As I begin to write this, it's 4:45 a.m. on March 7, 2021 (a Sunday morning). I slept 6 hours before I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and I haven't succeeded in falling back asleep. But I am super thankful!! Why? Because Fri night-Sat morning I only slept TWO hours, with lots of hours of wakefulness around those two hours.
I should really know better by now.
Friday afternoon I was catching up with a friend from Uganda here in Siloam Springs, AR--we went to one of the local coffee shops in town at about 2:30 pm, and both ordered hot cocoas because it was rainy & coldish. I took one sip of my hot chocolate and was like "they put coffee in this!!?"
What I SHOULD have done was gone back in and asked for a new hot cocoa. But because I don't like causing problems, I instead drank it, coffee and all, knowing it would probably give me trouble sleeping. Foolish child that I am ;)
And, sure enough - even though I took a sleeping pill when I got back to the place where I was staying around 10:30 pm, I could NOT fall asleep for a long time. I called my insomnia buddy, a night owl who is actually the reason I came to visit Siloam this weekend (I surprised her for her birthday :) ), and we talked for a while.
I tell you this whole story because this is now part of my life at times. Has been for three years now. Usually, from what I have observed, it is a combination of irresponsible caffeine intake and circumstances that make me want to mull over and think about them. I had both this time around!
I'm learning not to be afraid of a couple nights of insomnia. Sure, it makes it a little harder to function the following day or two, but it's more of an inconvenience now than a make-it-or-break-it issue to my wellbeing. And I'm thankful to God that I've learned tools on how to cope with insomnia.
This is a little out of character for me/this blog, but here's some practical tips about how I handle things when I can't sleep well. NOTE: I am not a doctor of any sort, so this is just what I've learned over the past three years - not a professional medical opinion!!!!
1. Have a routine. I definitely have an evening/bedtime routine. That doesn't happen the same time every night, but it helps me know it's time to sleep.
2. Know your temperature. I love love love sleeping under the covers, which means in the summer or on warmer spring/fall nights, I turn my ceiling fan on so that I can still comfortably do so.
3. Have positive triggers. I know that if I don't fall asleep in 15-20 minutes that I need to a) take my prescription sleeping medication that I keep on hand for 'as needed' and b) turn on my special cassette tape. {Yes, I still have a cassette tape and player. Kindly don't judge me for that!!} I've had this tape ever since I was in elementary school, I think. It's soothing, calm music that helps trigger the "go to sleep" part of my brain. I think it also gives my brain something to think about or at least follow along with other than whatever thoughts are swirling in my brain. It's about 35-40 minutes a side, I think. And yes, I have bought the CD of the same music, I've just never ripped it. I should really do that and put it on my phone for when I am traveling!!!
4. Keep a backup plan. For me, if the tape ends before I fall asleep, it's usually time to get up and do something. This is important!! When I suddenly had drastic insomnia in Uganda three years ago, I didn't know about this. I lay in bed all night, tossing and turning and never got up and redirected my mental energy. Now I know that writing in my journal, or blogging on here, sometimes helps to settle my thoughts.
5. Talk to friends. This one could be controversial, because of the light from the phone/computer factor. I've read articles that those light sources are bad for your sleep hygiene. But usually, if I've done all the above things, it's somewhat of a lost cause anyway ... so then it's a matter of coping with the lonely night hours. I'm thankful for my fellow insomniac/night owl friends with whom I can talk on the phone or chat with on Facebook. I'm also super grateful for WhatsApp and my international friends who are sometimes awake and available when I should be sleeping!!
6. Keep trying. In between all these things to fill the time, try sleeping again. But don't lay there for more than half an hour - if you're not falling asleep, get up and try something else.
7. Give yourself grace. Lots of grace. If you work with what you've got, try all the right things, and still don't sleep? So be it. Another important thing for me has been having groups of friends who I can ask to pray for me. I did that on Saturday, after a mostly sleeplessness night, when I was scheduled to see seven different people during the day. I texted three of my group chats, asking them to pray for grace & strength. They did, and God answered!!! I thoroughly enjoyed my day, even though I was exhausted by the end of it.
And now that I've had some time writing, it's time to close the laptop and try to sleep again. We shall see if it works!! :)
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