Ode To Insomnia

Insomnia– that oh so lovely insomnia. Whether you are up until the middle of the night, wee hours of the morning, or just plain all night you will have company somewhere out there in the dark. I struggle with insomnia quite a bit even though I follow all the “rules” to get a better night sleep. The things that have helped me so far include fast dissolve 5mg Melatonin, not doing computer work in the evening, and avoiding caffeine. Exercising helps if I do it in the morning and hit that sweet spot of not enough versus too much.

There are times when I am standing in the middle of the living room with all the lights off in the dark just wondering what the heck and wanting nothing more than to be in my bed cozy. Many a book has been finished by flashlight during these episodes and I get my “alone time” this way- haha!

For many of us, insomnia is a matter of quieting the brain chatter and monologue. I found this particularly true when my kids were small and we were busy every second of the day. It seems that moms with littles don’t have much quiet time to even let themselves think sometimes.

Now that my kids are teens, I have more time in the day to have a conversation in my own brain but maybe as moms we continue the pattern for awhile. For some, it’s a matter of quieting the brain with a soothing activity. If you are looking for a brain soothing activity, our Ponder Moment series is a good place to start. Taking rest in Him and accepting His peace that He’s got this and you can rest your mind for the night.

Hormone disruption can play a big part of insomnia. My teens swing from sleeping like logs to not being able to sleep like a pendulum. I myself am not immune to hormone disruptions and have accepted this as one of the main reasons I struggle to sleep. The vitamins that I take include a few items to help with this so that may be why they help (when I remember to take them!). 7:00pm tired as a dog…. 9pm a lightbulb goes on and I am disturbingly awake.

Considering that we have been in a dome of heat from hell this summer and the air is full of forest fire smoke– well, yep… there it that, too. Do they make whole blankets out of the those neck wrap coolers? Maybe that would be the next big seller on Amazon for all those regions sitting on an oven burner that someone forgot to turn off. And nope, those “cooling” gel mattress covers just make a puddle of unbreathable sweat and not for me. Hopefully they are working for you.

For those that are awake tonight, here is my ode to you so you know that you are not alone… awake…..again.

Ode To Insomnia

Night has settled wth pleasant breeze.

Tired legs stretch out at long last,

The peace of stillness envelopes.

Alas, the thoughts begin to flit

To and fro, to and fro

Like a wild animal:

Lists, memories, questions, worries–

Thought upon thought…

–SIGH–

I rise and steal from the room

Alone in the dark

With my city of thoughts–

Reaching for a pen to still the mind,

Thoughts flow as a swift stream through my arm

Draining out all it’s frenetic energy,

Doubts, excitement.

It’s nervousness flowing out through the tip of a pen.

Oh, sweet calm at last!

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Are you awake? Let me know what works for you to get you to sleep;) If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in these: