There is a verse in the Everything But The Girl song We Walk The Same Line which goes
I'm not suffering from it now, but this morning I was wide awake at 4 am lying in bed with my eyes as large and round as a bushbaby's.
I have a reason to be awake.
I have a solicitor's appointment later this morning.
So thoughts have been running through my head with the constant roar of tube trains through acentral line tunnel.
I've cleaned the kitchen floor. I've walked four disgruntled dogs and I've had breakfast.
I've rearranged every cushion in the living room after Winnie had scattered them last night and I've read the on line paper.
Apparently insomnia is on the rise and the reason for this is said to be our increasing use of smart phones and iPads.
Like I said, I usually sleep like a baby, so this in-the -middle -of -the-night thing is a new horror for me.
And I bet you could tell meI've never suffered from insomnia.
How slowly four follows three
And you're most forlorn
Just before dawn
I'm not suffering from it now, but this morning I was wide awake at 4 am lying in bed with my eyes as large and round as a bushbaby's.
I have a reason to be awake.
I have a solicitor's appointment later this morning.
So thoughts have been running through my head with the constant roar of tube trains through acentral line tunnel.
I've cleaned the kitchen floor. I've walked four disgruntled dogs and I've had breakfast.
I've rearranged every cushion in the living room after Winnie had scattered them last night and I've read the on line paper.
Apparently insomnia is on the rise and the reason for this is said to be our increasing use of smart phones and iPads.
Like I said, I usually sleep like a baby, so this in-the -middle -of -the-night thing is a new horror for me.
I loved Everything but the Girl. -glad to be reminded of them. May all go well at the solicitor's. x
ReplyDeleteWishing you well at the appointment. I am very familiar with insomnia, unfortunately...
ReplyDeleteI also "Love Everything but the Girl"
ReplyDeleteGood Luck at the solicitors.
Big hugs to you from Tucson.
cheers, parsnip and badger
I have had years of insomnia, not realising it was caused by anaemia. 3am seems to be the time for every reasonable or ridiculous fear to surface.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a blip for you, I'm sure
Xo
Welcome to the club! I usually retire quite early, as I'm usually very tired. I sleep until about midnight, then listen to the radio until 5.30 am, when I get up. This has been my routine for almost as long as I can remember.
ReplyDeleteCro, You might like to read the following:
Deleteslumberwise.com/science/your-ancestors-didnt-sleep-like-you/
A native American friend says it was common for those who woke up in the night to talk softly with one another as the others slept, for an hour or two, then go back to sleep. That was before radios and other electronics.
Jul
Best of luck at the solicitors. I gather you'll be relieved when it's over, whatever it's for.
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong insomniac (though not so severe as to require constant medication) I thoroughly envy you. Fairly typically, I was up in the very early hours reading W.B.Yeats, having retired at 8.30 p.m., then watching the 2 a.m. Sky News, Will try to catch up on more sleep in an hour or two. Thus the days (and nights) go - and it ain't fun!
Good luck today. xx
ReplyDeleteYour in my thoughts today John. Insomnia has been a thorn in my side since the pharmacist and I separated. I shouldn’t bring my phone to bed but I do. Gabs
ReplyDeleteI am all too familiar with three and four am, and usually give up and get up before five. I hope that you don't fall into the trap. I really hope it. And hope that the visit to the solicitor goes well.
ReplyDeleteIf I am awake in the night and manage to get back to sleep then I have the strangest dreams !
ReplyDeleteThinking of you x
Me too. I was awake at 4am and eventually got up at 6am after tossing and turning for a while. I don't have your excuse though, I have no appointments today but my mind woke up and everything that worries me came crowding in. (I also have one very disgruntled dog who is most annoyed that we're up so early) Hubby on the other hand is snoring merrily as we speak :D Hope your meeting goes well and have a nice nap later, your animals will appreciate that!
ReplyDeleteDon't think of 4am as the middle of the night, just early morning.
ReplyDeleteHope the appointment goes well so you can sleep better tonight
Things that seem insurmountable and impossible at 3 am shrink back to normal proportions in daylight. I always remind myself of that if I'm lying awake, and try to think of other things. Hope the appointment goes well.
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DeleteComments deleted because I type before I think and could have said it better.
DeleteI am often awake at 3 on the dot.. pisses me off no end...I wake up and count the hours in the clock till 7.15am....and then of course I could sleep like a baby gaaa
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland
Good luck at the solicitor's John! I hope you get some constructive advice to move things forward. As a married man you have rights.
ReplyDeleteBushbaby eyes are most beautiful
ReplyDeleteMake sure that your substantial contributions to the arrangement are taken into consideration. I'm sure you will.
ReplyDeleteIt's 50/50 contributions just go into the pot
DeleteIronically, I'm reading this at 4:30 a.m.
ReplyDeleteFor all of us who’ve loved and lost and pondered same in the wee hours.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/wDjeBNv6ip0
Wishing you good luck for today. I went through a few months of insomnia earlier this year. I have found a thought process that helps me drift off again. I hope it continues to work. The following day is dreadful otherwise.
ReplyDelete'In the Dark Times, Will there also be singing?
ReplyDeleteYes, there will also be singing.
About the Dark Times'.
Bertolt Brecht
Good Luck today. Keep the Heid, as we say up here.xxx
Good luck today John, will be thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteinsomnia came to me with menopause. most weeks I am ok, and then I will hit a stretch of ups-n-downs during the night.
ReplyDeleteYour description gave me an instant image of a bushbaby! I think they are adorable. Now that I am past 50, sleep isn't the luxury it used to be. I hope your appointment goes smoothly, and you are relieved when it is all over. Then you can come home and have a snooze in a comfy chair with dog or two. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI have almost never slept like a baby, especially not when I was a baby apparently. And I don’t even have the stresses running through my head right now that you have. Hope it’s not too difficult a day and that you sleep like a baby tonight.
ReplyDeleteJenny sleeps like a baby at any time of day or night, but I usually wake up at about five o'clock. Very annoying. But I don't have a smartphone and I only occasionally use Jenny's iPad. I have no idea what's screwing up my body clock.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the solicitor.
I hope your middle-of-the-night anxiety eases soon. Dealing with lawyers and the law is stressful, I know. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAll the best for today. As so many have said, lawyers and stress go hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother went to bed at 7:30 every night and was up by 5am every morning.. the early morning was her time and she relished it to have her coffee... tend to her flowers when the sun peeked out... If i have a night where i can't sleep i just get up and make the most of it.. do something then try again to lie down and sleep in a little while.. Thank goodness it doesn't happen often.. Best wishes with all the goings on today.. Be thinking about you . Hugs! deb
ReplyDeleteFor whatever comfort this might bring, I barely slept for months after my husband died ... then one night I just slept. All night and woke up feeling more myself again. I hope the same happens for you.
ReplyDeleteAll the best today at your appointment . ..
ReplyDeleteInsomnia is such a pain . . .
I can accomplish a ton of things in daylight
but laying awake in the dark . . .
impossible to accomplish anything!
Anticipation will disturb sleep, take care, I hope all goes as well as can be expected today.
ReplyDeleteI've slept like a baby for awhile now. Up every two to three hours to pee. Stress is a major factor in some cases of insomnia. Have you tried soft music? My sister keeps recommending hemp, but I ain't going there.
ReplyDeleteI hate bouts of insomnia, but for me I am lucky as they often pass. I love Everything But the Girl - you have reminded me to go and listen again to their music.
ReplyDeleteMaybe its just nerves.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. Thinking always does me in too.
ReplyDeleteI've never understood the saying "sleep like a baby" to describe sleeping well. Must have been made up by someone who never had a baby. They are up ALL night, for years. Now, "sleep like a teenager" there we have something! ;)
ReplyDeleteFor the last 4 years,a good nights sleep is one where I sleep until 4-5am. A 'normal' night is one where I'm awake from 2am onwards.
ReplyDeleteI have not been a great sleeper since I lost my beloved John. I find I put out my hand in the middle of the night and he is not there to hold it and I am instantly wide awake and can't get back to sleep. Hard to keep bad thoughts at bay. My advice is to go with it - even get up and read a book for an hour, have a drink and then go back to bed.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that appointment today.
The picture you painted brought tears to my eyes x
DeleteIn the last three months since my husband died, I've been doing the same thing. It's easier to distract the mind during the day, but at night it's almost impossible. I recently read a quote from Eric Idle of Monty Python fame where he said during the day he was an optimist, but at night he was a pessimist. Yep, sounds familiar.
ReplyDeleteDearest John, all the best for your appointment today. I've been sleeping badly since Grant passed ten months ago. Like Cro, I'm exhausted because I work myself into this state and retire early. And I wake every morning at 3. Jo xx
ReplyDeleteWhen I have trouble sleeping I do a bit of self hypnosis. As a child I’d just think through my prayers over and over and pretty soon I’d be asleep. As an adult I learned a different mantra and it works every time, but sometimes takes a while to really get my brain’s attention.
ReplyDeleteI repeat ( and do) the following four things that I learned from a book on tai chi: 1) relax. 2)pay attention to your breathing. 3) feel one with the earth, and 4) do nothing extra. The do nothing extra is the hard part. When my thoughts creep/crowd back in I keep returning to my 4 thinking points, especially the breathing and ‘do nothing extra’. I’ve been doing this for years and now it works rather quickly. I let my brain run on awhile and then cut it off by concentrating on my breathing. Zzzzzzzzz
By now you’re.back home and napping, I hope.
I use an app on my phone call d Insight timer. It’s a site that offers meditation. There are some excellent ones for drifting back to sleep. Try it it’s free.
ReplyDeleteInsomnia is a miserable thing to have. I have never slept well, even as a child, so I am used to it and no longer consider it insomnia. For me it is just normal.
ReplyDeleteI am sure once your worries are alleviated and everything settles down, you will sleep more peacefully.
I wish you the best of luck today and a good night's sleep when it is all over.
ReplyDeleteHope everything goes well at the meeting. This is definitely an occasion to lead with your head and not your heart. Hope you get a better sleep tonight.
ReplyDeleteHope today was a positive step for you and it went well xx Hoping too you sleep well tonight.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has had bouts of insomnia since childhood, I totally sympathise. Being awake in the middle of the night makes you feel very alone ... I hope today's meeting wasn't too stressful x
ReplyDeleteIt was
DeleteNot surprising John, given what I assume was the purpose of the meeting. Chin up sweetie.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, John. I hope this is all settled and done sooner rather than later and you can move on with your life. You will be okay again, you know.
ReplyDeleteYou do know that, right?
xxo
Belatedly wishing you well and hope all in your life will settled down peacefully so you can sleep all night - unless you're on a night shift, of course.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
I've had insomnia for many years now. I'm used to it and can usually work around it. Now that I'm retired, I can sleep much later in the morning. Doctor appointments, and other appointments are usually difficult to set up for my sleeping schedule, and taking my thyroid medicine at a time that the doctor approves of is difficult.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you can get back to your regular sleeping habits soon. Take care.
You should turn on the light and read a good book until you're sleepy again. BTW, I just want you to know how much I like the top three pictures on the right on your page.
ReplyDeleteThe only times I've ever had problems sleeping were when I was under massive stress. Usually I sleep as a way to suspend the stress for awhile. If this is at all true for you, it's an indication of how stressful you expected the lawyer visit to be. And for that I am so sorry. xxx
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My sleep schedule has been erratic since my husband died. Part of it is probably my fault as I endulged my nite owl tendencies. Working part time, on call, feast or famine, played havoc with planning. Cant seem to get a sleep schedule more consistent but maybe should have started sooner doing so. I would think your night shift work would contribute to your challenge.
ReplyDeleteGood luck today John, I've been in the situation you're facing. I can only liken the experience to being hit in the face with a wet cod! Unpleasant and a bit numbing.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, I've gone back to my books at bedtime as I found playing around on my phone or tablet just before lights out was really disrupting my sleep and giving me the weirdest dreams.
ReplyDeletegood stuff!
ReplyDelete