Sleep
To be really enjoyed, sleep, health and wealth must be interrupted.
Good morning. No, I mean good evening: Thanks guys for sending the snoozing advice Below are some responses. Sorry that I can’t post them all. I can’t wait until we get the comments section up. Peter will have it up soon, hopefully. But who knows, every time I call him, he’s sleeping. (Just kidding.) (zzzzzz. -Peter)
FROM ASHLEY:
Dear Anita,Read your blog about sleep, or lack there of. Been there tried it all, the only thing that seems to work for me is keeping busy until I literally pass out. Manual labor always works. If nothing else, smoking and drinking has always worked for me. Meditation has been useful at times but my mind is usually racing and is not conducive to relaxation. Here’s hoping we both find something that works.Ashley
Dear Ashley,
Thanks for your email… yes, I guess tossing and turning doesn’t really count as manual labor, eh? Working in the garden doesn’t do the trick anymore either.
"Man is the only animal that goes to sleep when he’s not sleepy. and gets up when he is."-Anita
FROM HECTOR GOMEZ:
Anita,
for insomnia, chamomile tea works wonders. I didn’t believe it could until my wife convinced me of trying a cup on the advice of her mother.
I sort of laughed it off when she handed me the cup, "I need something stronger like pain relievers or sleeping pills, this stuff…(sip)…I mean it might of worked in Old Mexico….(sip)…and God bless your mom for trying….(sip)…but….(sip)…..[the sipping becomes more frequent as the tea starts to cool, you see]….welcome to the 20th….zzzz…..zzzzz….zzzzz."
Never mess with Mexican folk wisdom, that’s the lesson I guess lol.
Hope the suggestion helps,
HectorDear Hector,
Thanks! will give it a try. I mean Chamomile, not messing with Mexican folk wisdom!
cheers, Anita
FROM FORMER INSOMNIAC:
Hello fellow insomniac,
You’ll probably get lots of mail from people who can relate to insomnia. As a contractor l get it whenever work picks up. Taking a Xanax or sleeping pill, or both, seems to help but then l wake up early anyhow and in a haze. l’ve come to think insomnia isn’t always a bad thing when you’re focused on a task but it is a nuisance when you aren’t. Working till l’m tired and turning off the tv also help. When l traveled l had to use earplugs to block out noise. And then l cut out caffeine, alcohol and smoking. As they say, "l may not live any longer but it sure will feel like it."
Good luck. lt’s a beast that can be tamed.
Dear Fellow (former) insomniac,
Thanks so much for your email. Yes! i think that you are right — about both the reasons for insomnia and the recipe to cure it. Sounds like it requires something like discipline, hmmm. In any case, "Of all things that are better late than never, going to bed ranks first."
Regards,
Anita
Your friend, now filled up with Melatonin and sugarplums doing warm ups in my head,
Anita Thompson
