Fatigue, Sleep and Napping

AlejandraTR17

The more I read about CP and fatigue, the more I realize it's "normal" for us to need more than 8 hours of sleep. I'm less concerned about the amount of sleep I seem to need -- sometimes I can go for 10 hours. I would love to hear from other people. How many hours do you need to feel well-rested? How much do you need to nap? How do you manage your fatigue? I have Spastic Diplegia and don't use mobility aids on a daily basis.

Alex_Alumni

Hello there @AlejandraTR17 and thanks for your question, it's a good one  

As someone who also has spastic diplegia, I can say that a majority of the time I struggle to feel really well-rested, as I often cannot sleep without waking up at least once overnight.

I would say that I probably need 8-10 hours, and that I'd usually take half an hour for a nap. But I think I probably don't allow myself to get enough rest.

Managing my fatigue is a challenge but on days when I'm working (like today), I leave household tasks for my partner and focus on resting either side of work, so that I have more energy on my days off for getting into town, or cooking and cleaning. 

I do use my wheelchair anytime I need to go out as well. Sometimes I find my body just says no, which leaves me out of action, but listening to your body is very important, and key to managing fatigue!

I'd be interested to hear how other members with CP feel about the connections between sleep, fatigue and napping.