If I were to receive an A plus for anything in life a strong contender would be my sleeping ability: I can usually fall asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow and stay asleep for a full eight hours thereafter.
However, recently it seemed as if a tribe of grumpy gremlins shod in hobnailed boots had trampled all over my body clock thus making sleep as elusive as summer rain in a parched desert. Not only was falling asleep not as easy as usual but worse I was wide awake at three or four in the morning and unable to get back to sleep. Now being awake that early was entirely foreign territory and one that I needed to navigate my way out off pronto.
In the past if I ever had difficulty sleeping a couple of minutes of deep breathing usually did the trick and transported me to the land of nod. But not this time. Now I admit that my quest to return to restful slumber was not helped by the fact that after half and hour or so of tossing and turning I invariably went to fetch my MacBook to fill in the hours betwixt night, dawn and full daylight. So not a good idea.
I wasn’t sure what to do so I googled cures for insomnia – the results included much that I heard of before such as: soaking in a warm bath, sipping hot milky drinks, drinking camomile tea, taking some light exercise in the evening, avoiding caffeine laced drinks eight hours before bedtime … The more unusual included lying on a bed of nails!
Er, absolutely no thanks to the bed of nails thingy but I spotted a recommendation for toe curling (which involves curling your toes away from your away from you and then releasing them) so I decided to give it a go. I realized as soon as I did that it is a variation on tensing your muscles and then letting them soften to induce relaxation. I tried it on Friday night and I actually got to sleep easily and when I woke up at an ungodly hour I got back to sleep again fairly quickly after some further toe curling. And I slept well last night.
I am so pleased to have had two decent nights’ sleep in a row for the first time in a couple of weeks. I will never know if the toe-curling was the main reason my insomnia disappeared but I would certainly try it again if the sleep-wrecking gremlins ever revisit.
I hope you had a good weekend.
Just Add Attitude 
I used to sleep well, but as I have become older that doesn’t happen any more. I will try the toe curling…thanks.
I hope it works for you. 😉
This sounds like an exercise worth trying! I enjoyed some of the other suggestions too 🙂
Thanks Meg, I hope you sleep well and don’t need any of the insomnia cures. 😉
I can completely relate! Usually I drift off to sleep within minutes of hitting the pillow and have a fairly undisturbed sleep. A couple of months ago, I couldn’t turn off my mind and had the hardest time falling asleep. I was miserable! I’m keeping this trick in my back pocket for when another bout of insomnia comes around 🙂
Lack of sleep is misery-making and I am sorry to hear you had a bout of insomnia a few months ago. Hopefully it will not return.;)
Interesting. Next time I can’t get to sleep I will try toe curling.
I hope it works for you. 😉
Toe curling, will have to try that. Those same gremlins make their way across the pond to visit me in Brooklyn, NY. That happens to me all the time. will try the toe curls! So glad you got some sleep.
Thank you for your kind thought about me getting some sleep and I hope the toe curling works next time you find sleep difficult. These are well travelled gremlins!
Insomnia or sleep deprivation in general are nasty enemies to fight off. When that happens to me I usually resort to… a drink or two! 😉
Glad you had things sorted out eventually, B! 🙂
Thanks Stefano for your comment. And I am so glad I am sleeping better and am no longer fighting insomnia as you say it’s nasty. 😉
For me sleeping is like breathing … I cannot function as a human being without it. When I was younger I was sleep deprived most of the time due to my work schedule. I was a monster and I think all my colleagues would agree. Thank goodness those days are far away! 🙂
Hi Francesca,
I hope that you are enjoying your holiday. Like you I need my sleep, preferably eight hours a night, and I am grumpy without it. I doubt you were a monster. Ever.
With many good wishes from B 😉