My grandmother used to tell me that she found it difficult to fall asleep as she got older. As a child, I found that hard to understand…I went to bed and I slept. If it were only that easy. I now know what my grandmother was talking about.
I have always had sleeping problems. Growing up, I was always the one in the family who found it very hard to get up in the morning. ALWAYS! I am at my tiredest in the morning when I wake up. Scary right, yeah right. Sometimes it makes for a very long day.
My mom used to always call me lazy, based on this one trait. I think she really did see it as laziness. I just found it very, very difficult to wake up and get out of bed. On the other hand I never had trouble falling asleep, although I have always had trouble getting into a deep sleep. I wake up many times during the night. A very light sleeper. I also dream quite a bit and remember a lot of my dreams.
So back to sleeplessness. Lately (last few months), I have been having trouble getting to sleep and if I do get to sleep, I have trouble getting a well rested sleep. Actually that last part has always been a problem, but more recently, it has gotten worse…much, much worse. In the last few months there have been two nights where I didn’t sleep at all. I don’t know if you can imagine it…lying in bed all night…not sleeping…it can drive a person mad. Don’t get me wrong…I am tired…but my brain refuses to shut down.
I imagine it’s stress related. Let’s face it, most negative aspects of our lives are stress related. So…anyway, tonight I get into bed around 9:15pm, I read for about 40 mintues, and then lights out. Sleepy time right. WRONG. I finally got out of bed at 11pm to take an Ambien. I fought it for as long as I could, but I need to take it when I still have the chance of getting 8 hours of sleep. I get up at 7am…you do the math.
So now, I am typing and waiting for the Ambien to kick in. Hopefully it will not take long. Of course my two dogs got up with me and wondered into the library to see what I was doing. Oh, and I woke Bogey up too. Did I mention I ate a handful of miniature chocolate chips after I took the Ambien. Probably not a good idea…chocolate has caffeine, doesn’t it. Oh, well. It was just a small handful…no really it was.
I still can’t get photos onto my blog. I think it’s because I haven’t upgraded to WordPress 2.7.1. I just don’t have the time to back-up my blog and do the upgrade.
The back yard is looking up though. How did you like that segue? I have been raking, trimming, putting down mulch, and seeding. This is the summer to get my backyard into shape. Pushups and situps for every living thing in the backyard. I mean it!
Well, I better get back to bed, it is now 11:30, so if I fall asleep right away (ha ha ha), I will get 7 1/2 hours of sleep. Dream on sister…yes, please dreammmmm onnnnnnnnn.
I always considered myself a champion sleeper, but always had trouble not waking well in the morning no matter how much sleep I got. But in the last couple of years I started finding sleep troublesome to the point that I asked my doctor about it. I ended up with Ambien. I told the doctor I didn’t want to become dependent on it and he said “if you were 20 years old I wouldn’t give it to you. But you’re 50 – who cares if you’re dependent on it? You’ll sleep!”
I’m not sure I agree with his logic but I AM taking the Ambien. Off and on for about a year probably. What I have found works for me is – I take the Ambien at the same time every night, as early as 7:30. Then I go to bed at about 10:00 and I – wonderfully – fall asleep right away. I still don’t get up well in the morning – don’t think I ever will – but I’m less sleepy during the day which makes it worth it.
One caution – you know the admonition “Sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake, with amnesia for the event have been reported?” Yeah. Well I have been known to shop online and not remember it. I bought Kate’s book (Jon & Kate plus8) and didn’t know until I saw the confirmation email in the morning, as well as Mighty Putty which I still don’t know what I thought I would use it for, and most recently – I JOINED AARP!!! I think those things have happened when I took the Ambien at the regular time but stayed up much later than usual on the weekend or something.
I guess it’s better than driving someplace but it’s something to keep in mind.
I wish you GOOD SLEEP!!!
Sleeplessness has been happening here lately. Lots of reasons for it. Life, A, life. You get the picture.
Big hugs.