A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Wondering if anyone can help me stay AWAKE! - SleepyMT

Posted: Jan 07, 2015

I love typing for a living . . . the problem is that I cannot seem to stay awake! Mornings are the worst! I get to the point where I literally can't hold my head up and have to take a little nap. It's killing my schedule and line count! I need/want to work more but I get too stinkin' tired. I'm afraid that if I keep coming up short with my line count, I'll lose my job. Anyone else have this issue? Any suggestions? Coffee is not one that will work for me . . . can't stand the taste of it. I have always been on the tired side, so maybe I picked the wrong field; however, I'm in it now and working from home is the only option for us. I must find a way to wake my butt up!! Please help!!

Your up now, try 3rd shift or split shifts. - maybe you have narcolepsy.

[ In Reply To ..]
You should probably talk to your doctor about it. Wish it was that easy for me to go to sleep, I've been suffering from insomnia for about 3 wks now; it comes and goes. I hate it.

Being up so late - SleepyMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Is not the norm for me. Working third or split shifts is not an option. Thanks for your input, though.

can you consider a split shift or later - MTrauma

[ In Reply To ..]
I've had that happen to me and you're right, it's impossible to type when you can't hold your head up! Maybe you need to reschedule your shift for later in the morning, or even afternoon. Or work a split shift so you can nap in between. I'm not a morning person, so that's why I work afternoons. On rare occasion if I'm sick or haven't gotten enough sleep, I've emailed my supervisor to request a nap break. She's always been ok with it, as it's very rare that I ask. But I normally make sure and get enough sleep otherwise. I like coffee, but it doesn't keep me awake whatsoever. Nothing works when I'm tired except sleep!

Here's what I do..... - ....

[ In Reply To ..]
First of all, right or wrong, I take a One-A-Day multivitamin every morning - the one with caffeine in it (green box) - I could drink coffee - but the caffeine gets me going right away - I like coffee, but if I drink coffee, I want a cookie - which is not good - I drink a lot of water and when I feel tired, I chew a piece of peppermint gum - find one that has that real "bang" when you first start chewing it and then, just for kicks drink very cold water on top of the gum - almost hurts - but it does wake me up -

I also take a nap - I learned about 20 years ago in this business when I still had kids at home and worked late into the night sometimes and then had to get up early to get kids off to school - I used to fight and fight sleep until I realized that I can take a 10 minute nap at 9:00 in the morning - just set a timer somewhere where you have to get up to turn it off - put your feet up with a cozy blanket or two and sleep - I've actually done it twice in a day - but I do get my lines in.

I like some of those suggestions - SleepyMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm just not sure 10 minutes would do it for me. When I nap it's usually for an hour and a half, which is why I'm constantly battling a line count problem. I guess I could give it a shot. You never know until you try!

Short nap.... - is the key

[ In Reply To ..]
I find that if I take a nap for more than 30 minutes, I wake up fuzzy-headed - I don't want to wake up at 10-15 minutes, but I can get back into work much more quickly.

When I was young, my mother used to take a 10 minute nap in the middle of the living room hardwood floor. I asked her why she didn't just take a nap in the chair or on her bed and she told me that she wanted to be uncomfortable so that it would be easier to get up - if she was tired enough, even the hardwood floor felt good....I prefer my recliner and the stove timer in the next room....

I had that problem - cindy

[ In Reply To ..]
Have you been checked for diabetes type 2. I had that really bad in the past. Not anymore since on medication, but I would literally fall asleep while in a report, then wake up and not even know how long I was sleeping. It really sucked and it does make your line count go down.

I was tested for something - SleepyMT

[ In Reply To ..]
But I'm not sure what all I was tested for. Pretty sure I don't have diabetes; although, I am overweight and don't have particularly good eating habits.

Have you had a sleep study? Maybe you suffer from - Obstructive sleep apnea.

[ In Reply To ..]
That would explain excessive daytime sleepiness. Also try to turn your heat down, make it chilly where you work. Move often. if you start dosing off, stand up walk around, and that will help wake you for a bit.

One more thing..... - stay away from sugar...

[ In Reply To ..]
I have never gotten any benefit from a sugar "high" but rather about 15 minutes after I eat anything sweet - I get really, really tired....even fruit makes me tired - I have to save my apple and orange for later in the day.

Gluten-free also helps - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I looked like I had narcolepsy before I went gluten-free. It stopped within 2 weeks.

Comes right back if I eat something containing gluten. If I eat so much as a donut or a flour tortilla or some wheat pasta, I will be falling asleep standing up. It makes me feel drugged -- exactly as if I took a dose of a narcotic.

Sleepy - Luckyacew1

[ In Reply To ..]
I had the same problem. Had a sleep study, was found to have sleep apnea and put on a CPAP machine--a thing with a small mask that you have to sleep in, but it's not too big a deal--and also put on Nuvigil, which is a medicine used for narcolepsy, sleep apnea and shift workers to help you be more awake.

I've never had a sleep study . . . - SleepyMT

[ In Reply To ..]
But maybe I should. My doctor was going to set me up with one and they were supposed to call me but never did and I just let it go because I figured I didn't snore, so I must not have sleep apnea. I suppose I should revisit the issue.

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