Insomnia. One of those nights where you just can’t sleep, no matter how hard you try or want to drop off into dreamland. Or maybe it’s those times when you start off getting to sleep right away, only to wake up in the middle of the night, and just lay there in bed.
For the most part I usually don’t have trouble sleeping. In thinking about it, when I do have trouble it’s usually due to some stress related instance.
Way too much mental drama at work. Slipping into a spell of depression, which also doesn’t occur very much for me. I guess I’m more of a carrier, than someone who experiences it, but that’s a whole other story.
Overcoming Sleep Apnea
For a while, sleeplessness was because of increasing apnea. Sleep time was often erratic, usually in waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep again. Due to the apnea, it also caused excessive snoring (which my wife can attest). It also caused a lot of irritation in my sinuses and throat. Being connected to a sleep study, and the use of the CPAP machine has helped a great deal in this area.
The Blindness Factor and Circadian Rhythms
There’s also an interesting condition related to blindness. It’s when your normal circadian rhythm is interrupted. To keep that rhythm and balance, it relies that a person sees daylight. When a person becomes totally blind, it’s easy to have your circadian rhythm slip a little bit. Before long your daytime and nighttime alertness becomes reversed. You begin to sleep more in the day, and find yourself awake at night. There’s two ways I’ve found to minimize this. One is with a medication that is extremely expensive. The other method is the way that works best for me. I set an alarm on my phone. And force myself to get out of bed whether I want to or not. Most of the time I’m already awake long before my alarm goes off. But sometimes I’m not. Doing this one little trick helps me to keep my daytime and nighttime hours sorted out.
For those other times, when sleep just seems evasive, sometimes there’s nothing to do about it. Maybe I’ll read a book (audiobook of course). Maybe I’ll listen to podcasts endlessly. Maybe the voices will tell me to sleep, or maybe they won’t.
Maybe I’ll get up, and turn my computer on. As long as I’m up, I might as well work on my website. It always needs work.
On the few times where the sleepless night is caused by some sort of depression, stress at work, some medication that I’m on, stress with a relationship, or something in that vein. There’s not a lot to do about it. I actually did stop taking that medication that was giving me trouble, and the sleepless nights weren’t a problem anymore. It also helped with a few of those personal relationships. The side effects were not worth the cure it was allegedly helping me with.
When the problem seems to be relationships or other sources of stress, you might think I would suggest prayer. Although it is not a bad idea, it may or may not help with sleep. It might just lead to an all-night solo prayer meeting. It could bring some mental clarity to resolve some of those personal issues, but the sleepless night in prayer can still not fix the sleep problem.
Then there was the time it involved a work-related stress. After three years of torture in the environment, the only cure was to find another job. End of problem.
My Strict No-Nap Policy
Losing sleep at night has the unfortunate effect of being sleepy all day.
I find that if I cave into that desire to nap during the day, it only keeps the cycle of sleepless nights going. When that happens, I make every effort to stay physically active. Walking, taking steps, avoiding the temptation to snuggle into that cozy recliner. If I am going to sit, I find something that requires stimulating mental activity. Working through a puzzle book, working at the computer. Reading a book with the intention of doing some study. When it inevitably causes eyelids to droop, it’s time to switch to another activity. Shut down the computer, and switch to that crossword puzzle. When that one causes concentration to drift, find something else that I can do to keep my mind active. Maybe even turn that computer back on to play a mind engaging game. The bottom line is to push through it.
I set a goal. No naps allowed. Wait until after dinner, even if I don’t push all the way through the evening to my usual bedtime, at least sit down in that comfy, cozy chair and watch TV for as long as I’m able. Find something enjoyable on TV that I can mentally engage with, until I can’t, then move on into the bedroom for a good night’s sleep.
And now for something a little different:
I embedded a media player with a little mood music. I hope you like it. Let me know in the comments.
