Do women really need more sleep than men? A sleep expert explains how it works
travel
After relaxing in her twenties with her mother, she is itching to get back to work. “I wanted to go back to Amsterdam. That's exactly what I did. The plan was to go on vacation with my father's family, and I had to save money and thus work. Later, I should have listened to my body more. I scraped the money together, but during the holidays “I went to bed at seven in the morning. Of course I saw and did things, but I really needed to sleep. Shame, of course.”
She now knows that everything is over Puck's head. “I decided to leave my studies after a year and return home. Because I suddenly had all the money left over – without tuition or rent – I booked a six-week trip to Curacao.
“The trip wasn't what I needed,” she admits. It was another excuse to forget what went wrong in Amsterdam. For the first three weeks, life was fun, but at a certain point I couldn't ignore it anymore: I had to rest. During the second half of the trip I started writing and reading books to organize my thoughts. I didn't ask for help, I had to do it myself, I guess.
Excessive exercise
Back in the Netherlands, Puck once again ignores her symptoms, which her doctor attributes to fatigue. “I thought my complaint was due to the fact that my body was not strong enough. Instead of resting, I started exercising vigorously. Although exercise can be good for you, even while recovering from exhaustion, it was not as much as I was doing it. I went into it with the wrong mindset, because I hadn't yet accepted that I didn't have to do anything.
Meanwhile, she's rebuilding her work week. “I held out for a year, but I was always exhausted. Mainly what I struggled with was that I couldn't take any rest. I convinced myself that I needed discipline and I had to persevere. As long as I kept a strict rhythm, everything would go well. But I “I did a lot. And when I added a new study along with work and exercise, I started getting tension headaches. Eventually, my doctor prescribed medication for it. I stopped doing something on the advice of a neurologist, who I saw for unrelated complaints.”
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Tik Tok
Puck recently shared a video on TikTok about her (long) recovery. This caused a torrent of negative reactions and criticism. “People who feel lonely post things like this,” she says. “If you were happy, you wouldn't feel the need to post this. I can laugh about it, I don't care. The bad reactions actually gave me ideas.”
For example, the 21-year-old recently posted a satirical video about what people suffering from burnout do, namely waving goodbye to morning workers with pan lids and obscenities, sleeping until mid-afternoon and rotting on the couch. “I want to make people laugh.”
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future
Although Bock has been recovering from her burnout for two years, she now feels much better mentally. “I feel very happy and fine. Although I am now experiencing withdrawal symptoms from my medication. It makes me feel like I never got out of lockdown, because I soon have complaints out the door. So, considering the circumstances, things are going well.” .
Now she is slowly picking up the thread again. “I will continue my studies and want to train abroad next year. I would prefer to return to Amsterdam, but I have to get better first. The coming months will be bad, but I will rest. In any case, the outlook is positive. While I was ignoring my complaints of stress, I will now deal with them on my own.” “Always seriously. Sleep also comes first. As for parties, I limit it to once a month. Ultimately, the most important thing is to guard my boundaries.”
That sounds ambitious, but don't worry because the 21-year-old has learned her lesson. “When I get better, I will enjoy every healthy minute I have. I know what it means to not feel healthy and I will never take it for granted again.
Sharon (24) was in bed for more than two years due to exhaustion: 'No one understood what I was feeling'
