Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Insomnia: Not Just for Breakfast Anymore!

This hurts.
I got into my nice cozy bed about two hours ago.
The sheets were slightly chilled, but the warmth of the down comforter on top made it balance out almost perfectly. There was no noise, no light, and everything was set for a perfect night sleep.
So why am I writing at 1-something in the morning? Because Insomnia robs me of sleep.
I wish it were more like the song:
"Love...unrequited...robs me of my sleep at night."
Unfortunately for me, the very person I love is next to me in bed, so it cannot be that.
I'm not sure what's keeping me up now.
There's a set of rules they give to insomniacs to help them sleep. These include:
-No exercise after 5 PM. No problem. I can work out after school.
-No Caffeine after 4 PM. Again, no problem. I seem to be prefering water lately. Plus, I don't really like coffee. I know, I'm Un-American. Get over it.
-No stimulation before bed. Here's what that includes:
No TV
No Reading
No Sex or bedroom related activities (which is strange, because wouldn't that tire you out to sleep?)
No Exercise (covered that already)
No Eating (Um, who needs the nightmares?)
No Stressful activity (this includes any work, but as a teacher, you work until your eyes scream, "NO MORE!"
-If you still can't sleep, you can try a glass of warm milk. Isn't this essentially eating? Plus, it's liquid. You down a bunch of liquid and go to bed, you're asking to for your body to wake you up to head to the bathroom.
-Get plenty of sunlight. This one is my favorite. Up here in the Nord (yes, purposely misspelled), the sun kinda leaves for a long time. Add to that that I go to work before sunrise and leave with little time left before sunset...I get no sun. However, I am not dropping $200 to have a visor that simulates sunlight. It's not the same. No matter what you say. It's not the same. I also don't understand how sunlight helps me sleep. Seriously. I need it to be dark to sleep. My bedroom now has blackout curtains which make it pitch black. Yet here I am...typing away.

These rules seem kinda arbitrary. Don't read in bed. Ok, but when my wife reads, she passes out cold. I end up having to slide the bookmark in, close the book, and turn off the light for her. It's kinda cute. Me, I end up reading the whole three hundred page book in one sitting.
My favorite thing on
Web MD about Insomnia is the section about Exams and Tests. Gee. How should I test for Insomnia. How about it's after 1:20, and I'm awake. (Yes, I type fast. Get over it.)
I know I'm not alone, but man, this is a bad time for Insomnia.
Maybe ranting will help.
I should go find out.
One last note: I see in my last post that I wrote "No ramblings for tomorrow." Addendum: It should be until tomorrow, or at this point 14 hours or so from now.
Hope you all are sleeping well.

4 comments:

Admin Worm said...

The movie Fight Club has the best description of insomnia ever: When you have insomnia, you're never quite awake, and you're never quite asleep. Everything is a copy...of a copy...of a copy.

I have literally not slept without a sedative for nearly a decade. Sleeping pills saved my life; I was nearly insane from lack of sleep.

Lunesta is a godsend.

Sorry you didn't sleep, pal.

Anonymous said...

NyQuil is fun, The green yucky kind is best. It says 2tbs in the dosage but I like to live dangerously.

Admin Worm said...

I use Nyquil as a mixer.

Anonymous said...

I agree sleeping aids are a God send! I would also be lost without them. And mine are cheap. Few OZ of something caffienated and I am out for the night. (I am a strange one, caffiene has the opposite effect on me, it makes me sleepy, and NyQuil gives me nightmares. I am a strange one I know)

But I agree with admin worm about the Fight Club quote. It's the best description I have ever heard!

Good luck on finding your sleep aid. Maybe ask a DR. I know how much you love going there! But they may be able to help you!