The Critical Reason You Should Honor Your Body And Symptoms
Symptoms are a way of warning us that something is wrong or needs attention. People often forget that heart disease can be sneaky and things can quickly change. This happened to me. I’ve always had heart disease and was mindful of taking care of my health to prevent possible issues that could arise. In 2019 or 2020, though, my heart health took a turn.
The symptoms didn’t present in any particular order. There were days when I’d have severe heart palpitations and fluttering. Following this discomfort, I’d then feel an overwhelming exhaustion, a fatigue so intense that I couldn’t ignore it. One can imagine the hardship of the brain wanting to be productive and creative but the body is yelling, “no!” As someone who has multiple interests and is naturally busy, when fatigue strikes, I don’t want to obey it.
As time went on, ignoring the symptoms became impossible. These palpitations progressed and worsened, leading to a kind of fatigue that could no longer be referred to as basic tiredness or the afternoon down slump. Lying to myself about the discomfort was no longer easy and began investigating my heart health. I went to an electrophysiologist, an expert that studies the electrical system of the heart. Surely enough, I discovered, after being on a two-week monitoring system, that I have Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT).
SVT is an arrhythmia affecting the upper chambers of the heart, a fast and rapid heartbeat, which happened to be where I was noticing the abnormal beats. More so, the symptoms go deeper when there is an aftermath post these arrhythmias. For me, the aftermath was severe and undeniable fatigue. The kind of exhaustion you might feel after physical exertion that increased your heart rate. I used to be against taking naps fearing they’d impede or disrupt a night of sleep. Once this fatigue grabbed hold of me, one afternoon, I decided to honor it by lying down for a nap, telling myself that I’d keep it brief and hoped I’d feel better after.
Out of character for me, I napped for a whopping four hours. I woke up at 5:30 p.m. thinking it was 5:30 a.m. and proceeded to check the date and time, realizing that I was still in the same day. It was unnervingly disorienting, but I assured myself that the nap was necessary. The following workday, I told myself that I wouldn’t nap and just power through the afternoon, tackling my to-do list and not focusing on my draining fatigue. Little was I aware, ignoring the symptoms came with a consequence and I had an episode of faint.
The arrhythmias and palpitations were more severe and the fatigue wouldn’t let me ignore it. I’d had the feeling that I was overexerting myself as another one of my side careers requires some heavy lifting. Minimal exertions were causing monumental problems with my heart and it came to the point when I had to accept the harsh reality. Our health is more important than anything else and stressing ourselves is both unnecessary and can be dangerous for many.
Every single day, it’s imperative that we listen to our bodies and surrender to our symptoms. It may be difficult to relax or nap when you don’t want to. Instead of resisting, if you can, make it a wellness ritual. I’ve been able to narrow this need for napping to a half hour or forty-five minutes so I don’t snooze the afternoon away. Taking shorter naps is the surefire way to restore energy. With heart disease, however, I don’t always feel this booster. That’s the grain of salt those with heart issues face.
Whether you have heart disease or not, there can be a whole host of reasons why you may be dealing with immense fatigue. Just about every single health condition comes with this fatigue. Afternoon naps don’t make you a lazy person, they make you a smart person who is in tune with their body and symptoms. The global wellness community and science confirms that napping is healthy and beneficial for your mental and physical wellbeing. After, you may restore more than just your energy, you may also be more motivated to work and in an effective ebb and flow you might not have been in before.
There is a fine balance between movement and relaxation and it’s wise to find your balance. Our health is the most important and precious thing we’ll ever have so every human being should honor it. By ignoring it, you’re doing a disservice to yourself and that could potentially lead to a crisis or problem. I’ve become aware of the consequences of ignoring symptoms and how doing so jeopardizes overall health. Our bodies have ways of telling us to slow down and press the pause button. It’s OK to listen to these needs and respond accordingly.
