Sleep is important. Like, really, really important. Sleep is a major part of living a healthy lifestyle. So when I wasn't sleeping well, I felt it, bad. Lately, I have been suffering from aches and pains. I am only 35, so I felt like this was way too soon to feel this way. It all started the last week in September 2017. The headaches started. I usually only have heads leading up to "that time of the month" and a couple of days during that time, so that "time" was nearly over and these headaches were uncharacteristic. What was wrong with me?

I saw my doctor. She assured me nothing was wrong. I couldn't sleep, my heart was racing, why was I having these headaches? I learned that my older sister experienced migraines all of a sudden around my age (she is now 38). She also told me our dad spent a year on meds for migraines back when he was my age. I was certain my headaches just ran in the family around this age. 

I thought that would settle. But, being a skeptic, I wasn't totally satisfied. After weeks of taking Advil, Tylonel, or my anti-anxiety meds, I stopped all of that and tried to go back to basics. What changed in my life around the time the headaches began? Then, at midnight, during yet another night of no sleep after a month of worrying, it ocurred to me that sometime in September, I changed my bed pillows. I used to sleep on an memory foam pillow with a regular basic pillow underneath for added support. I had decided that my pillow being so old (yeah like 10 years old, ew) it wasn't doing me any good, so I decided to take two, cheap, basic 'guest pillows' from my linen closet and began sleeping with those. I cannot recall how much time had passed since changing pillows and the headaches began, but I think it was a couple of weeks.

So, back to midnight, I got up, walked into the hallway while my son and husband slept. I opened the linen closet and grabbed my old 'pillow setup', which consisted of an old basic pillow topped with my old memory foam pillow. I layed on the floor with these old pillows. Normally, moments after laying my head to the side on my pillows for the past month, the headaches began. Moments after laying my head on the "old setup", no headaches...a few minutes went by of me curled up on the hallway floor on my old pillows and no headaches. Was this it? Had I really figured it out? My damn pillows were causing me headaches? Yup! 

So, figuring out that mystery only cost me a whole month without sleep. Who needs sleep anyway, amiright? Actually, sleep literally is one of THE most important things in life. Think about it, you can have a crappy day and still sleep all night. You have a crappy night's sleep, and guess what, your day will suuuuuck. 

Not only did I not sleep for a month, my anxiety was through the roof, and I developed eye strain. I have a desk job where I do customer service on my computer all day. I am stairing at a computer screen all day and not sleeping. You tell me how shitty my life was and you would be right! Getting one good night's sleep after realizing the whole pillow thing is not enough. I need like 2 weeks of good sleep to get back on track.

So, I ampted up my exercise and I am eating better, so that certainly helps with me getting a better night's sleep along with my old pillows. But, I feel like I can do more. I have been taking more breaks from my computer to reduce the eye strain, I bought the best computer chair that I am in love with, and my next move is to buy a new pillow and mattress. 

Onward, upward, mission to complete comfort is underway. Read "New eye glasses, pillow, and mattress"