Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Insomnia...


It has been a loooong time since I've been able to say this, thankfully - but now...I think I've got a touch of the insomnia!! It's been creeping up on me for maybe two weeks - one night here, one night there...at approximately 3 a.m. I wake up. And - I'm awake. Tired, but awake. And I can't get back to sleep. So, after lying in bed for awhile, trying to get back to sleep without thinking too hard about it, I get up because I know that I am not going to be successful this way - i.e. the whole 'trying not to think about going to sleep or about not going to sleep while being unable to sleep' thing. Ugh. So, I get up and come downstairs, and inevitably - end up on the computer. Funny thing about my insomnia (well, NOT funny, but you know what I mean...) is that I'm tired, but I can't sleep, but I'm too tired to do anything useful or productive, so although I'm no longer lying in bed, unable to sleep and frustrated, I'm lying on the couch, unable to sleep and frustrated. And, I already know that in the morning, and throughout the day, I will be tired and wanting to nap, and if given the opportunity, would be able to nap. So why can't I just 'nap' right now?! Argh!

This current bout of insomnia comes during an exciting/stressful/overwhelming/ time in our household, which may or may not be a factor in my sleeplessness. We have purchased our first home and have been packing/purging/preparing like maniacs for the big move, which officially happened this past Saturday. Another factor in my insomnia, which is also related to our big move, is that my handy dandy reading light that clips to my book and provides wonderful light for reading but doesn't disturb anybody else in a dark room in the middle of the night (i.e. my husband) has gone missing! While not in use, my clip-on light is clipped to the cord on my bedside lamp. What I should have done in preparation for moving is taken my clip-on light and stuck it in my purse for safekeeping/convenience. What I did do is wrap some packing tape around the lamp stand/cord/clip-on light so that it would all stay together and tidy for the movers. Problem is, when my bedside lamp arrived in our new house, my clip-on light did not! Ack! I don't know what happened to it, but it does not seem to have made the move after all. So now, one of my most sure-fire methods of getting myself back to sleep after having woken up in the middle of the night - reading - is no longer a convenient, easy, non-disturbing-to-husband, etc. option. So...now what?! I think I'll try giving the old-fashioned and traditional method of falling asleep (you know the one - lying down and closing eyes?) another try. Wish me luck!

1 comment:

Susan said...

Insomnia sucks, and you have my sympathy. I have been dealing with it for years. YES...STRESS is a HUGE FACTOR.
the main recommendation that was told to me, and it does help...more often then not. about 1 hour before you want to go to bed. Turn off the TV, step away from the computer, and do something quiet like reading, or needlework. The TV and the Monitor from the comp...give our brain MORE artificial light, making it think it is still early. I like to read IN BED with an itty bitty book lite.

I wish you sleep, rest, peace.
I also wish you and your family a smooth move and the best of many years in your new home!

Susan

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