After three lousy nights in a row, I had three good sleeps in a row, which is almost unheard of. Of course, I’m looking back thinking, what made the difference? The first night is easily explained, first by having had three lousy nights, as I said, culminating in a 3 hr 30 minute night, then by having taken a pill (an anti-anxiety medication called Clonazepam) , which is a sure-fire way to get to sleep, for me, at least. Night two I had a few drinks and took a CBD oil pill, so I don’t know whether it was the booze or the pill. The third night, same. Tonight is the test. Am I going to sleep? I will take the CBD pill again, but I had only one beer and I don’t plan to drink any more. (Update: I ended up having a broken-up night, but managed to get almost 7 hours overall, so not bad!)
Insomnia is such a frustrating affliction. There are many theories out there, and so many solutions, provided by so many different experts, both self-proclaimed and certified. My sister gave me a book called “Sink Into Sleep”. I read the first part and thought, okay, this makes some sense, I’ll give it a try. The first night I followed the directions I didn’t get one wink of sleep. I was on vacation at the time, so it wasn’t the end of the world, but it totally discouraged me. I decided to put it off until I had some time without visitors (our son and his now-wife were here at the time) and no work, to try it again. Well, I’ve been putting it off for a year, for fear that I would have another “nuit blanche”, as the French call it. My insomnia isn’t so bad that I go completely sleepless very often; maybe once or twice a year, tops, but it’s the worst, so I’ve hesitated to try it again.
I can function well on 6 hours sleep, but less than that, I really feel it. I have no energy, I’m very emotional and grumpy, I’m liable to eat for comfort, etc.. Which reminds me, they say as you get older you need less sleep and fewer calories because your body becomes more efficient. It sounds like a spin doctor put that sentence together. “Your body is more efficient! You hardly have to sleep or eat at all!!” As I get older, I still love to eat and sleep, so I don’t see how this is a positive. It just means I eat too much and sleep too little, so I’m fat and grumpy. Ah, well…
I’ve already written about this topic a few times, but I’ll mention again the few habits I’ve been warned about time and time again, which I still succumb to, because I’m a poor, weak creature.
- Don’t do anything in bed except sleep and have sex.
- Avoid your devices a couple of hours prior to bedtime.
- Don’t drink too much
- If, after thirty minutes of lying there, you haven’t fallen asleep, get up and do something else. Don’t go to bed again until you’re SLEEPY.
N0. 4 was what that book told me to do, and I faithfully did….all night. Never slept. For me, that’s the hardest one. I can usually manage No. 1 for at least a few nights in a row, but getting up in the middle of the night and doing dishes or folding laundry (helpfully suggested by the book) I rarely get myself to do. I’ve done it a few times, but the vast majority of the time I just lie there, trying not to think and hoping for sleep, or listening to a sleep story. I’m too tired to do anything!! Tired, but not sleepy, apparently.
I’ve also experimented lately with taking THC/CBD pills to help me sleep. It hasn’t been a ringing success, though for awhile the dose I took seemed to help, then it didn’t. The last time I tried just THC in pill form it backfired big time. I couldn’t sleep until 6 a.m.. I get these weird side effects from the THC, which entail hearing noises as I’m on the edge of sleep that make me start awake. Sometimes I imagine that Buster is barking, so I look over but he’s fast asleep. So, that’s not ideal. I also don’t feel particularly refreshed the next day. Clonazepam is awesome, but it’s addictive and eventually stops working so well, so I take it sparingly. Anyway, my doctor hates prescribing it to me, so I have no choice but to make a few meagre pills last a long time. I’ve tried CBD-only gel caps and at first they seemed to have no consistent affect, but the last few nights I’ve taken it with some success. Coincidence? Maybe. Who knows?? Like I said, insomnia is a frustrating affliction. Everyone has advice and nobody has the answer.
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