I am so tired, excuse the pun, of people telling me how important it is to get a good night’s sleep. I totally know this. What I don’t know is how it can be possible while I am living with a husband who has Parkinson’s Disease. I remember the good old days when I would go to bed at 11 and not wake up until 8. It was wonderful. Now I try to be in bed around 10 and, while we still don’t get up until 8, I am lucky if I get 4 or 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep during that time.

He would tell you that it is not all his fault, and he would be right. I have a bladder that wakes me at least once every night and we both have medications to take that get us out of bed briefly at 6. Menopause, in all its glory, has left me with night sweats that randomly interfere with my sleep. However, when he needs to get up at night, whether to use the bathroom, get into a new position, or adjust his side of the bed, I get to help and then I am wide awake. Regardless of which one of us wakes me, I am losing that deep restful sleep we all need.

I have spoken about this to medical doctors, therapists, an acupuncturist, a massage therapist and a chiropractor. They were all very “helpful” and had lots of the same suggestions about creating a healthy sleep environment, yet none of it worked. My only solution has become to let the bad night happen and then take naps during the day whenever I can. My chores for that day may not get done but so what. I make it through and, hopefully, the next night goes better and gives me a chance to catch up.