{"id":23206,"date":"2015-04-14T21:19:58","date_gmt":"2015-04-15T01:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=23206"},"modified":"2015-05-21T10:44:31","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T14:44:31","slug":"if-sleep-is-so-important-insomnia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/it\/journal\/if-sleep-is-so-important-insomnia\/","title":{"rendered":"If Sleep Is So Important, Why Am I So Bad at It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whenever I meet someone that has the skill to sleep anywhere (and I do mean anywhere: trains, buses, planes, under desks, etc.), I am instantly fascinated by this admirable and astonishing feat. Anywhere? Yep. No noise level or presumed interruption can deter their instant need for rest, whether it\u2019s a quick power nap or a solid eight hours.<\/p>\n

However, these unusually talented people often leave me with another lingering feeling. I want to instantly leave it at basic jealousy, but that oversimplifies it a little too much. Sure, I\u2019m envious of their ability to lie down (or sometimes not even) and drift off within a few minutes. I\u2019m baffled by their automatic ease in sleeping in a strange place or spending the night somewhere other than their own home.<\/p>\n

These pangs of resentment stem from the fact that for the past ten years (wow, has it really been that long?) I have been a devoted chronic insomniac. I have spent my nights awake in a variety of ways: writing, drawing, making lists, worrying, wandering, cutting my own hair (yep), reading and rereading a lot of books, watching some pretty bad TV, crying, being frustrated, laughing (because at a certain phase of sleeplessness, everything gets funny), railing at the ceiling, studying, thinking, accidentally eavesdropping on my neighbors\u2014and that only covers about the first six months of this state in which I\u2019ve been living.<\/p>\n

48 percent of Americans report occasionally dealing with insomnia and 22 percent report to experiencing insomnia every night.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I saw some doctors in the beginning, all of which asked me if I was feeling stressed, if something in particular was bothering me, if I was overworked. I was a normal college student when this all began, so the answers to all of those questions were: yeah, of course. I declined any medicinal assistance for the fear of becoming dependent, though all doctors assured me that weaning was always an option for the future. I walked away from all of these appointments discouraged and, not surprisingly, exhausted. Aside from the one therapist who offered hypnosis, none of these physicians offered any advice for a more natural method or, more importantly, really tried to get to the root of what was really going on: why couldn\u2019t I sleep?<\/p>\n

As it turns out, there were and are a lot of reasons, and many of them are the same reasons why 48 percent of Americans report occasionally dealing with insomnia and 22 percent report to experiencing insomnia every night (via<\/i>\u00a0Sleep Foundation<\/a>). In 2013, the CDC reported that 9 million Americans rely on prescription sleeping pills (via<\/i>\u00a0NY Daily News<\/a>). The first thing I thought when I read those numbers, even though I\u2019ve seen similar stats before, was\u00a0yikes.\u00a0<\/i>Even in the overworked, overstressed, and under-rested society I knew we lived in, those numbers seemed shockingly high.<\/p>\n

My condition has significantly improved in the last few years. I am still labeled by doctors as a chronic insomniac, but my bouts of sleeplessness have significantly shortened in the past two years (much so compared to my previous stint in 2012 of over 60 days without a full night of rest). Despite being hugely skeptical, I have learned several tricks and remedies, some more recently than others, that I have given me some much-needed relief. Though I can\u2019t say that they\u2019ve \u201cworked\u201d every time, I have them found to be seriously helpful.<\/p>\n

Stop Texting<\/h3>\n

You pretty much can\u2019t flip through any health-lifestyle-wellness-related publication without stumbling across this very advice. For all the stuff your phones and laptops can help you with, they are seriously messing with your ability to get real rest. Whatever it is, I promise you that it can wait. At\u00a0least<\/i>\u00a0an hour before you plan to sleep, log off, sign out, power down. Don\u2019t even bring these gadgets into the bedroom. Studies have shown that just knowing they are there in the room can bring distraction and less restful sleep. (So you use your phone as an alarm clock? Stop that.\u00a0A vintage one from Etsy<\/a>\u00a0will wake you up just as well without the melatonin-reducing blue light.)<\/p>\n

Meditate<\/h3>\n

This is another one that has been popping up more and more in recent years as advice for curing a variety of common ailments, insomnia among them. It can also decrease stress, lower blood pressure, relieve pain, and much more. If you\u2019re skeptical, here\u2019s my reassurance: I was, too. It you think it will be difficult or boring, I worried about the same things. After practicing this habit for just over a year, I can\u2019t imagine starting my day any other way.<\/p>\n

Breathe<\/h3>\n

The worst thing I can do when I can\u2019t sleep is worry about how I can\u2019t sleep. But of course, this is a very common response which only further exaggerates the problem you\u2019re facing: a mind that won\u2019t quiet down. As much as possible, do not allow yourself to fall into the pattern of worry that comes with lying and staring at the ceiling. Instead, try the 4-7-8 breathing trick: \u201cYou simply breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale through your mouth for eight seconds\u201d (via<\/i>\u00a0Byrdie<\/a>). Yeah, I was iffy about this one, too. But it hasn\u2019t failed me yet. (Want options? You can also try slowly counting backward from 300 in sets of three.\u00a0For example: 300, 297, 294, etc.<\/i>)<\/p>\n

Be Honest<\/h3>\n

If insomnia is completely new to you (or not at all), or if you\u2019re just having an off night, you have to ask yourself what\u2019s really going on. When my situation first emerged, I was really scared and took much longer than I should have to address what was happening. Sleeplessness is a real problem with a real cause. Chances are there is an underlying reason, whether it\u2019s an unresolved issue at work, tension in a relationship, or even linked to another potential health problem. It can even be caused by something you haven\u2019t considered. If you find that your trouble sleeping persists, don\u2019t be afraid to talk to someone, even if it\u2019s just to know that you aren\u2019t going through this alone.<\/p>\n

And, Finally: Sleep Is Not Optional<\/h3>\n

I know this should seem pretty obvious, but in a society where sleeping less means getting ahead, I\u2019d like to join in the chorus of those who are calling this way of thinking out as bullshit. Conditions you can\u2019t control aside (present), consistently choosing to get less sleep will only result in a weakened ability to make good decisions, fray your creative skills, delay both mental and physical responses, decrease confidence, and\u00a0increase your risk of disease<\/a>\u00a0(via<\/i>\u00a0The Huffington Post<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In Mark Williams and Danny Penman\u2019s book\u00a0Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan For Finding Peace In A Frantic World,\u00a0<\/i>they write: \u201cOften, the very first things we give up are those that nourish us but seem the most \u2018optional.\u2019 The result is that we are increasingly left with only work or other stressors that often deplete our resources, and nothing to replenish or nourish us\u2014and exhaustion is the result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though I do consider myself to be a seasoned night owl, I\u2019m not an expert. These are only the responses that have (sometimes) worked for me. They aren\u2019t foolproof, but nothing is. Just remember to respect your body and that sleep is something to take time for, like anything else. It restores us, it lets us start over, it makes all things new again.<\/p>\n

Further reading (and listening):<\/em><\/p>\n