Day 62: The most effective cure for insomnia

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 62: The most effective cure for insomnia

For the first time in a long time I feel rested on a Monday morning. Usually, on a Monday morning I feel like death warmed up because of lack of sleep the previous night.

I sleep, sort of, okay during the week. I’m up at 6:00 a.m., work all day (sort of) and go to bed at 11:00 p.m. Tired, I’m almost asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

Sleeping on a Sunday night is a different story though. Instead of at 6:00 I get up around 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. and when I go to bed I’m not tired at all. I go to bed because, well, I have to get up early the next morning.

Over the years I’ve read numerous articles and followed all sorts of advice.

Warm milk

That doesn’t work for me because I hate milk and I’m lactose intolerant.

 

Chamomile tea

I tried that, first with one bag and then with two teabags in a cup and it did precisely nothing.

Melatonin over the counter sleeping aid

No results.

Counting sheep

I counted from 1 to 100 and from 100 to zero and I was still wide awake.

 

Lavender oil 

 

I thought a few drops on my pillow would do the trick and it did smell very nice. Unfortunately, it brought on a sneeze attack which kept me awake.

Meditation 

That didn’t work at all. The more I tried to think of nothing, the more my mind kept jumping all over the place.

Sound machine

Now there was a great idea. My son got me a sound machine for Christmas and I had high hopes. It seemed to work very well for other people, so I was confident that it would work well for me. It didn’t. As I tried out various sounds, and a number of things happened.

 Birdsong 

I have three cats sleeping with me, and I’ll bet you know what I’m going to say next. Right, the cats woke up and were on high alert. Birds ... they heard birds ... where were those birds? They got up, walked all over the bed, looked under the bed, jumped on cabinets, on the windowsill ... they were all over the place, looking at the ceiling and the walls, twisting their head from left to right, up and down.

 Babbling brook 

Ah, so relaxing, except after a while I had to go to the bathroom. Half an hour later, another bathroom visit.

 Whale call 

The first time I heard the call of a whale I nearly bolted from the room. My gosh what a spooky sound. During the day a whale call might be fine, but at night it’s like a few ghosts are having a party.

 Rain

Okay, so that was fine. Hearing rain spatter on a hard surface was rather nice to listen to. Sometimes listening to the rain worked, sometimes it didn’t.

And then I remembered something. Many years ago I followed a TV series called ‘The Joy of Painting’ with Bob Ross. Ross passed away on July 4, 1995 but his voice lives on. A bedroom voice as many used to call it. His paint instructions were educational, but listening to his voice alone was relaxing and enough to put anyone to sleep.

With this in mind I had Dieter download a couple of ‘Joy of Painting’ episodes and played them last night. I was out like a light before the first 20 minute episode even finished.

Having finally had a good night rest, for the first time on a Monday morning, I feel fresh and rested. If you have trouble sleeping, forget warm milk, chamomile tea, counting sheep, meditation, or pills. Listen to Bob Ross’ voice and you’ll be catching those zzzzz’s in no time.  

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Day 36: Does Warm Milk Help You Sleep

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 36: Does Warm Milk Help You Sleep

Last night was one of those nights again ... tossing and turning and waiting for the sandman to come. I felt perfectly tired when I went to bed and I expected to fall asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, but once under the duvet, I was wide awake.

Are you one of those lucky people who fall asleep the moment they lie down? Many people have problems falling asleep, or suffer from another form of insomnia where they wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep again. An old remedy for sleeplessness other than counting sheep is drinking a cup of warm milk. But does warm milk really help you sleep, or is it a myth?

Urban legend has it that warm milk is sleep-inducing because it contains the enzyme tryptophan. This is the same enzyme that is found in turkey meat and that is credited with lulling people to sleep after a big Thanksgiving dinner.  However, studies have shown that it’s not the turkey meat that makes you sleepy, as you would have to consume 40 pounds of the meat for the tryptophan to have any effect.

If you’ve been tossing and turning, and you eventually get out of bed to warm up some milk, you’ve taken the first step in the right direction, getting up. Going to the kitchen to warm up something relaxes your brain because you’re no longer concerned about falling asleep. While you wait for the milk to warm, your mind relaxes even more, thus preparing you for sleep. Making a cup of herbal tea would have the same effect because it’s the warmth that gives you comfort. People often discover that once back in bed, they can fall asleep even before they’ve taken one sip of the milk.

Further studies have shown that although tryptophan can help with the first phase of sleep, it can interfere with the remaining sleep phases. Tryptophan, when taken in conjunction with high protein foods such as milk, can decrease the chances that the enzyme even reaches the brain.

If you find it hard to fall asleep, it’s a good idea to reach for foods rich in carbohydrates. While it’s not recommended to have a big meal before going to bed, never go to bed hungry either. Mix protein foods with carbohydrates to encourage the brain to produce a calming hormone called serotonin. Good choices would be a slice of whole-wheat toast topped with a slice of low-fat cheese or one banana combined with a teaspoon of peanut butter.

Any number of details could be to blame for preventing you from falling asleep. Stress, the room’s temperature, too much light, an uncomfortable mattress or even an overly fluffy pillow can cause insomnia. There are companies that specialize in making sleep aid products. They manufacture eye masks, pillows, herbal teas, and natural sleep-promoting supplements to fight your insomnia.

Does warm milk help you sleep? Not really, but the routine of preparing something warm is enough to relax you.

A cure for insomnia?

People who can’t sleep will try just about anything to catch those elusive zzzzzz’s. I should know, falling asleep is a major problem for me and over the years I’ve tried it all: chamomile tea, counting sheep, meditation, lavender oil, lavender mist … nothing helps.

So when I learned of a sound machine that produces relaxing sounds I thought I should look into it. I researched the machine online and found that sound machines come in various sizes and prize ranges. Nearly all of them come with the following:

Ocean waves

Summer night

Rain

Thunder

White noise, and

A babbling brook

In all honesty, I wasn’t crazy about any of these sounds.

Ocean waves, a babbling brook or rain or anything to do with water is out of the question as it’s only a matter of time before I have to go to the bathroom.

Thunder … no, thank you. I very much suspect that bolts of thunder will keep me awake rather than put me to sleep.

Since I didn’t know what white noise is I had to go and look it up. Apparently, white noise is celestial sounds. I looked, or rather listened to a video online and it sounded like the space shuttle taking off.

As for summer night noises, I had to look that up to and it turned out that summer night noises involves birds, owls and crickets. I don’t have a problem with birds and owls, but crickets … no, I’m not a fan of those critters.

Eventually my research led me to relaxing music and that, by far, is the best choice. A word of caution though, during a time of depression this type of music should be avoided as it tends to make one rather melancholic.

Not only is relaxing music the better choice for me, it’s also more suitable for my cats. When I tried out various videos yesterday and clicked on ‘Bird songs’, Mickey, who had been sleeping, was instantly on high alert.

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Are we our own worst enemy?

I’m in a slump. Those of you who know me know that I took up coloring in December of last year. Alex, a long time friend drew my attention to this hobby as a way of relaxation and a cure for insomnia.

Relaxation and a cure for insomnia? … that’s all she had to say, I had to try this as I’m frequently stressed and toss and turn for hours in bed.

I got myself a book and some pens and got started. And I found that Alex was right, almost immediately I felt a lot calmer, slept better and found tremendous joy in coloring.

Ten months down the line all that has changed.

Theodore Roosevelt said “Comparison if the thief of joy” and I found this to be quite true. Since starting the coloring hobby I joined three coloring groups on Facebook and when I compare my work to some of the colorings I see I get depressed. Others’ work is so much better than mine.

Some say that coloring is not a competition, and I know that, but I’ve always expected the best of myself. I also know that some colorists are professionally trained and my work can’t be as good as theirs, but I want at least to see an improvement in my colorings.

Alex will shake her head over this and say that I should just color for my own enjoyment, but that’s just it, I don’t find joy in coloring anymore, only frustration.

Someone in the group mentioned that if we could be half as considerate of ourselves as we are of others, we would be happier. And this is true, why do we have to be so hard on ourselves?

This reminded me of what a Canadian ten-pin bowling coach ones said to me … “When we miss a spare we berate ourselves with “How could you miss that!” … “How could you be so stupid!” … and more of such critical words. When a teammate missed a spare we say … “Oh don’t worry about it, you’ll get next time.”

Are we our own worst enemy? 

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Soon to be released

I have a bit of news.  Very exciting news. 

My children’s book “Debbie” has been accepted by Rocking Horse Publishing  and will be released on March 30. 

The book currently in the editing process, while an illustrator is hard at work sketching drawings to go along with the story, and ideas are being tossed back and forth for the cover art.

I wish I could tell you a bit more about “Debbie” but I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet. 

Tell you what though, to give you a bit of an appetizer.  Here are the first 100 words.

Hi there!

My name is Debbie, and I’m a ferret.

You know what a ferret is, right? Have you ever seen a picture of a ferret? Please don’t say that ferrets look like rats. I’m nothing like a rat, and I’ll take it as insult if you compare me to one!

For starters, rats are rodents, while ferrets are more highly evolved in the animal world.

Rats are very active creatures, always scurrying after something.

Ferrets have a much more relaxed lifestyle. We like to take things easy. Did you know that we sleep, on average, 17 to 20 hours a day?

As you might have guessed, “Debbie” is about a ferret.  A very friendly and very curious ferret.  Want to know more?

Come back tomorrow and I’ll tell you a bit more about Debbie.  

Am I too violent?

There are days that all is right with the world and you feel perfectly happy and content, and then there are days that you could kill someone with your bare hands.  Take a guess what kind of day it is today …

It started last night.  One moment I was sound asleep, with Gabriel next to me and Charlotte by my feet, the next I thought WWIII had started.  A high pitched sound screeched  “PEEP, PEEP, PEEP …. PEEP, PEEP, PEEP …. PEEP, PEEP, PEEP!”  It was the newly installed fire alarm and I hate it with a passion. 

The old fire alarm only sounded in the building’s hallways.  It was loud and sounded like a coffee grinder, but it was bearable.  This new system, that the local fire brigade decided upon is not only MUCH LOUDER but installed in every unit.

Gabriel and Charlotte flew off the bed and went into hiding underneath it, while I tried to drown out the noise by holding a pillow over my head.  The pillow somewhat softened the noise, but it was still too loud to go back to sleep with.

From 3:00 until 3:20 the peeping sound went on, and on, and on.  Finally it stopped and I think everyone in the building let out a collective sigh of relief.

Not for long though, at 3:30 the peeping started again.  If I had had a gun, I would have shot the alarm; if I had a baseball bat, I would have smashed it to pieces; if I had strong muscles I would have ripped the alarm out of the ceiling and thrown it out the window.

Once again I covered my ears, tried to drown out the sound, but it didn’t work.  To distract myself I started counting the series of “PEEP, PEEP, PEEP’s”.  I got to 172.

Finally, the peeping stopped and a voice came over the intercom announcing that the fire alarm was faulty and that the mechanic was on his way. 

If I had my way with the fire brigade whose bright idea this was, and the man who installed this devious device, none of them would be breathing today.

I know, I’m a violent person, but can you blame me?

  

Book characters

Aspiring actors are given the advice to avoid type casting. Only being able to portray one type of character might lead to an audience quickly becoming bored with that actor. 

Aspiring authors would do well to follow the same advice. Writing about the same subject over and over again will make what the reader can expect predictable. Some very talented authors can get away with it, weaving a completely different story writing about their favorite subject.

Among others, Jilly Cooper can do this. Whether she writes about Rupert Campbell Black’s antics in “Riders” or an emotionally abused grandma in “Jump”, somewhere along the line a horse is playing a part, but the stories are very different.

Author X (I shall not mention her name) is not such an author or she didn’t get the memo. All her books are about the rich and famous. I liked her first book, I like it enough to buy the second one. I was somewhat disappointed when the second story was again about people with money and power, but okay, maybe it was a coincidence.

Research about her third and fourth novel revealed that the story was again about the rich and famous and I thought “Oh hell no.”

Author X’s books summarized:

·       The main character is filthy rich. He’s not just a millionaire, he’s a billionaire. While it can be nice to read about people with pots of money, it can also become rather annoying. Especially if your bank balance lacks a couple of zeros.

·       Supporting characters work themselves into a stupor. Working 18 hours a day is part of the package in clawing their way to the top.

·       After work they attend parties (only movers and shakers invited of course) where they drink copious amount of champagne and sniff a few lines of coke. I have no experience with coke sniffing, but on the few occasions that I looked too deep into a glass I had such a hangover the next day that I was in no condition to go to work. 

·       When the supporting characters come home from the party they have steamy sex for hours on end. This really makes me wonder. If they worked an 18 hour day and got wasted at a party, how do they manage to romp around until the wee hours of the morning? When do these people actually sleep?

·       Still on the subject of sexual escapades … the men are always ready for action and the women have multiple orgasms. I have a little trouble with that too. I think it’s far more likely that a woman who’s been on her feet since the crack of dawn, and for whom the room starts to spin to moment she lies down (on account of all the champagne) is more likely to utter the words “Not tonight honey”.

·       While the women sleep their way around New York, Los Angeles, London, Sidney and a few other cities, they don’t give a second thought to sexually transmitted diseases. They meet a man who can help them reach their goal and hup, they’re between the sheets. Whatever happened to women making it on their own? Isn’t it a little degrading that they still use sex as a means of advancement?

·       The men in author X’s stories invariably look like George Clooney. I can only sigh and shake my head at the comparison. I mean really, is there only one attractive man on earth? Personally I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve seen Clooney in his early years in the TV series E.R. and in movies such as “Up in the Air” and “The Descendants” and I see nothing special. He’s a good actor, but as far as looks are concerned he’s not my cup of tea.

·       The women in author X’s stories are always chic and glamorous. They wear designer clothing (of course, if you worked 18 hours a day in a power job you could afford designer labels too), their hair is always smooth and sleek no matter what the weather conditions are, and short of mascara and a bit of lip gloss they wear no makeup. They are blessed with a natural beauty.

Darn, I wish I was blessed with a natural beauty. When there’s moisture in the air my hair turns frizzy no matter what I do.
As for makeup, I need the full nine yards. If I was to just use a bit of mascara and lip gloss I’d look like death warmed up.

While some people will undoubtedly enjoy a story about millionaires and their entourage, that doesn’t mean that author X has to be the sole provider of those stories. Can’t she write about something else? 

Then again, maybe I’m taking this all a bit too seriously. After all, it is just fiction. But if I am taking these stories seriously, I’m hardly the only one. One woman posted on author X’s website “Could you give Adam H.  my phone number? Even though he’s selfish and arrogant, I want to marry him (and his billions)”.