Sleep Deprivation

Oddly, I never knew I had insomnia. For as long as I can remember, broken sleep was simply normal. I just assumed that everyone was the same. I felt like Richard Pryor’s blind character in Hear No Evil, See No Evil, dumbfounded by some startling news that everyone else knew, “you mean, I’m not white? . . . does Dad know?

Upon my girlfriend’s insistence that I should see someone about it (seeing her apparently didn’t count) over a week of extreme stress where I’d self-medicated to get some solid nights sleep, I ventured to my doctor to relay my symptoms: I can get to sleep just fine; after three or four hours I generally wake up; and will continue to wake-up intermittently for the rest of the night, and will be fully conscious when doing so. Not even five seconds went by until she said ‘yup, terminal insomnia.’ Other than airports and power-sockets, no good can come from anything labelled ‘terminal’. 

'Banging Tunes' don't help either

In this case it simply means that the last few hours of my sleep are disturbed. Not wanting any pills or medication, which my doctor assured me she would wouldn’t provide anyway, she recommended this site, espousing the imperative nature of sleep in our lives. Quite simply, sleep deprivation is pretty serious business. Every idiot knows it’s important, but the effects are staggering.  Here are the things I’ve changed to improve my sleep:

• Cut down on tea consumption and consume no caffeine at all past about 6pm. For those that say that there is more caffeine in tea than coffee, they’re right, pound for pound (leaves vs beans). However, there is twice as much caffeine in a cup of coffee than a cup of tea.
• I read before bed but don’t read in bed. Bed is for sleeping and canoodling only. My doctor insisted ONLY for sleeping, to which my wry smile only bought around a stony face
• I have the room as dark as possible at night-time, no lights of any kind
• Headed back to the gym to ensure that on at least two nights of the week I’m suitably knackered
• I also stress a lot less when knowing that I need sleep: if I’m awake for longer than ten or twenty minutes in bed (no clock watching, just feeling the time) I get up and start my day. By the end of that day, I’m usually incredibly tired. Have these changes made me sleep more? Erm, don’t know.

​I can’t say all of the above is ameliorative, but it’s an on-going experiment. Any suggestions of course would be more than welcome! Oh, and I’ve also started Marcus Aurelias’ Meditations, which has my mind dozing off after barely a paragraph. Maybe he’s the secret!

Image references: https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/12/why-insomnia-happens-and-what-you-can-do-to-get-better-sleep/
​https://www.cumbriapartnership.nhs.uk/news/new-service-available-in-cumbria-to-tackle-insomnia