I have insomnia! And to add to that, I don't remember the last time all three of my kids slept through the night. Last night, for example, my five year old woke me up at 3 am to inform me that Saturn's rings are made of gas. Then at 4am, I woke up to my three year old saying "I want to sleep on Mommy's head." But here's something that's been working for me if I have insomnia of because of internal causes: Pretend my kids have just asked me to build them a hot wheels course. And just FEEL how tired that makes me. Works like a charm.
Lifelong insomniac here! Several years ago when it was REALLY bad I worked with a naturopath who determined that my cortisol was firing up at the wrong time -mostly in the middle of the night. We used supplements and acupuncture to re-calibrate and it made a big difference. No idea if that would be helpful for anyone else...
I’ve never related to something more. I briefly found respite with 5mg of melatonin on occasion this past summer when I was traveling but then it started giving me nightmares and sweaty wakeups and even just… not working. Lately the NYT Spelling Bee has been helping to get me sleepy because my brain usually starts shutting down when I’m looking for and failing to find the pangram. But if I happen to find it early on then I’m SOL and need to find a new game (or try to raw dog the sleep).
Writing with insomnia - and functioning with insomnia - is probably the #1 biggest issue in my life right now that I’m trying to overcome. I’ve had insomnia for as long as I can remember but since COVID/WFH/looser routines it’s never been worse. I felt so seen reading this!
I think one of the biggest challenges with facing sleep disorders is well meaning advice: drink more coffee! Pinch yourself, it works for me! A smart person has probably tried these most basic of remedies with little to no benefit. It's a relief to hear from someone who is working through their challenges the best they can and hasn't found a silver bullet yet, although I do hope one exist for you and you find it soon. You're an inspiration to everyone who struggles with a health issue, but works through it until they find a solution that works for them.
Oof I've been trying to hit deadlines and show up for meetings and struggling with insomnia recently and these writing tips help so much. I love the idea of writing without the editor, but I think I've spent a bit too much time more in the delusional state recently. We've been in the midst of a heatwave where I live that doesn't help either though, sitting down to write feels like dragging my brain through a desert at midday after not sleeping all night. But honestly reading this was a relief, like it's so nice to not feel alone in the struggle. Thank you!
I completely relate to all of this--especially the audiobooks. I set the sleep timer, drift off, and then wake up as soon as the narrator stops talking. If I don't set the timer, I wake up with an AirPod embedded in my ear having missed four hours of the book. I hope we both get some quality REM soon.
Caitlin! Entirely possible that this is boneheaded advice, but is there any reason you can't just roll with this admittedly annoying shift in your sleep cycle and work late at night when you've caught that second wind?
I have insomnia! And to add to that, I don't remember the last time all three of my kids slept through the night. Last night, for example, my five year old woke me up at 3 am to inform me that Saturn's rings are made of gas. Then at 4am, I woke up to my three year old saying "I want to sleep on Mommy's head." But here's something that's been working for me if I have insomnia of because of internal causes: Pretend my kids have just asked me to build them a hot wheels course. And just FEEL how tired that makes me. Works like a charm.
Lifelong insomniac here! Several years ago when it was REALLY bad I worked with a naturopath who determined that my cortisol was firing up at the wrong time -mostly in the middle of the night. We used supplements and acupuncture to re-calibrate and it made a big difference. No idea if that would be helpful for anyone else...
I’ve never related to something more. I briefly found respite with 5mg of melatonin on occasion this past summer when I was traveling but then it started giving me nightmares and sweaty wakeups and even just… not working. Lately the NYT Spelling Bee has been helping to get me sleepy because my brain usually starts shutting down when I’m looking for and failing to find the pangram. But if I happen to find it early on then I’m SOL and need to find a new game (or try to raw dog the sleep).
Writing with insomnia - and functioning with insomnia - is probably the #1 biggest issue in my life right now that I’m trying to overcome. I’ve had insomnia for as long as I can remember but since COVID/WFH/looser routines it’s never been worse. I felt so seen reading this!
I think one of the biggest challenges with facing sleep disorders is well meaning advice: drink more coffee! Pinch yourself, it works for me! A smart person has probably tried these most basic of remedies with little to no benefit. It's a relief to hear from someone who is working through their challenges the best they can and hasn't found a silver bullet yet, although I do hope one exist for you and you find it soon. You're an inspiration to everyone who struggles with a health issue, but works through it until they find a solution that works for them.
This sounds awful and I hope that this cycle comes to an end soon!
This is such good advice, I’m sorry you’re able to give it only because of your suffering. My sis has narcolepsy and it’s horrendous
Oof I've been trying to hit deadlines and show up for meetings and struggling with insomnia recently and these writing tips help so much. I love the idea of writing without the editor, but I think I've spent a bit too much time more in the delusional state recently. We've been in the midst of a heatwave where I live that doesn't help either though, sitting down to write feels like dragging my brain through a desert at midday after not sleeping all night. But honestly reading this was a relief, like it's so nice to not feel alone in the struggle. Thank you!
I completely relate to all of this--especially the audiobooks. I set the sleep timer, drift off, and then wake up as soon as the narrator stops talking. If I don't set the timer, I wake up with an AirPod embedded in my ear having missed four hours of the book. I hope we both get some quality REM soon.
Caitlin! Entirely possible that this is boneheaded advice, but is there any reason you can't just roll with this admittedly annoying shift in your sleep cycle and work late at night when you've caught that second wind?