I've pretty much been an insomniac my whole life. I think it was a good way of God to train me for motherhood. I go to bed around 2-3 am every day and wake up around 7 am when my son starts pulling my arm. Getting up is a whole 'nother story though. When J's home, he's kind enough to let me sleep in (which I absolutely and truly appreciate!). He started letting me sleep in just a few weeks ago when I got sick after coming home from our cruise. I should get sick more often! LOL.I am so glad that J has been letting me sleep in a few days a week 'cause I seriously don't know how bad life would be for the family right now if he hadn't. I have been stressing out about so many things (certain people in my life, the election, economy, money, etc) that I just can't relax! I lay awake every night praying to God just to help me be semi-functional the next day, to help me be a better mom and for world peace (amongst other things ofcourse). For some reason, being a "good" mom has been on the back of my mind a lot lately and it has been causing me a great deal of stress. We'll just save that thought for another sleepless night...
I get about 4-5 hours of sleep each night and this has been going on for many years. It's amazing how well I can function on just that alone (WITHOUT coffee, mind you). But on some days, I just don't function well at all and just veg on the couch & let the kids run amuck. I think I'm just getting old. Getting old sucks! Not only is it taking longer to lose the last 10 lbs, but I actually feel like I need sleep. So weird, thought I'd never ever say that. Being a good mom really depends on how much beauty sleep I get. It's just even more amazing that when these kids were little babies, I functioned on less than 2 hrs of sleep every day and somehow got out to go to playgroups and exposed myself to society (even when I didn't take a shower for 3 days...yikes!). It's quite fascinating what love for your children can make you do!
Did you know that studies show that people should get 8-9 hrs of sleep per night to be able to lead healthy lives? Are you kidding? 8 hrs of sleep?! WHAT is that? I remember getting 8 hrs of sleep once upon a time when I would get hungover...and man, those days are loooong gone. Well, I do have those occasional hangovers that occur oh so rarely. The ones that you wake up with and say "Gosh, I do not miss this feeling!" But still, I don't get 8 hrs of sleep on those kind of nights. The luxury of "normal" (single & kid-less) people!!
How I wish I could be part of those insomniac studies. I really want to know how badly I need sleep. I mean, my brain says I need it, my body says I need it and my conscience says I desperately should have it...but how come I can't get it? I mean, is drinking a glass of warm milk really the solution? Meditation? Sleeping pills? Isn't there some kind of device that can stop you from thinking period so that I can get some much needed Zzz's? Oh wait, that's called a TV! (and no, I refuse to believe that is the cure!)
2 comments:
Here's a trick (I'm a night thinker, too - it drives my husband nuts, cause then I become a nighttime discusser, too...). Instead of laying there thinking about all the stuff that stinks and that you're worried about (cause really, you can't do anything about it while you're in bed anyway)...make a list in your mind of all the things you're grateful for. MAKE yourself stick to the task at hand, don't let your mind wander - seriously, it works! It helps me relax and fall asleep in a less agitated state.
That's so funny 'cause just the other day I was totally stressed out and I kept J up until 4 am talking about everything that was bugging me. He was such a trooper, even knowing we had to be somewhere early that day!
I used to have a journal by my bed so I can write everything down when I couldn't sleep. Then I had to take that away 'cause I would write and write until the sun came out!
I do try to remind myself how truly blessed we are and that all the stresses in the world don't matter in the end. It's so difficult to prevent my mind from wandering though. It's so automatic, I don't even know it's happening half the time! :)
Post a Comment