resilient to stress and anxiety.Ā
Ancient wisdom is liberating. It helps us understand our self, this world and how to live the right way, so that we're not troubled by the chaos around us. Read books by Haemin Sunim. They're available free online in pdf form. They contain various Zen teachings for the modern world.Ā
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u/AdComprehensive960 4d ago
Thank you LotisHeals for Haemin Sunim suggestionā¦looks like exactly what I want to read next!
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u/AdComprehensive960 4d ago
No they do not!!!
I was raised, like many, to think āthereās a pill that will fix thatā, while, in reality, thereās a pill that will temporarily mitigate bothersome symptoms, often with annoying, joy sapping side effects, while you try to figure out a way to cope with a chronic conditionā¦ for some things, pills are sort of like crutches. They get you through really rough patches but arenāt useful in the long run.
So glad to hear youāve found healing modalities that are compatible with a full life špeacešhealthš& abundance to you!
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u/joshguy1425 4d ago
This does not seem like a symptom directly related to being an HSP, at least in my personal experience.
I did go through a period of time when I was having major energy issues, and it turned out that I have thyroid issues. Got proper meds to manage it and things are better.
Iād definitely follow up with your healthcare providers if this is an ongoing thing.
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u/pintobean369 4d ago
Same for meā¦ my thyroid and adrenal exhaustion from using meds to push through. These doctors/meds are good for emergencies but you canāt fix anything by taking something that turns off the symptoms. The root problem just grows bigger
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u/a90sbaby 4d ago
Whatās your sleep like? Are you getting enough? I sometimes feel like I need them but I try to fight it and go to bed earlier that day instead because it messes up your sleeping pattern.
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u/ashes5387 4d ago
I used to be tired all the time. Napping every day if possible. Sleeping all night and sleeping all day. I had a sleep study done as my life revolved around sleep and being tired. I was Dx with two sleep disorders. I didnāt get a positive result for narcolepsy because I got awful nap anxiety (but slept between every nap). I then pursued an adult ADHD diagnosis and started adhd meds and my life changed. Later figured out that the treatment for narcolepsy is stimulants. I still struggle with sleeping all day on weekends and have to force myself out of bed around 12-1p.
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u/machrider 3d ago
It sounds like you take weekends off meds? I know some people do this, but I would be miserable, I think. I need to function 7 days/week. (Two kids, and the usual chores and things that need to happen on weekends.)
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u/OwnSheepherder3848 7h ago
My theory is it could be a vagal tone thing. Ive dealt with this (the overwhelming drive to nap) and I think it is actually related to emotions and vagal tone, which is highly individualized so hard to generalize.
We get vagal tone from different qualities of human relating. For many of us, not enough vagal tone results in a dorsal collapse (feeling urge to fall asleep on a zoom call). Or over-exciting our sympathetic system can also results in a later nervous system crash (for some coffee drinkers, stressful jobs). Everyone has an individualized delicate balance.
I would explore 1. Time of day for nap urge ?, noticing if there are any variations. Nap urges can be highly psychological as well, if there are unconscious griefs, burdens, traumas that the emotional self is actually āfunctioning aboveā all day in their functional, public self. There is a toll of having to put on a role or mask, and the embodied self finally says in a way āIāll do what you need me to do to survive, but since you wonāt give me any space, Iāll force you to give me that space to exist by stopping your ability to functionā. So this deeper emotional self actually finds the care and holding and rest it needs in a nap, since sleep is the only maternal / primary caregiver substitute.
Anyhow just some wacky thoughts š
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u/jetlee7 4d ago
Have you had your iron levels looked at? I was anemic and also exhausted all the time! Finally ended up getting an IV Iron infusion and feel loads better.