latent

like any good obsessive-compulsive person, i've taken the time over the past week or so to study all the potential implications of how my sleep study transpired. and the words that keep showing up are 'sleep latency.'

according to the dictionary, latent means present but not actualized or remaining in a hidden phase. when you pair that with sleep it suggests that the sandman is lurking behind every corner, just waiting for the first opportunity to club you over the head.

in those minutes before most people fall asleep they may feel an irresistible droop in their eyelids, a tugging from the unconscious to drift off. but i feel that pull all the time. from the minute i wake up until i go to bed, and i think this must be the textbook definition of low sleep latency.

yesterday i took the wakefulness medicine i was given in order to safely drive to arkansas without stopping for a nap or taking mini-naps as i drove. (although mega demonstrated her willingness to take the wheel, i thought it best that i supervise, after all she doesn't have her license.) dosing with continuous advil, i was able to keep the side effect headache at bay and my eyelids were miraculously light.

though i'm resistant to taking prescription medications on a regular basis, i'm reluctantly forced to admit that not having to fight sleep over a 10 hour drive made the trip immeasurably more fun. and in all those wide awake hours, i had the time to ponder the idea of latency. surely sleep isn't the only latency i'm fighting... or maybe simply 'not allowing'. maybe i have a latent super power!

perhaps the next time i'm artificially super-awake, i'll be able to discover it... but right now i'm due for a nap..

d: latent super powers revealed
b: made record time on our drive, including puppy and human breaks
g: wakefulness medication provided for hours of conversation with todd