Sleepless in Steel City
Insomnia Has Taken Over My Life….Send Help!
Ya’ll.
Where has the motivation gone? Three weeks into the new year and I’ve seemed to hit a wall.
To be honest, I blame a lot of it on the new found insomnia that has crept its way into my daily routine and shows no signs of fucking off in the near future. So let’s talk about that.
For those who don’t know or are fortunate enough to have never struggled with it (which, what? I don’t believe you ya liar,) insomnia is a sleep disorder where you have trouble falling or staying asleep. Occasionally, insomnia gets romanticized as the price creatives pay to create masterpieces while some companies like Insomnia Cookies like to make it sound cute cause they can deliver cookies until 3am. It’s not cute. It sucks. And if I’m up at 3am I might as well make my own damn cookies.
Both sides of insomnia are their own special hell for sure. Who hasn’t had nights where they just can’t get their minds to shut off or they’re too excited/nervous about the next day’s big event? But eventually the body succumbs and sleep arrives, no matter how late.
Not staying asleep though, that is a beast all it’s own. The real trouble with insomnia that doesn’t let you stay asleep is that it lulls you into the false security that you’re about to get a decent night’s rest. You snuggle in, nice and cozy, zonk out for 2-3 hours then bam! You’re up at 4:30 in the morning, bright eyed and irritated that you have 5 hours left until your alarm but here you are staring at the ceiling listening to the restful snore of your husband while you contemplate how your life has become this sleepless hell! Just me? Oh okay cool.
Personally, my sleep schedule has always been a wreck. My internal clock tends to run late so when not kept in check I will easily stay up all night and then sleep late into the afternoon. When I have to rebalance my sleep schedule because of a new day job or an early appointment it’s usually not that big of a deal, a couple tired days then it all works out, but this time my body has rejected every attempt at normalcy and I’m at a loss for what to try next.
So, my lovely readers, I’m asking for your help!
What are the techniques, products, or routines you turn to when battling insomnia? I’m open to anything here. Weird, complex, medicinal, meditation…whatever it is I wanna know about it. Leave your suggestions in the comments below or email me at JodiLMatovich@gmail.com. I’ll choose a few to try and let you know how they worked out in a future post!
Please, help ya girl get to sleep!
In the meantime, if you need me, I’ll be up at 4am, baking cookies and churning out the award winning essays cause that’s what insomnia is for, right?