I've had insomnia for YEARS. You know what you don't tell someone who is in her fifties (or even 40's) and has insomnia? You don't tell her to "turn off screens 30 minutes before bed" or "make your room dark". Duh. I'm not 26 years old FFS.
Sigh. Yes, that was a mild rant. I took OTC counter sleep medications for about 3 years and then was able to finally (finally!) stop using them. It was 2019 and I took an extra long weekend over the 4th of July. I slept maybe 2 hours might initially. My room was dark, and cool. I didn't use screens two hours before bed, I didn't watch TV, and I didn't listen to disharmonious music. And yet, only two hours a night of sleep. But it was OK, I didn't have to work or commute. But then the long weekend ended and I still wasn't sleeping. Do you know how many "The Cat Who..." books Lillian Jackson Braun wrote? Well I do, because I read every damn one of them whiling away the time, trying to fall asleep. 28. There are 28 books in "The Cat Who..." mystery series featuring former journalist James Qwilleran and his cats Yum Yum and Koko. After college I worked at Border's stocking mystery books, among which were "The Cat Who" books. Gawd, By the end of my tenure there, I loathed those books, but 25 years later? An effing life saver. Reading is how I have always helped myself fall asleep. and I finally managed to start sleeping well around the end of December, thank to Lilliam Jackson Braun, James Qwilleran, and marijuana. Then... March 2020. All bets were off. Stress. Anxiety. I went back on the sleep meds. Now , a year later I am once again weening myself off of them. This year's late night reads? The Montague and Strong Case Files series by Orlando Sanchez. Great literature? Nope. But, God love him there are 12 books in the series all available through Kindle Unlimited, and they are thoroughly readable and enjoyable. So I spend my nights with Monty and Simon (as they are known), and am beginning to see the sleep at the end of the perpetual wakefulness tunnel.
5 Comments
Sue Blott
4/2/2021 12:36:57 pm
Sleep and our need for it and how it changes through our lives is really quite fascinating and I was interested yet dismayed to read your torturous journey. My heart goes out to you--a difficult cycle. I work midnights so my sleeping patterns are messed up, too. I love your sense of humour about it. Take care. <3
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Estelle
4/2/2021 12:53:07 pm
Insomnia is a bitch, and I love how you take care of the hours by reading and choosing a long series. I have had so many people tell me what to do to get to sleep, but yes, all BS. I write, I read and I think. Some nights I take my sleeping tablets just to catch up a bit, then it is back to minimal hours again.
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Ann Lally
4/19/2021 05:50:30 pm
I do the same thing with sleeping tablets! Sometimes I just feel pushed to the brink and have to do something.
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Ann Lally
4/19/2021 05:52:06 pm
Thank you. Cutting out all caffeine, including chocolate :( , has helped.
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AuthorHi. My name is Ann Lally and I'm a 25 year practicing intuitive. I help people deepen their relationships with their animals. Archives
April 2021
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