Why is that as kids we fight sleep, and as adults we fight for it? Kids hate naps as toddlers, crying themselves to sleep (at least mine do) and the other youngsters do everything in their power to push bedtime later with every stall tactic imaginable. As a teenager, I remember staying up late to do the dumbest things, and curfew on weekends was something to be challenged at every opportunity. Now as an adult, I cherish every minute of quiet, dark bliss I can get. My wife would sleep double what she gets given even a chance.
So why is it I have such a hard time getting to sleep?
I want to sleep, I try to sleep, I just can’t fall asleep until the moment when I can barely keep my eyes open. Truthfully, I know why. I stress about things, and when I do, those things pass through my mind constantly until I can think of a solution. Then once I have a solution, I go over that solution repeatedly in my mind. I can’t turn it off, and until my brain just doesn’t have any more power to work on, it just keeps going.
So everyone has their suggestion, which of course works for them but rarely does a thing for me. Counting sheep is the old favorite, but that never did anything for me. Falling asleep with the TV on is not an option my wife would let me try, and when I have tried it in another room, I just stay awake engaged in what I am watching anyway. Ever heard the warm milk suggestion”¦blech!
What typically works for me is reading a good (read that brainless mystery) book for 30 minutes or so, which gets my mind off the matters of the day and slowing down so I can rest. Problem is always having a book I am interested in to read. I have read most everything of the authors I like, so it is always a quest to find a new author that is up to par.
Of course, for many years this situation worked wonders for me, giving me many more productive hours for my entrepreneurial ventures as I worked on the computer late into the night until I was practically dipping my head into the keyboard. I just don’t have the stamina for it anymore. I blame that on my kids. I still do tend to stay up late reading things on the computer, but my ability to be productive late at night is far less than in the past.
What makes it worse is if I don’t get to sleep quickly at night, I use that as an excuse to turn off my alarm and skip the gym the next morning. I need that gym time to get invigorated and to work on shedding the extra 20 lbs I have been trying to lose for some time.
Insomnia in my life just has to go. It sucks, no other way to put it. I need the ability to fall asleep on demand so I can wake up in the morning early to get my day going right. So do you have this problem, and if so, what do you do?