Sleepless in Insomnia

That title won't make a whole heck of a lot of sense to you unless you have seen the movie, "Sleepless in Seattle." One tries to ultimately come up with some witty, eye-catching blog title, however, as this particular title might suggest, lack of sleep is not always conducive to quick-witted titling.

It is inevitable that sleepless nights will visit every home on occasion. Some house calls are more frequent to a select few addresses. Mine, incidentally, is one of those addresses. Oddly enough, my sleepless address is migratory. Insomnia haunts me all too often, no matter where I lay my head at night.

How one spends his or her waking hours during these sometimes difficult times varies as much as how the same person may spend his or her leisure time. What is appealing for one, may certainly be as equally unappealing to another.

For instance, it is not my chosen preference to spend my leisure time exercising as it is for my sister, Bobbi. (Do not misunderstand....it SHOULD be, it just isn't.) Her choice for pastime activities have served her (and a great many she has inspired to emulate her) very well.

And, like Bobbi, there are multitudes of fit folks who, when they find themselves visited by the Insomnia Fairy, frequent either their home gym or a local 24-hour fitness center. That, by the way, is why they look the way they do, and I look the way I do!

I, on the other hand, am a charter member of the Eating Insomniacs, Not-so-Anonymous. Obesity is not a condition, shall we say, that cannot remain anonymous. I wish. There is an enormous (pardon the pun) population who "treat" insomnia with pleasing the palate.

While there are a numbered few foods and beverages which contain tryptophan, a sleep-producing natural chemical, Hostess cupcakes and Ding Dongs with a side order of Little Debbie snack cakes are not among them, sadly, I might add.....

How one spends the undesired sleepless hours of his/her life may also be heavily influenced by family dynamics or structure. In other words, if the insomniac lives alone, the activity choices differ greatly from another who lives with a spouse and/or children.

A "singleton" is free to stomp about the house without the fear of waking someone who had been blessed with the wand of the Sand Man. Unlike someone living alone, the insomniac cohabiting with others may be less likely to feel free to spend the waking hours in a more "active" way. Again, I need not remind you that it is MUCH more quiet to sink one's teeth into a grilled cheese sandwich and slurp a side of cream of tomato soup than it is to run on a treadmill at 2 AM. And...I always try to be considerate of others........ Mmm Mmm good.........

Yes, there are other quiet activities in which one could participate, such as reading. However, more often than not, if there is a light turned on for reading, usually, it is the stove top light to make sure I am not being ripped off of fat grams--information gleaned from reading the label of the Pop Tart box. That IS reading, you know...

Sometimes, I think. You know, to perhaps concentrate on topic of interest, or rather disinterest, so boring it may produce a coma-like state. But, all too often, unpleasant subjects flood my mind exacerbating the initial problem of insomnia.

While it is an orthodox manner in which to tackle occasional sleeplessness, for the ADD afflicted subject, like myself, these sessions progresses much like this:

Ahhhh....my eyes are closed. I'm taking deep, relaxing breaths. (did my heart just skip a beat?)
Uh, oh yeah...
Deep, relaxing breaths.....
I picture myself on the white sandy beaches of Florida. (I went to Florida once. Terrible experience part of the time...)
Uh, oh yeah....
Deep breaths.....
White sandy beaches....the sound of distant ocean waves
audible......
(what are those shells that you can hear the ocean in? Yeah! Concha!) sigh.......
Yeah, yeah, sandy beaches, waves....(how'm I affording this vacation, anyway???)


So, you see how that process might not be particularly helpful in an effort to drift off to sleep.

And so...I lift my cup of warm milk in a toast to those of you blessed with the gift of REM... cheers to you all, and to all, a good night.....

A Little (more than) Off...............