Insomnia for Beginners: A Primer for Those Just Starting Out

I was in for a rude awakening (why yes, bad pun intentional) over the past week when I started receiving comments & note about this blog from fellow sleep deprived souls.

First there were those that expressed pity- ‘Oh you poor thing, I had no idea.’  I was kind of surprised to be honest, since my sleeplessness is so much a part of me, that I didn’t quite realize it would shock or dismay others.  Next there were confessions about how they, friends or loved ones have suffered for years while they stood helplessly by.  Actually, you know they were sound asleep during their loved ones’ worst episodes, but figured it was more polite to feign deep distress.  Then there were those who admitted insomnia as their deep dark secret, something newly acquired over the past year along with joblessness and massive debts.

Image by H is for Home via Flickr

For those who have come to insomnia late in the game, I offer some tips to help you to get through the worst.  My apologies if I seem less than wholeheartedly empathetic, but I suspect that unlike we chronically sleep deprived, as soon as the shake ups in your life calm down, you’ll be back to sleeping like a log.  At some point I’ll be backing up what I already know with wise comments from experts in the field, until that time however, you’ll just have to trust me because I’ve been sleepless for much longer than you have and know of what I speak.

1. Keep it Dark: Banish clocks, bright lights, computers, television or anything that beeps from your bedroom.  Your bedroom is only for sleep or sex (you should be so lucky) and having anything that distracts you from that mission is counterproductive.  The last thing that you want is a bedside clock that will help you to count down the sleepless minutes until morning.
2. Keep it Comfortable: Stop fighting over the temperature in your bedroom and agree to keep things a bit cooler than normal so that your body can comfortably relax and get to the business of sleep.
3. Keep it Dry: How shall I phrase this delicately? In the battle of the bladder, your body will win each and every time. Why spend hours struggling with the need to go, only to end up giving in and having to walk across those ice cold bathroom tiles at 3:00 a.m.? Avoid drinking that cool glass of water on the nightstand and go to the bathroom before bedtime.  Trust me on this one.
4. Keep it Calm: Limit your worrying to daylight hours.  For instance, if you’re panicking because you can’t pay the mortgage, try to give yourself free reign to panic from 10:00 a.m. until noon and then maybe for a half hour during the day.  The last thing you want to think about before trying to drift off is the economy.
5. Keep it Media Free: Don’t watch the nightly new before bed (there’s never anything good going on anyway) and switch off your computer and Blackberry at least an hour or two before you turn in.  If you do wake up in middle of the night, try to avoid Facebook or Twitter’s siren song.

Rachel, who feels your new found pain

More interested in my musings on marketing, manners or modness? Visit my daytime blog at www.rachelcw.com

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