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Friday, March 5, 2010

O Sleep! O Gentle Sleep! Wherefore Art Thou?

O sleep! O gentle sleep! 
Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,
That thou no more wilt weigh mine eyelids down
And steep my senses in forgetfulness? 
(from Henry IV by William Shakespeare)

I admit it!   I love to sleep.  It's true.  I could sleep sixteen out of the twenty-four hours given to me every day and then take a nap.  I LOVE to sleep but sleep eludes me.  My mind simply will not turn off when it is time to sleep.  The images I see when I close my eyes remind me of the old reel-to-reel tapes that flickered at the beginning.  Over and over these flashes appear and random thoughts scream in my mind.  I've tried many different remedies for this problem:  a spoonful of peanut butter, warm milk, hot bath, lavender, chamomile tea.  Nothing really helps.  Last night was terrible.  I was tired and cranky with a blasting headache and desperately wanted to fade away into the oblivion of sleep.  Finally, around 5:00 a.m. I drifted into slumber. 

Do you have trouble sleeping?   What do you do to stop the train that roars through your mind at night?   These are things I need to know.

Thanks for reading, Rosie

4 comments:

See Mom Smile said...

Yes I do. I think it's a mom, woman, highly intelligent brain thing :) I have not solutions to turning off the brain. I wish there were a remote for it! Mute...off....

Serendipity said...

I learnt to sleep anywhere anyhow in medical school - take it when you can :) I do have the same problem with switching off when something is on my mind though. No solution as yet, if you find one please let me know! Visiting from SITS :)

Laura L. said...

I don't usually have too much trouble with this, unless it's a highly stressful time such as planning a wedding or etc. Those things make me lose sleep.
I've had plenty of nights though, when I fell asleep and then was awake again in the wee hours.

Make sure you are seriously sleepy before you go to bed, then read until you are literally dosing off.
Tylenol PM? Maybe your Dr. could help?

Wow, I'm sure this was way helpful info. LOL

Anonymous said...

Sleep for me is usually no problem even though in daytime now I love my afternoon naps. If I do wake and wander the house during the night, usually when I return to bed I'm still awake...and it's then I decide God must have something on His mind He wants me to hear...so I listen...and pray. It's a great middle-of-the-night activity...prayer!...rg