I have recurring insomnia. At first, I merely attributed it to aging. While it is true that the quality of my sleep has is poorer as I grow older, I believe my insomnia is due to stress and the increased mental activity it produces.
When I go to bed, I often find it difficult to relax. I toss and turn; feeling tired but can’t drift off. If I can’t fall asleep in an hour or so, I tend to turn on the light and read for a while.
I usually have some kind of soothing history book beside my bed for this purpose. Because I have an aversion to taking prescription sleep medication, I have not consulted a doctor about this problem.
However, I do sometimes take natural sleep remedies, drink something soothing such as peppermint tea, or take a hot shower. These things tend to help. I think my insomnia is exacerbated by the work I do on the computer in the evening.
I tutor online because that is when students need help with their homework. I have to stay alert to help them and this mental activity translates into insomnia later. Other times, I have to tutor in the small hours of the morning and then it is difficult to get to sleep afterward.
Very occasionally, I wake up at dawn and have trouble getting back to sleep. I attribute this to the newspaper delivery. As I grow older, I am a lighter sleeper and noises tend to wake me up.
Despite the fact that he is delivering the paper at 4:20am, the newspaper man makes no effort to be quiet. When I talk with my friends, I find they have similar problems. The economy is on the minds of a lot of senior citizens and our worries are disturbing our sleep.
I live in California and work New York hours so I get up rather early, 4 am. After work I always take at least a 2 hour nap. I go to bed rather late 11 or so so. I would say I need at least 6 hours of sleep within a 24 hour period to function.
At times my nap turns into a 6 hour nap so I will just stay up all night and go to work. Working East Coast hours. For 12 years my sleep schedule is all messed up. I can’t sleep with the TV on at night but I can during my nap.
I don’t wake up at all during my naps or night sleep. NEVER! I hear how some people do. I have been known to sleep talk or walk when I am super stressed. It is always talking about work too. Like Market tickets and such. Obviously it is always stress that makes me do this.
Sometimes I will wake up from my nap and look at the clock and when it reads 6 or 7 I freak out thinking I have slept in and now I am late for work only to find that its 6 pm or 7 pm not AM. That happens at least once a week.
Once I even started to go and wake my son up to get ready for school only to realize he was downstairs watching TV because it was evening not morning. I always think about putting a note on the clock that it is PM but I am usually too tired to do that.
I truly love my sleep and need but just haven’t found a good schedule yet and by the time I get off work my brain is fried so I NEED that nap.
I am forty-nine years old and I have a dream that re-occurs at least once a month. I dream that I am back in high school. Now that wouldn’t be so bad but my dream is that I go back to school and can’t remember my schedule. I wander the halls not being able to remember what class I am supposed to be in.
When I finally do get my schedule by going to the office to get a new copy of it, I can’t remember where the actual classes are that I’m supposed to go to. Again, I wander the halls looking for the right classroom. By the time I find it, the bell rings and class is over.
Ok, so I’ll go to my locker and get my books for my next class. Oh no, which hall is my locker in and when I find the right hall, was it outside of room 204 or 206. I can’t remember. Finally I find my locker but can’t remember the combination on the lock. Never mind, I may not need my book. So I go to class but I find I’m not supposed to be there this period but next.
Certain classes I never manage to get to, such as math and science. I do always manage to get to my English classes or band. But then, in the band room, I can’t find my clarinet. I know I put it in this particular storage section. Where the hell is it? I can’t find my clarinet!!!!
So it’s time to go to math class but I haven’t been all semester and today is the mid-term. My teacher doesn’t even know who I am because I haven’t ever shown up for class. I never do get out of high school. I have had this dream for years. I did graduate from high school but while I was there I never really applied myself.
Maybe the dream is a constant reminder of how little I tried in high school. This dream always occurs when I’m under a lot of stress. It’s like I keep trying to find a certain thing and no matter how hard I try I can’t find it or I can’t remember. Needless to say, I don’t feel rested after I have this dream.
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