this is my dream in life
this is my reality (from Laughingsquid.com)
I’m a chronic insomniac (read more here and here.) I have a reeeeeeally hard time falling asleep. I have an even harder time staying asleep. I’m also an extremely light sleeper. A squeaky door hinge or the thump of a cat jumping on the counter (because he’s bad) will wake me up.
Because of this, I have developed an elaborate nighttime routine which involves:
Nitey Nite Spray
Sleepy Time Tea
The iPhone app version of a sleep machine.
I must have a fan blowing at the highest setting but NOT on me. The window must be open a crack, even in the middle of the Canadian winter. My Hello Kitty blanket has to be within reach (in case I get cold from the window being open.) I use lavender pillow spray when I’m not out of it (which I currently am and it’s driving me craaaaaaaazy.) I take both melatonin pills and valerian pills. I banish Fiancé to the couch. The lights must be turned off for at least an hour before bed and my laptop brightness has to be at the lowest possible setting. Then I meditate for half an hour to an hour with “deep relaxation” or “deep sleep” guided meditations.
This happens every night.
I still don’t sleep all that well.
So, because you’re so smart, I thought I’d ask you for your opinion on sleep aids. What works? What doesn’t? What should I eat? What should I drink? Who should I sleep with?
Here are some things I’d like to try:
An awesome sleep mask and fancy earplugs, a la Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s:
This bird tweet alarm clock (available here):
What else should I try? Sometimes I do yoga. I try to get outside everyday too, because fresh air is supposed to help you sleep.
Any advice????
Hey you,
I, too, suffer from insomnia and interrupted sleep on a regular basis. I actually find there’s nothing more soothing to fall asleep with than a cat curled up on me. One of my two cats will sometimes curl up on my belly/chest and we’ll pass out together that way, with me feeling his or her purring, my hand resting against/on them. My boy-cat doesn’t like to stay too long, but if my girl-cat manages to climb up (she’s 17!!), she and I will pass out like that for hours — she especially loves the blanket being pulled over over both of us.
I also have a fan on high, though I need it blowing on me, even if this means bundling up in a million blankets. I have to have the window open (or the a/c on in the summer). I use a sleep mask as well. I used to take valerian root pills, but stopped. I found that sometimes a nice hot cup of herbal tea is soothing enough to make me sleepy. Sometimes a really hot shower before bed works (hot enough that the bathroom steams up). It’s important to get into a perfectly comfortable position and that your pillow is good — I am in dire need of a new one. Mine is lumpy and out of shape.
And the other thing I do is listen to a thunderstorm album on my ipad before bed if I’m having a lot of trouble falling asleep. I put it on in the background and pop out of the music app, then load up an app called Better Clock. It has a “sleep” feature. So if you hit the “sleep” button while the thunderstorms track is playing, it will play for about 30 minutes, fading out at the end. (I think you can change that duration.) Though, this is probably similar to your sleep machine app. I also have a white noise app which I sometimes use that has a fader on it too.
Ultimately, if I’m having a really bad time of it, I sometimes take naps after work, to help make up for the fact that I’m not going to sleep much later.
I also limit how close to bed I eat if I’m having problems, as I find I have issues if food seems to be weighing me down, so to speak. This doesn’t always happen, but I do _try_. And I try not to drink too much before bed so there’s no midnight (or 4am) stumbles to the loo.
I’m sure all of this isn’t anything you haven’t already heard, but I hope some of it helps.
Cheers,
Kelly