Life around the world

Wednesday, 24 June, 2015 - 09:23

Insomnia

by BlakeS

I just could not fall asleep the other night. I just didn’t feel sleepy. I can't explain why, but it was really annoying.

I got very bored lying in bed, so I decided to read a book – I thought this would help me get to sleep. But even when I finished reading, I still didn’t feel tired. So I listened to some peaceful music. That didn’t work, either. I have heard people say if you have a warm drink before bedtime it will help you drift off to sleep. So, I went downstairs and made myself a cup of tea. I had to be really quiet, because I didn’t want to wake up my family. After my tea, I got back into bed. Still, I couldn’t sleep. I was getting very frustrated by this point!

It felt strange to be awake while everyone else was asleep. The world seemed so quiet, in fact, it was a little bit spooky. When you go to sleep, it feels like one day ends and another begins. But if you stay up late, you realise that day and night are just a gentle transition, a cycle which has no end and no beginning. At 4am, I noticed a faint light coming through my curtains - the sun had started to rise!

Normally, I’m a very heavy sleeper and I would never be awake at this time in the morning. So on this occasion I considered myself lucky to see a beautiful sunrise. As the sun came up in the east, the birds started to sing their morning songs. I knew I needed to get some rest, but it seemed the harder I tried to force myself asleep, the more difficult it was.

Eventually, I just let my mind go free. I stopped forcing myself to sleep. I listened to the birdsong … and the next thing I knew it was 11am! I was happy that I had managed to get some sleep! I have never struggled with sleeping before, so this was my first experience of insomnia. Fortunately, I have been sleeping well since then.

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Discussion

What do you do if you can’t sleep at night?

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Submitted by KemoF on Sat, 03/16/2019 - 02:26

Luckily enough, I have little occasion to be bothered by insomnia and actually I sleep too much, which sometimes makes me think if I'm okay?!! When I wake up, I feel every day is a new day...!
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