I don't really have any particular area to be stressed about....but for some reason, I cannot turn my brain off and just sleep through the night. Not that I have ever been a sound sleeper, but the few times I wake up, I normally have no problem falling right back into la-la-land. I haven't slept well for the past five nights and the bags under my eyes are becoming like a full set of luggage.
So this is just an example of what I was thinking about for the 7 random times I woke up last night.....in no particular order:
- My recently enclosed entryway/deck needs to be cleaned out, painted and furnished this spring. Right now it is like a drop-zone for what ever crap I don't want in my house along with winter garb. So, what color should I paint the walls? Do I want a rug? Can we put a TV out there?
- What else can I add to N's lapbook on plants? Oh, just an FYI.....I am now completely obsessed with this lapbook concept I was introduced to last week. It is so much fun to incorporate with your homeschooling. I found a few helpful sites, Lapbook Lessons and Free Homeschooling Lapbooks, and if you Google "lapbooks"....you will see so many resources for them. I am using it with Science this year, and next year our whole Bible study will be utilizing them.
- I need to get on the treadmill every day this week......not only to make up for my laziness this last
yearmonthweek.....but to eradicate the platter of nachos I chose to make and eat four out of the past six nights. eek. (*now wondering if they might have something to do with the insomnia.........nahhhhhhhhhhh, I've inhaled many platters before bedtime all these years....so scratch that theory) - my hair really needs color and a cut. I am starting to resemble Rosanna Rosanna Danna. It is not pretty. It's like the painter's house that needs painting. I work part-time as a hair stylist, yet it's been over 10 months since I've cut my hair and I've been coloring it myself. I can only imagine what the back of my head looks like....oh well, I don't have to look at it.
- Oh crud, did I blow out those candles in the living room before bed? Even though I remember specifically pulling back the said-frizzy-hair-that-would-go-up-like-a-haystack when I blew them out.....I still got up to double check.
- My blog even popped in my mind......I am gathering addresses today for my book giveaway and Pay it Forward players.
- Why do I let Mufasa, the 115+ pound "puppy" beast, sleep in our room when he is quite possibly the most disgusting creature God has created? He has the most foul, awful smelling farts.....and let's them rip all night. gag.
- what can we have different for dinner this week?
- Should I have grabbed that other curriculum at the CBD warehouse sale I went to on Saturday? Which btw.....I don't know if you have ever been to a sale like this.....but let me just set the stage. There was about 2500-3000 people at this warehouse......with approx. 10000000000000000000000000000000000000 books strewn on tables with no rhyme or reason to it all. I have a hard time finding a book at the library so you can imagine how I was functioning in this chaotic madhouse. Again. It wasn't pretty.
- Did I send in our balance for Soulfest camping that is due April 1st?
- Should I call and make my mammogram appt. that is due in July?
- Josh needs new sneakers.
- I need new sneakers.
- when should Lili and I send in that Amazing Race application?
- we need a new rake.
- is N's sandwich still in the living room? nah....Mufasa must have chowed that down.
So yeah, welcome to my world. This was just on the surface as to how my brain is when it's in my normal unmedicated ADD state. And that is just what I can remember this morning as I sit in a fog.
I was almost at the point of tears. I could NOT fall back asleep......I was flip flopping like a fish and knew it was a matter of time that I would wake up Josh. Not that he would deserve it with his snoring that is yet another thing to keep me awake. The only reason I let him sleep is so that our children will have at least one parent who is coherent in the morning.
So it finally dawned on me to do what I should done in the beginning. I just focused on Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
* I feel the need to announce that when I quote Scripture.......I do not just know these verses off the top of my head.....Bible Gateway is one of my favorite friends!
I just kept repeating the gist of the Scripture in my head over and over......at this point, I was almost demanding that God "hook a sista up" here. I was pleading with Him to cut me some slack knowing that 5:30 was approaching quick and that alarm clock was just waiting to ruin my
So, we do serve a faithful God and I did fall back to sleep somewhere around 4:43....with that trusty alarm clock (that felt more like a taser on my skull) going off what seemed to be seconds later.
And here I am.
I am awake.
I have a pulse.
I am alive....that is a good thing.
I.just.need.a.nap.already.and.it's.only.7AM.
So, feel free to give me any suggestions on what you do for a good peaceful night's sleep.....I promise I am listening, even if you catch my head nod down or you hear a little zzzzzzzzz.
xox
*~Michelle~*
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13 comments:
I LOVE lapbooks too! We made one on the 5 senses that I never finished. I should get it finished and take pictures.
I would love to see your finished project, Steph!!
Really? Amazing Race application? I would so root for you.
And, I need new tennis shoes too. (Hubs doesn't. He's got a major slew of them.) Does that make you feel better?
Tiff
I get insomnia like crazy. Normallly I can sleep just fine, but a few times a year I just get to where I'll go 4 or 5 days without sleeping more than an hour a night.
Maybe I should try being more productive when that happens...
You would kick butt at the Amazing Race!
I hear ya on the blaring mind when you are trying to rest. I've gotten up for that candle too, the one you know you blew out, but just in case you didn't...
I hope you are able to calm your mind this evening and get some rest.
I used to struggle more with insomnia than I do now. But one of the things I do/did is pray. I know that sounds simple. But praying about the day and even asking God to release me from the thoughts and burdens of the day that passed and the day to come and just focus on and seek Him. : )
oh yeah, you've got the mom syndrome. too much on the mind to turn it off and go to sleep. I have to write everything down in a notebook I keep beside my bed before I go to sleep. Then I feel like everything is taken care of, nothing left on the brain to think about. I have had to cut out my nightly drink of coffee. I just got to an age where it was affecting me.
I have bouts of insomnia too. It was especially bad a couple of years ago. I'd go to sleep and wake up a few hours later and be awake for HOURS before being able to fall back asleep.
After trying all sorts of stuff, I finally started using Melatonin. If I wasn't able to fall asleep at bedtime, I could take one. If I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, I could take one then. No hangover the next morning, either. YOu can find it at the drugstore with the vitamins or a health food store.
Also, I read that yogurt before bed helps - I guess like a glass of warm milk. Something about the dairy protein. It was a good excuse to have yogurt before bed, so I went with it.
You sound like me, planning and thinking in the middle of the night! :)
I've found that I go through bouts of insomnia during PMS-- it does have a hormonal link for some women.
I also try to limit tv or cleaning house the last 30 minutes before bed -- warm milk or herbal tea and a good book, and I'm usually asleep in no time.
Good luck :)
I can so relate to the insomnia issue!!! Maybe I'll try some of the suggestions others offered.
I'd love to see you finished lapbook project too
I posted about insomnia on my blog too, so maybe my commenters could help you out.
It sounds like you have a lot of "did I get X done?" issues. Can you make a list at night of all the things you want to get done the next day to get them off your mind and into a to-do state for when you wake up? It can help you get to that "It's noted, and I'll take care of it" stage that is less stressful and more conducive to sleep. Then the act of doing and crossing off the next day will underline the "yes, I did that" info in your head so that it won't be rattling around inside.
I read my Bible for a while before bed and pray, and sometimes it helps. If I'm desperate I'll get up and eat something (I'm pregnant so this is probably necessary anyway). Often I wake up if I'm too hot or need to use the restroom. (But being pregnant I find myself dreaming about food -- the other night I dreamt about a giant Easter bunny made out of baguettes and I was eating his arm. Yes, a real dream. Because I am nuts.) Rather than toss and turn, get up and get some stuff done, mindless things like laundry or filing or making lists, etc... Get a few things done and try to go back to sleep.
Other ideas that you've probably already tried: hot showers before bed, warm milk, exercising earlier in the day, getting up at the same time every day, etc. And getting cozy with my husband always relaxes me, so you may want to just make that part of your bedtime to-do list. With your own husband, of course... :-)
Good luck -- no sleep can make anyone borderline psychotic, so I feel your pain!
whoops, didn't mean to post so fast and anonymously.... here is the link to my WFMW insomnia post with comments: http://dropthebabyweight.com/wordpress/?p=118
Melissa
An alarm clock is a necessity in every household to keep us on time with our daily activities especially if you're always on the go.
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