It’s taking me a while to get used to the ‘different ways’ of the new GP’s practice I moved to a little while ago. Receiving a text reminding me to make an appointment for a flu jab came as a surprise;  I’d never experienced reminders before, had always been left to my own devices where things like that were concerned. It made me wonder if this was the way of the future??
During one of my initial appointments earlier this year I mentioned that Mr Insomnia had been visiting again and that age old problem I have of sometimes feeling very tired, weary and very cranky had returned.
‘Before we do any blood tests to see if there are any underlying problems tell me about your sleep patterns’ my lovely new Dr asked. ‘I wake at all hours of the night and find it hard to go back to sleep.’ ‘Maybe you need a sleep study’ she said, and asked if I kept noting the time on the clock. Because that will make sleeplessness seem worse than it is.  
So then we talked about various methods to ‘supposedly’ ensure a good nights sleep. You know, slowing down earlier in the evening, warm drink, warm bath/shower, close off all electronic stuff. Things we’re all familiar with. She didn’t quite go as far as this though – 
but did ask if I slept with an animal. Then there were tears as I told her, no, our last one Kiera had been gone for nearly a year. ‘You know some of us get stress relief from close contact with pets, cats especially’ – tell me something I don’t know I laughingly told her.
As she was printing off the pathology request form I did tell her about the sleeping habits of the one who shares my bed 
Oh, I don’t have an answer for that problem apart from make sure your spare bed is ready for when his snoring wakes you or for you to ask ‘him’ get a sleep study done 🙂
Still Waters 