Sleep. We all need it. Getting the proper amount is vital to everyone’s health. When you live with Sickle Cell disease, however, getting the amount of sleep your body requires is especially important.
I remember when I was about seventeen years old and tired all the time. I went and saw my Sickle Cell doctor and told him how tired I always was. He asked how many hours of sleep I was getting. I told him eight hours every night. His reply was simple, “Get more sleep. Your body might need nine or ten hours of sleep.”
“Ten hours!” I exclaimed.
This seemed so excessive to me. Besides, two more hours of sleep meant two less hours of fun with my friends or doing what I wanted. But sure enough, ten hours of sleep is what my body needed, and has needed most of my life.
It can be a challenging thing to discipline yourself to make sure you get to bed when you need to so you get the sleep your body needs. Speaking personally, if I go more than two days with less than ten hours of beauty sleep, a pain crisis may be triggered; or it will take me several nights before I feel like I’m back to normal.
If your son or daughter has SCD, try not to label them as “lazy” if they need more sleep than what other kids might need. Truly their body has more going on inside than most, and they need that extra amount of sleep to stay healthy. Or if your child is fighting you about getting the rest they need, try to help them understand the benefits of getting the proper amount of sleep.
As I’ve said many times, living with Sickle Cell has many challenges. However, even though you have this obstacle, you can still live your life and do many great things with it. So give your body the hours it needs to rest, and enjoy your waking hours as much as possible.
