This week began with some crazy sleep nights. Tossing from 2am and getting up just after 4am. Next night waking at midnight finally sleeping sometime after 3am. Not only do I hate when this happens. I fear that it will go on for days. I have gone through times where this will last for over a week. It is not pretty. The good news is that I slept last night. This morning the alarm went off, I did my usual two snoozes and the world was all well. I will confess: Tylenol pm!
What makes me not sleep? Why are there times when the brain will simply override my desire to slumber. How many people experience that night time conversation? The multiple personalities, the swirling thoughts, the ideas that visit and vanish with the next blink. What is that called that night time drama. It plays out in a million voices and tones.
To quiet myself I start my chanting, trying to repeat something that requires enough focus to shut down the noise. I generally use something like the doxology or lately I have spelled a word over and over again. Tuesday I slowly spelled and visualized each letter of the word Ribbon. It did not help.
The folks from the drug company that makes Rozerem has some tips for us: http://www.rozerem.com/en/about_sleep/healthy_sleep_tips/
I especially like that the bed if for sleep and intimacy only!
I found this interesting research paper http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1690
I liked this line the best:
" the longest a human has remained awake was eleven days rats that are continually deprived of sleep die within two to five weeks, generally due to their severely weakened immune system (10),(11), (12)."
Clearly I need to sleep more! good heavens is rat can die within two weeks I better keep my Tylenol pm going and risk liver malfunction.
After a bit of research I was unable to find why those voices talk to me so much when I cannot sleep. Why do I jump from my children,to work, to the Rotary, to my dog, to my house, to a paper I wrote ten years ago,to my husband, to what I will cook for dinner, to my bills, back to my children, oh and there is my mother. Seriously I need to do more research...how to stop my brain. I will leave with one last place that was somewhat helpful and was not one of the million drug company sites http://helpguide.org/life/insomnia_treatment.htm.
Here is to a good night sleep!
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When I have trouble falling asleep, most of the time I know what the cause is. The reasons all vary one is change eating and drinking habits, the second most common is work related - the days do not seem long enough to make plans and sort things out (this is when I do a mental check list). So work continues once my body is at rest. The last; like you is family issues - for the most part I have resolved this by leaving it to prayer.
ReplyDeleteOne method I have found useful is to listen to the beating of my heart, odd as it sounds it seems to work for me.
I'm guessing that with all that you have had to face recently, that this is no surprise. As silly as it sounds, warm milk does seem to work for me ... as does just trying to focus my mind on the color black ... yup, just think only of black & put all other things out of my mind.
ReplyDeleteHope this passes soon ... take care Deb ... be well.
F
The only significant menopausal effect I have experienced is occasional sleeplessness-I usually can get to sleep, but often wake up several times during the night. So I feel your pain!
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