Sleep: The Best Medicine I Have

There is no question that I am getting worse and slowing down. I take more than 40 pills a day, but none of them offer meaningful relief from the core symptom I face these days: the powering down, the temporary rigidity and near paralysis that can flow through my body. Sometimes it is limited. More often than not, it is significant, and occasionally it seems to affect almost everything.

I know of only one way to try to prevent it and one way to treat it when it happens: sleep and rest.

A good night’s sleep, which I now protect as much as possible, acts like recharging a battery. When an episode does strike, a short nap is often the best and only restorative tool I have found.

For much of my life, sleep felt like a luxury. If something important was coming up, I would fight it and push through. Now I see it for what it is: a gift from G-d.

There appears to be some scientific support for what I am experiencing. Researchers have found that sleep is when the brain carries out some of its most important maintenance work, including clearing waste products that build up during the day. Sleep is also closely linked to energy levels, cognition, and neurological function. It does not mean a good night’s sleep can stop PSP, but it may help explain why I function so much better after one.

Naps appear to play a different role. Research suggests that even short naps can improve alertness and concentration and reduce the effects of fatigue. I am not a scientist and cannot explain exactly what is happening inside my brain when I power down. What I do know is what often happens afterwards. Twenty or thirty minutes later, I can sometimes think more clearly, move more easily, and continue with my day.

I have also noticed something else. As PSP progresses, I am experiencing behavioural changes that can sometimes be just as challenging as the physical symptoms. I can become more frustrated, less patient, and less like the person I want to be. Once again, sleep seems to help.

When I feel myself becoming overwhelmed, a nap is often the only effective response I have found. While it certainly does not solve everything, a period of rest can allow me to reset and return with a clearer head and a better perspective. More and more, I find myself trying to sleep it off rather than push through it.

Over the last week alone, I have powered down dozens of times. Again and again, a short period of rest has helped bring me back, both physically and mentally.

Perhaps my biggest mistake was treating sleep and naps as signs of weakness. PSP has taught me the opposite. A good night’s sleep is an investment in tomorrow. A short nap is an investment in the next few hours.

I am not sharing anything most people do not already know. I am simply reinforcing a lesson I have learned the hard way: do not treat sleep as optional. If your body asks for it, listen.

Sometimes the best medicine you have is not found in a pill bottle.

Sometimes it is simply sleep.