Insomnia

Posted on by Miriam

Overthinking
tossing and turning
wheels of life engage.
Lying still, breathing fast
like a sparrow in a cage.

Trapped
tight and wired
mind prepares to fall.
Worries and second guesses
are no stranger here at all.

Restless
legs and body twitching
turning left and right.
Trying to find comfort
in the blackness of the night.

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Searching
grappling and seeking
answers to life’s quest.
Will angels help to guide
and lead her to some rest.

Drifting
falling slowly
waves of tiredness descend.
Finally finding solace
in a night of no end.

Peace
comes at last
and dreams fire her soul.
On waking early morning
new hopes and goals take hold.

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Don’t you wish our mind had an on/off switch at bed time?  I know I do.

Why is it that when my hubby’s head hits the pillow he’s off like a light?  But not me. I lie wide awake with a million thoughts going through my mind and the events of the day whirling. And when I finally get to sleep, wham, I wake up at 3am, as though by clockwork.

minions-insomnia

I love my bed but some nights it feels like a a freight train’s coming through. I’ve even had panic attacks in bed though thankfully these are happening less often now.  I’m learning to chill and trying new tactics to get myself into sleep mode. Things like …

  1. Switching off the devices at least an hour before bedtime. Well, I’m trying. I always told my teenage son to do, now I need to take my own advice.
  2. Meditating. I often struggle alone so now I’m trying guided meditations.
  3. A cup of my favorite Green and Pomegranate or mint tea works wonders.
  4. Patting the dog. Harry loves it and everyone knows the benefits of a good stroking.
  5. Playing my guitar, especially a nice relaxing Simon and Garfunkel tune or Nights in White Satin. At times even the guinea pigs join in with my singing!
  6. Writing in my Gratitude Journal.
  7. Burning some pure essential oils and listening to my favorite music.
  8. A relaxing back and neck massage … if I can coax someone to give me one.

Do you have any favorite night time rituals?

They say sleep is the best meditation so here’s to rested bodies and minds, peaceful sleeps and dreamy nights.

May we slumber well and wake refreshed and ready for a new day.

snoopy-sleep

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102 thoughts on “Insomnia”

  1. Dear 3am. We must stop meeting like this. I’ve been there too, and have written about my sleep troubles. The best cure I found was to retire and live a life free of work stress, but I guess that’s a bit too drastic for those younger than me!

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  2. I can empathise but my time lately is 5am. My routine is green tea, read a good book in bed and keep a notebook and pen by the bed to write down what my mind won’t let me forget! Funny, it doesn’t happen on holidays though!

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  4. I can so relate to this, Miriam. I suffer from sleeping problems too. Last week I barely slept at all. My husband rarely has a problem sleeping. I wish there was a switch we could turn on and off as well. Like you, I try my best to stay away from the tech about an hour before bed. That includes no texting. I’m going to google some breathing techniques to see if that can help me. I also love your poetry in this post!

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    1. Ah, thanks so much Brenda. Sorry to hear you also suffer from the ole “I can’t get to sleep” problem. I hope those breathing techniques work! xo
      BTW Did you find my post on the Reader or in my blog (I’m having WP problems again).

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        1. That’s so sweet of you to say Brenda, thank you. I love yours too.
          I’m having all sorts of issues with it not appearing in my Reader, thanks for letting me know.

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        6. You’ll have to keep us posted. I admit to being very curious as to what’s up. I find that WP does glitch from time to time. I tried to share a link that a fellow blogger requested in the comment section of my blog earlier this week. It was impossible. After many attempts, I ended up going to her blog and sharing. I sometimes wonder if it has to do with how big a site WP is.

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  5. Hi Miriam, another great post. Totally relate to ..the place i suddenly remember what i was supposed to do. And oh wouldnt it be great to switch off. I generally sleep well.. after meditating and journalling. But it is when it when i stay up late that is when i mess it all up.

    Great post can relate and the minions are always fun

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  6. Beautiful poem and I can totally relate. Especially to the part of the husband having no trouble falling asleep 😊. It’s so frustrating having insomnia, whether it’s taking hours to fall asleep or waking up at 3am unable to fall back. It makes it so difficult to get through the work day.

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    1. Absolutely. It’s getting better but I still have lots of restless nights. I think my biggest problem is that I stay up too late and then have to get up super early. So I’m not really helping myself am I? 🙂 Thanks for your comment Kim.

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      1. Yes we were there this weekend and yes the weather was awful. It was soooo cold. Thank goodness the ceremony was relocated so we weren’t outside Saturday afternoon. We made the most of the visit though, by catching up with friends and family. I went to the quilt exhibition at NGV and Mr ET went to Motorclassica at the Exhibition Building so a good time was had by all.

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  9. I love your poem! It’s excellent!

    But, I’m am sorry you have so much experience with the sleep thing, or should I say, lack of it. I’m glad the panic attacks seem to be easing, though. 🙂

    Those are great tips for encouraging sleep! For me, I’ve always likened all those thoughts as voices, and the only way to quiet them is to drown them out with louder voices, which for me, is reading. If I focus on the external words, the internal words get quieter, and then my eyes get tired and then I can sleep. 🙂

    Here’s to peaceful sleep and dreams for you, dear friend! *hugs* ❤

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    1. That’s so true Ness and it makes a lot of sense. It’s interesting but you’ve made me realise something. I used to always read before going to sleep, without fail. But since I’ve been blogging I’m up later and rarely have the luxury anymore (at least in bed) because I’m up so late. Maybe I need to revert to old habits. Thanks for the light bulb moment Ness. I needed to hear that. xo Hugs

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  10. Beautiful miriam! I too have had lots of bouts of insomnia in my life usually when I’m troubled but sometimes when I’m not. Not much works for me but just getting through it. It is not fun that is for sure.

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  11. Beautiful poem. And boy do I know that feeling. Insomnia is the worst and like your’s, my husband is zonked after 5 breaths. I toss and turn for hours sometimes. Horrid.

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  14. I can truly relate with your post, Miriam. Basil hits the bed and he’s off to a distant land. Me, I’m lost in a web of my thoughts and worries of the day or life. In July, sleep was one of my biggest challenges. These days, the thoughts comes in flashes, but I try to overpower them by trying to stay blank. A warm shower works sometimes — just before sleep. Or even walking. I’ve tried mediation, soothing music, and warm green tea too. All are great! Some tunes just work wonders, the ones without any lyrics. But, what truly worked for me, is a voice that said that whatever is keeping you awake — can wait. 🙂 Just sleep.

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    1. That’s true Cheryl and that’s what I say to my teenage son now when he has restless nights. So I need to take some of my own advice I guess. 😊 I’m getting better, mostly. Thanks for sharing what works for you. xo

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  16. Wow, can I relate to this! My husband says, “I’m going to sleep now,” and then he does! With no winding down period at all. It takes me a while to fall asleep, and it helps if I watch a mindless show on TV first (hence my intimate knowledge of many of the shows on HGTV.) But if I wake up in the middle of the night, then I’m in real trouble: I fret, I worry, and sometimes I even panic. And then, just as you describe it, I finally fall asleep, wake up the next morning, and wonder what in the world I was so upset about???
    Your coping skills sound very good! Thanks for sharing them.

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    1. Hey Ann, glad to hear I’m not alone. I actually had a decent sleep last night, I read a little bit in bed then nodded off. Strangely enough my husband told me this morning he woke at 4am and got up for something, while I slept right through. Go figure!

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  18. God this sounds lovely, Miriam! Your tactics to help you sleep, I mean 🙂
    I feel like I’ve been working with my mind going fast for some time now. Funny, my spiritual mentor J-R said recently that an acronym for “now” is “No Other Worries”. Isn’t that great?
    Anyway, the essential oil thing is one of my favs. I’ll need to try that one again soon, especially for a foot rub!
    Many blessings,
    Debbie

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  20. Yay for meditation to help quiet the mind before sleep! Great list for sleep training 🙂
    If you ever need more guided meditations, YouTube has many by Hay House that are fantastic! ❤️

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  21. This was me last night…. tossing and turning, thinking of this, worrying about that…. I love your poem Miriam, it’s perfect. And the photo at the top is stunning! I like your tips for a restful sleep. Let’s hope tonight is one of those!

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  22. Miriam, I relate to this post so well. A. I have dealt with insomnia on and off throughout life and B. My husband also can fall asleep basically anywhere- what the heck?! Why weren’t we so lucky?! Haha. Anyway- I am blown away by the way you were able to articulate the ailment so clearly. You have such a gift of writing. The bestttt thing that has helped me is simply routine. If I have a stressful night and the insomnia hits, then melatonin really helps me. ❤

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    1. Hi Mack, thanks so much for your lovely comment. I agree, routine is definitely good. But why does it seem so much easier for guys to get to sleep? 😏 Sorry that you can relate so well. Here’s to a more restful sleep tonight for both of us. xo

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  23. I like to think it is an age thing and I will grow out of it 🙂 I write stuff down and look out at the night sky. But definitely no gadgets or social media. Wishing you many restful nights ahead Miriam. Love the poem.

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  29. Nice post… I have suffered major sleeping problem before … They are less now comparatively. I guess It changed when I tried to change my focus on trying not to fix things in life which are broken rather trying to look ways where I could live by own life and leave the rest to destiny!

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  30. My husband can literally sleep standing up while I toss, turn, punch the pillow, pat it down, count Sheep, write a story in my mind, get up, go to the loo, come back, pat the pillow some more, adjust the room temperature………the list is endless, I can relate 🙂
    I’ll try some of the tips you mentioned.

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  31. Ah, yes. Sleep deprivation. I am actually in the same boat right now. I don’t remember the last time I slept (sleeping well is a distant dream). I have been trying all the same ideas that you have too. Sometimes they work, sometimes…. but I just continue with it. I go offline an hour before bedtime. In that hour, I read for a little while and then I meditate and hope that shut eye occurs.

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    1. Sorry to hear that you’re in the same boat as me. Seems to be a bit of a universal problem, doesn’t it? Here’s to more restful nights and some decent shut eye for both of us soon.

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  33. Oh I could relate with this so much. When I’m overthinking it’s like my brain is over excited and I find it hard to go to sleep even though I’m tired and feel sleepy. On the other hand sometimes all I do is sleep, I think I sleep too much (maybe to makeup for the lack of sleep on other times). Those were some pretty useful tips, suitable for everyone who wanna gives it a try. Plus your poem was gripping and very powerful. Loved it!
    Hope you have a nice relaxing weekend Miriam 💜

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    1. Thanks so much Zee. Yeah, it’s a fine balance with sleep isn’t it? Getting enough versus sleeping too much, though I must admit I haven’t had that problem for awhile. My teenage daughter though… now she’s another story!
      Here’s to more restful nights for both of us. Cheers and have a great weekend. 😊

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  34. There’s a lot of insomnia going around. I suffer every now and then, but always figure that I end up so bloody exhausted, a decent night of sleep eventually turns up. Like your tips – maybe I’ll try the guitar and singing a song (on second thoughts, my nearest and dearest would likely throw me out, wouldn’t blame her…)

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  35. Pingback: Insomnia — Out an’ About – Priyanka Naik

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