It's About The ZZZ's

By now everyone knows the following "MALE TRUTHS."

Men are immortal, and we do not need to visit MDs unless we cannot sew a severed appendage back in place. We never have below-the-belt issues in or out of the bedroom. And if for any reason we suspect something is wrong, the best course of action is to always ignore it. If by some fluke, you find yourself in an MD office due to circumstances beyond your control, the best way to go is never mention any other concerns and try to get out of there as soon as possible.

We all know a few men who fit into the above description.

When reality hits

If you are in your 40s or younger, chances are routine MD visits are not top-of-mind unless you have an injury or a significant health issue. While I was a regular with MD visits when younger, reality hit for me and perhaps others around age 50 as “things” start happening that we can no longer ignore.

At age 78, I am a prostate cancer survivor not once but twice. For additional fun, as of when I was writing this, I was recovering from COVID pneumonia. My wife describes COVID as the gift that keeps giving, and let me assure you it is. One of the many issues is not getting enough sleep; 6 hours a night vs the suggested 7+ hours.

Lack of sleep

A similar lack of sleep pattern happened after my prostate cancer treatments. While I was glad to be home after surgery, there was this catheter thing to deal with. My MD suggested the device might result in some sleep interference. Talk about an understatement.

Over time, things settled down and I discovered a different kind of normal. One item that has recently caught my attention with my various medical adventures is how sleep patterns can change following treatments, be it from surgery or radiation or chemo or hormone therapy.

I hope we all agree that food and water are necessary to sustain life. At the same time, I suspect it is easy to not pay attention to how much or little sleep we are getting. Now forced to be curious, I went online and reviewed several articles on the importance of good quality sleep and the role it plays in keeping us healthy.

Unable to sleep as long

Prior to my being on Lupron, a drug that suppresses male hormones, I could easily sleep 7+ at night, which is what the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests. These days I average just over 6 hours of sleep every night. Was Lupron the original cause, and who knows?

A lack of sleep is one of one of those things that is easily “overlooked” when visiting your general practitioner. If you are having issues, you may want to dig a bit deeper and ask questions.

Think about it this way. Hopefully by now you know and understand that it's not a good idea to ignore any prostate issues. The same can be said for ignoring sleep issues; it may not be the best plan.