You may have noticed I haven't been posting as much lately. Truth is, I occasionally have a relapse of old symptoms--I've just been dog tired. And frustrated. This was the second time since I cut wheat, dairy, eggs and sugar out of my diet that I've been back to the point of constantly battling fatigue-- nodding off at stoplights, at my desk at work, falling asleep on the couch at 8, migrating to the bed at 12, waking up at 6 feeling like I didn't sleep at all. When I tell people without this problem about it, they sometimes say, "Oh yeah, I totally know what you mean. Last night I only got like 3 hours of sleep" or something like that. Sorry, but you don't know. I know what normal bone-tired feels like. I've only passed out once in my life, but this is a lot more like that than just being tired. And if you're just tired, usually you feel better after getting sleep. Not so with this problem.
Anyway, I was frantically watching my diet trying to figure out what on earth I was doing wrong. If you're reading this blog, you've probably gone through this. What did I eat when? If I ate X right before I started getting tired Tuesday afternoon, was the same thing in my food Thursday morning before I dozed off? Yesterday, it was getting to the point where I was seriously worried about driving home from work. I went to throw out my gum and get a new piece, and it hit me. I literally sat, dumbfounded, staring at the label on a pack of gum for about 2 minutes. Xylitol--it's even on the front of the package. It's supposed to be great for your teeth. It's also a sugar alcohol. My last sleepy spell was the result of its cousin, maltitol. Two ounces of maltitol-laced chocolate knocked me out for 3 hours once. That stuff is pure evil. It's about as effective a sedative for me as a sledge hammer to the head, but fortunately less painful. I should have known.
Today, I haven't had any gum and I feel great. I guess the trick-or-treaters will get the rest of my Costco-sized box of Trident.
Happy are the families where the government of parents is the reign of affection, and obedience of the children the submission to love.Do you understand?
Posted by: True Religion Jeans | September 15, 2011 at 08:03 PM
Sounds miserable! So sorry to hear about your relapse. Glad you found the culprit, and I'm sure your tip will help a lot of people!
Posted by: Miranda | October 22, 2009 at 07:20 PM