Tale of Lamu musclemen who can’t sleep or rest lest they fall sick

Lamu men who are used to lifting heavy loads have complained of feeling sick and tired any time they take a break to sleep or rest.

The men are mostly stone miners, loaders, masons, cart pushers and seafront touts whose major job is to load and offload loads and luggage from boats.

Elisha Hiribae, a loader said he has been forced to ensure he keeps working till darkness falls to avoid being idle as it causes him to fall sick.

Hiribae confesses that he is unable to sit still and not do anything as his body reacts violently leaving him feeling weak, sickly and tired.

“I discovered that each time I sat down to rest, I felt so sick and fatigued. It kept on until I found out that the only way for me to feel better was if I kept working. My body is used to lifting all these heavy loads and not doing anything makes me weak,” Hiribae said.

His situation is the same for many others like him who equally engage in heavy chores as resting equals to them falling sick.

Jacob Bokoro,40, a stone miner says he has been rushed to hospital several times when he took a break to rest from his job which he says is physically and emotionally demanding.

Bokoro who conducts his trade in Manda-Maweni village, works from morning till late in the night and says resting even at night has become an uncomfortable activity as his body behaves strangely.

“While a normal person will enjoy sitting down or lying down to rest, mine is a strange case of feeling sick and tired whenever I do the same. My body becomes heavy and I can’t even lift my head. I would rather keep working than rest,” Bokoro said.

Sila Njenga, a cart pusher on the island says his case is different as he tends to fall asleep anytime he takes a break from his job.

“I would rather keep working because resting means sleeping soundly even on the job. The doctor however told me that it’s not something to be alarmed about,” Njenga said.

Doctor Chris Marjan of Lamu Island, however, says what the men experience is normal fatigue brought about mainly by lack of adequate sleep.

He says good sleep is vital as it improves one’s brain performance, mood, and health and that not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders.

“Many people ignore the importance of good sleep because they are not aware of how vital it is. Several diseases like heart disease, stroke, obesity and dementia are caused by lack of sleep,” Marjan said.

The doctor says constant headaches, migraines and body aches are the first signs that your body is not getting enough rest and sleep.

“They work from dawn to dusk without a much-needed sleeping arrangement. They are not sick, they are just sleep-deprived. But if they keep up, they may eventually suffer from the aforementioned diseases,” he added.