If you've ever been a victim of insomnia you know how difficult it is to greet the day with energy. Stress, diet, exercise, apnea, narcolepsy, loud neighbors, caffeine, a barking dog – there are dozens of reasons why sleeping can be difficult. One of the most insidious is the inner monologue.
We've all had it happen. We're just about to doze off and suddenly we think, "That bill is due in two days. I've got to pay it. Now? No, when I wake up is fine. Will I forget? I might forget. That would be disastrous. I need to write a sticky and put it somewhere I'll see it. Where are my stickies? Are they in the drawer or... wish I had some nachos. I should write a sticky to remind myself to get some nachos next time I'm – the bill. Right. Need to write a reminder about..." and soon you turn on the light, find the stickies and plaster a note on your computer to pay the bill. Now you're awake and craving nachos.
When I don't get enough sleep I drag around, eyes at half-mast, dreaming of a nap. That was me today. In fact, right in the middle of writing this, I dozed off. Says a lot for the excitement of my prose.
In truth, it has to do with one of my frequent, albeit dreaded, schedule shifts. My natural inclination is to sleep in the day and work at night. However, I can't seem to live a 24 hour day. Mine is always a bit longer. This means my sleep schedule tends to creep up, happening a little later each day. Because I'm also prone to insomnia, I'll sometimes add a number of extra hours at the end of the day. So if I had been going to sleep at 4am, I'll suddenly be up until 8am.
I hate sleeping through the entire working day because it's so tough to get anything done. You can't run errands, make phone calls, or any of the other things we all take for granted. So what I do when this happens is deliberately push my schedule, staying awake longer and longer until it's a "normal person's" schedule. That lasts about a day or two, but at least I can run some errands.
And now, off to pay some bills and get the ingredients for nachos.
5 comments:
I keep a light up pen and a post it pad next to the bed. Glad this isn't just me.
I'm constantly going over my budget. Lately there's no point in going to bed at all.
I told myself when DH's hospital bill came in the mail I wouldn't tell him about it, but then I did. I guess I needed to make sure he was as stressed as I was. That helps. Two people lying in the same bed not sleeping?
You've got a budget? That implies finances of some sort. Currently, I've got a change jar, but that's about it.
And yup, keep pen and paper at hand at all times. I've gotten good at scrawling notes in the dark.
Mmmmm, nachos.
My method of getting to sleep involves mind dumping . . . writing down everything I have to do tomorrow and also writing down all my worries, so I, God forbid, don't forget them upon awakening.
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