Insomnia
I have always been a tremendously light sleeper. Seriously, a mosquito buzzing can wake me up (and ruin a night's sleep for me.) One reason my kids are such good sleepers, I've always thought, was because when they were little, it didn't bother me a bit to get up with them at night. I was totally relaxed over the sleeping thing, and I am almost the only one of my friends who never had to Ferberize. (Don't hate me, because I more than made up for it in my complete and utter anxiety/stupidity regarding introducing the kids to food.)
The problem is that everyone in my house now sleeps through the night except for me.
LAST night, the night went something like this:
11:30 I turn out the light (I'd had an espresso earlier in the day.)
12:49 My old dog Sydney is, you can't make this stuff up, barking in her sleep. I hobble down the stairs and pat her down.
1:15 I turn on the light and read a little bit to help myself fall asleep.
1:53 I look at the clock for the last time before falling asleep.
3:38 Jane appears by my bedside. She has had a bad dream. Naturally, she's the child who has inherited my sleep patterns so it takes her at least 45 minutes to fall back to sleep, during which she tells me a very complicated story which I can't remember now.
5:03 The last time I look at the clock.
6:37 The garbage truck comes a'callin'. Nanny nanny boo boo, I'm totally ready for you guys! Big raspberry from up here on the second floor...
Where I am wide awake, thank you.
I get up and head downstairs to make some more espresso. I'm going to need it.
I wish I could tell you that this is an odd night for me but it's more normal than abnormal. And on the nights when no one is barking in her sleep, or having bad dreams or driving a huge freaking truck with shrieking brakes down my street (not that I'm bitter), I still get up at least once and wander through the house and maybe do a little reading.
But hey, there is only a 20% chance of rain in the forecast for today and after the kids leave for camp (yessss)and I do an abs tape and ride on my trainer (!) for a little while, I can take a nap.
And if it DOES rain, we can all go to Mexico without packing, simply by using the bags under my eyes.
The problem is that everyone in my house now sleeps through the night except for me.
LAST night, the night went something like this:
11:30 I turn out the light (I'd had an espresso earlier in the day.)
12:49 My old dog Sydney is, you can't make this stuff up, barking in her sleep. I hobble down the stairs and pat her down.
1:15 I turn on the light and read a little bit to help myself fall asleep.
1:53 I look at the clock for the last time before falling asleep.
3:38 Jane appears by my bedside. She has had a bad dream. Naturally, she's the child who has inherited my sleep patterns so it takes her at least 45 minutes to fall back to sleep, during which she tells me a very complicated story which I can't remember now.
5:03 The last time I look at the clock.
6:37 The garbage truck comes a'callin'. Nanny nanny boo boo, I'm totally ready for you guys! Big raspberry from up here on the second floor...
Where I am wide awake, thank you.
I get up and head downstairs to make some more espresso. I'm going to need it.
I wish I could tell you that this is an odd night for me but it's more normal than abnormal. And on the nights when no one is barking in her sleep, or having bad dreams or driving a huge freaking truck with shrieking brakes down my street (not that I'm bitter), I still get up at least once and wander through the house and maybe do a little reading.
But hey, there is only a 20% chance of rain in the forecast for today and after the kids leave for camp (yessss)and I do an abs tape and ride on my trainer (!) for a little while, I can take a nap.
And if it DOES rain, we can all go to Mexico without packing, simply by using the bags under my eyes.
Comments
One of my all time biggest wishes is that I could magically begin sleeping through the night. Everybody would be so much happier.
Have an extra espresso for me.
Maybe we should start an Austin insomniacs club.
…when I started having trouble sleeping, I found that I had to decaffinate myself so I now have decaf latte in the morning. And that vitamin B complex so wired me that I only use it when I need to get a lot done [I'm, as they say, built for comfort not for speed, so my usual way to go about things is languidly].
Anyway, here's her site if you care to see: http://www.mariachirosasdivinas.com/TunguskaBlast.htm
I will definitely check out the herbal/all natural remedy. I took Melatonin for a while and every single time I dreamed that one of my children died. My dreams were so vivid that even if I slept through the night, I would wake up spent and sweaty. My husband takes it with no problem, though.
But, um, I'm not sure I can decaffinate myself without checking into a 12-step program somewhere... Can you imagine the fall-out?
On my 'fridge, I have a New Yorker cartoon that shows these two soldiers hiding behind a bunker while in the distance you can see things blowing up, etc. The caption says, "I've never seen Mom this angry before." It'd be like that, I'm afraid.
--Barb
I'm with ya on the melatonin, Barb. It gave me gusher nosebleeds (that kept me up anyway, so what's the point of taking it?) It's to the point now where I can tell what time it is without looking at the clock....the hour between 3:00-4:00 am is verrrry quiet.
I think cutting out alcohol completely would probably help a lot, but - perish the thought! Love the NY'er cartoon image. Happy napping!