Losing Naps to Migraine

I’ve always considered myself to be an energetic person. As a performer and all-around people person, I derive my energy from experiences and love striking up a conversation. As such, I have a roster of easy topics to broach if I’m ever in a pinch with a stranger. Most topics would revolve around universal experiences that are easily relatable, such as television, or the weather, or in most cases, how awake or sleepy we are. Every day is a struggle, and we’re just trying to get through it. We’re here, grinding it out, waiting for Friday and the weekend that comes.

That restless would often be broken down into solutions, such as an affinity for coffees or the allure of that sweet, sweet nap later. Only I’m out of my league here!

Coffee never worked for me

I’ve never gotten into coffee. It just really hasn’t helped me. I’ve tried that brown tasty stuff. Whether it’s a venti frappe whose-a-whatcha-ma-call-it or straight black like the night is dark, I’ve approached coffee from any angle just to see what the hype was about.

It just never woke me up. I’m just a high-energy guy, and caffeine has never really helped me stay up when I do get sleepy. High energy doesn’t keep me from getting drowsy; it just means I can’t tell where I end, and coffee might begin! Now, why would I try so hard to enjoy something that everybody loves and I couldn’t give a fart about?

Napping hasn't worked either

I don’t nap. Actually, I can’t nap. As a migraineur, I go through life finding new and unique ways to experience pain. I don’t want pain; I just live life as normally as I can until I’m confronted with an immovable migraine reality. From sugary drinks early in the morning to going to live concerts and staring right at egregious spotlights, I’ve gotten really good at spotting my migraine triggers. Only, I haven’t minded losing some of these to that all familiar head-pain.

Naps are painful

Losing naps was tough. I’m not talking about nodding off when on a long car ride. I’m talking about those 30-60 minute slumbers you set the alarm for during an especially sluggish day. Yeah, like clockwork, I always wake up with excruciating head pain. It feels like I’m emerging from a psychic paralysis that’s rendered me a fleshy pulp. With throbbing pain right behind my eyes and up into my temples. An ice-cream brain freeze from hell. It’s so frustrating losing something so crucial and convenient.

I mean like COME ON. I would always wake up early for work, laying in bed, counting the minutes before I have to stand up, relishing the fact that I can nap later and make up the sleep hours. Nope. Turns out that every time I satisfy that restless hunger, I am rendered immobile and lose all the progress I had built up in the day up until that point. Rather than letting a nap boost me through to the end, it ends my day right in the middle.

Looking for alternatives

This is why I’m so eager to try and get that whole coffee thing going. If I can’t enjoy a minor reset like a nap, I guess I’ve just got to power through. Not every night's sleep will be enough to keep me happy and healthy, but I guess that’s one of the catches with migraine. I’m different, and my body loves to remind me of that! What are some things you’ve had to give up thanks to migraine? I would love to know in the comments down below!