From buffalonews.com
What can I say about insomnia? Let me sleep on it. Wait – I can’t. That about sums it up. Not being able to fall asleep is very frustrating. While the world sleeps, I am wide awake listening to my fan drone on and on, my cellphone is set for the soothing sounds of a midnight thunderstorm. My window is open, and the bedroom is at a cool temperature. A perfect setting for “sleep ... perchance to dream.” To quote Shakespeare.
Carol J. Russell treats insomnia with 2 a.m. pizza.
But it’s not happening in my world. In my world, there is a lot of tossing and turning.
Since I am awake, I usually get up to get something to eat. (I was wondering where those extra pounds were coming from.) Eating at night is performance art at its best. You aren’t going to make an actual meal, although I have made a plate of microwave 90-second rice topped with Romano cheese. So good! I have also made sandwiches.
Why does a bologna sandwich at 2 in the morning taste better than it does in the afternoon? Forbidden fruit, that’s why. We humans are not supposed to eat lunch at 2 a.m. Cereal is also a good choice. But the absolute best 2 a.m. snack is – of course – cold pizza. Not microwave or toaster-oven-heated pizza. It has to be cold, paired with a cold glass of white wine.
You might ask why I haven’t tried a sleep medication. The answer is, I have. A few years ago I tried a doctor-prescribed sleeping pill. It did work, but the side effects were interesting to say the least.
After taking the pill, I did have a night’s sleep, but I also woke up to a half eaten bag of cookies on the bed table next to me. I had no memory whatsoever of getting up, going downstairs to the kitchen opening the pantry door, taking out the package of cookies, going back upstairs, getting into bed and eating half a bag – while sleeping! That was the end of sleeping pills for me.
At least I didn’t go for a joyride or shop online, as I’ve heard can happen with these medications.
I do have friends who also have insomnia. One friend told me she gets up at 5 a.m. after not sleeping all night and does laundry. While the washing machine is going, she will sit in a recliner and fall asleep. Another friend vacuums. Still another irons. That definitely is something I would never do. “Does not iron” was in my wedding vows. Way too boring. Although that could be the answer I am looking for.
Functioning during the day with no sleep is challenging. If I don’t have plans for the day and I remain home, I can at least rest, but if I have a busy schedule after a sleepless night, I am running on fumes.
Since my retirement, I now have the freedom of sleeping later in the morning and planning my day accordingly. I usually try to schedule any plans or appointments I make for 2 p.m. or later.
To any and all readers who see themselves in this article, I say to you, and I’m quoting that great newsman Edward R. Murrow, “Good night, and good luck.”
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