Anyone who knows me knows I love sleep. I think I cherish sleep because it is rare that I get a full night of restful, uninterrupted, dream-inducing, REM achieving sleep. This is evidenced by the plethora of sleep related products and therapies I own. I have 3 sleep masks, two different kinds of sleeping pills (one to help me fall asleep quickly, one to take if I wakeup in the middle of the night), aromatherapy sleep-inducing lotion and body wash, and CDs I bought to play if I ever have a song stuck in my head. There are various reasons that I need this many sleep products. My biggest interference is my own mind. I have an overwhelming amount of thoughts, ideas, and memories that are flowing through my consciousness at any given moment; it’s probably why I write so much. These thoughts are hard to quiet down unless I’m very tired. If I have a song in my head I may as well forget going to sleep until I can block out my inner DJ. These are times when sleeping pills and jazz music come in handy.
You might be wondering why I don’t just go to sleep when I’m tired, and wake up when I’m fully rested. That would be a dream come true, but because of my early work schedule, very impossible. For as long as I can remember I gave my body eight hours of sleep a night, even if it meant going to sleep before all my friends. This worked well for me before such responsibilities as living on your own, working two jobs, and traveling; not to mention a social life I like to keep active. At this point in my life I just try and get my body accustomed to a 6 or 7 hour night of sleep, even on weekends. I can’t change the amount of sleep I get each night by too much. If I’m tired the next day I can’t take a nap like most people. This is because I am prone to migraines and any changes in sleep schedule can mean a whole day of pain, light sensitivity and a lack of function. Do you understand how precious sleep is to me now?
As I type this I am sipping on a 20 oz. cup of coffee, because last night was a long night of tossing and turning. Caffeine has never been able to wake me up like it does for other people, but right now even the act of sipping is helping me stay awake. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll just go and find me a nice dark room somewhere to close my eyes for a few seconds. Good night!
posted by Wide Eyed @ 7:52 AM
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