“Now nothing slows me down!”
Milana Perepyolkina, 47, just couldn’t find a way to get a good night’s sleep—until she discovered the sneaky culprit and the easy fixes that changed everything!
Maybe we can go to the park tomorrow,” a guilt-ridden Milana Perepyolkina told her daughter. “But I knew I probably wouldn’t have the energy to take her tomorrow or any other day. I was so exhausted all the time, it was nearly impossible for me to stay awake—and my daughter bore the brunt of it. Instead of spending time together when I got home from work, I had to nap, so she sat quietly and watched TV. It made me feel even worse, and I often teetered on the verge of tears from worry, frustration and stress. My daughter deserved more. I can’t keep living like this, I thought. What is wrong with me?
Nothing left to give
“That was more than 15 years ago. Night after night, I struggled to fall asleep. And even when I did, I’d wake up later and stare at the ceiling, praying for sleep to return and stressing over knowing that the next day would be another where I’d have to push my way through a hazy fog. Staying awake at work was a fight, and one day I lost the battle, nodding off during a meeting. I was horrified when a co-worker gently nudged me awake!
“The less I slept, the more my anxiety grew. And lack of sleep coupled with my heightened stress brought on chronic headaches, which made sleep even more elusive. I was stuck in a cycle of exhaustion!
“Desperate for relief, I experimented with age-old strategies like counting sheep, drinking warm milk and trying to cut out caffeine before bed. At every physical, I told my doctor about my sleep troubles hoping that he could help. But his suggestion was always the same: taking prescription sleep aids. I just didn’t want to go that route, though, so I never tested the remedy.
“Then a friend suggested I see a chiropractor. It got me thinking that maybe my back was out of alignment and that could be causing my headaches. So I was excited he might have a remedy and quickly made an appointment. He promised great results as he explained that my spine and neck weren’t properly aligned and said correcting the issue would help me sleep better. But it was another dead end—those spinal adjustments didn’t make a difference.
“And when I went back to my primary care physician for yet another annual physical, he didn’t have anything new to suggest that might bring the relief I needed. I started to fear that I’d never feel rested or be painfree. Is this really what the rest of my life is going to look like? I worried. Am
I just going to survive, with no energy to work or enjoy life?
Sleep—restored!
“After several years of constantly feeling like a zombie, my headaches worsened, and I was living on overthe-counter medicine to try to control the pain. So I saw a neurologist who sent me for a CT scan. To my surprise, this search for the cause of my pain uncovered the reason for my fatigue, insomnia and headaches. ‘You have a deviated septum on both sides of your nose,’ the doctor told me.
“I had never heard of a deviated septum, which my doctor explained meant that the wall separating my nasal cavities wasn’t straight, so it was blocking my airflow. In addition to being unable to breathe deeply through my nose—which interfered with my ability to sleep soundly—the condition was also preventing my sinuses from draining properly. That makes total sense, I thought.
“Suddenly, so many pieces of my life fit together. I had also been living with postnasal drip that I assumed was due to allergies and chronic colds. The doctor said the only way to correct a deviated septum is through surgery, but I didn’t want to go under the knife. So even though I knew the reason for my sleeplessness, I lacked a cure.
“Months later, an instructor at my martial arts class suggested I try essential oils as a natural and organic sleep aid, saying they could ease sinus inflammation to help me breathe—and sleep—better. She explained the importance of using pure oils made with extracts of plants like lavender and chamomile instead of products made with fragrances, which can be irritating and make inflammation worse.
So that night, I bought lavender essential oil and sprinkled a few drops on my pillow, not expecting much. But the next morning, I was excited. I had gotten my best night’s sleep in probably 20 years!
“Lavender and marjoram quickly became my favorites to induce sleep. I use them in a diffuser and also by putting a few drops on cotton balls that I place in registers in my house so the scent spreads when the heat or
A/C is on. Every day used to be a challenge to stay awake, but now I sleep like a baby and have energy to spare. I love having my life back!”
—As told to Gina Roberts-Grey