Summary

The author, previously unaffected by insomnia, has recently been struggling with sleep, trying various methods to overcome this new challenge without success.

Abstract

The author of the article has recently begun experiencing insomnia, a condition they had not suffered from before. Despite being able to fall asleep easily in the past, they now face difficulty both in falling asleep and staying asleep. The author has attempted numerous recommended strategies to combat insomnia, such as adjusting room temperature, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding late meals, and using sleep aids like guided meditations and audio tracks designed to induce sleep. Despite these efforts, the author finds themselves unable to sleep at 1:45 am as they write about their struggle, expressing a newfound understanding and empathy for others who suffer from insomnia, and hoping that this phase is temporary.

Opinions

The author admits to a previous lack of empathy towards friends with insomnia, having not experienced the condition themselves.
They express skepticism about the effectiveness of sleep aids, particularly those with titles like "Fall Asleep In 7 Minutes," implying that such claims are exaggerated.
The author believes that mobile phone use and blue light may be contributing to their disrupted sleep patterns, despite efforts to mitigate these effects.
There is a sense of desperation and urgency due to the need for sleep to fulfill the next day's work commitments.
The author extends an apology to a friend they previously doubted about insomnia struggles, indicating a shift in their understanding of the condition.
The author holds onto hope that their current bout of insomnia is a temporary phase and that normal sleep patterns will resume soon.

I’ve Never Suffered from Insomnia … Until Now

(Please help me get some sleep)

I’ve never suffered from Insomnia. I guess I was one of those lucky ones. I would either fall off soon after my head hit the pillow or not long after. I may have had the odd night here and there when sleep could not find me. Thankfully those occasions were few and far between.

That was until three months ago when I started to suffer from insomnia.

Insomnia is defined as

“difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep”.

I never took it seriously before.

When a friend told me of his sleepless nights. (I apologize now for the lack of empathy I showed at the time.)

You see I didn’t really understand what you were going through.

I thought it was you. I thought anyone should be able to call sleep as and when they wanted it to visit.

But over the past three months, I can count on my hands the nights I have been able to fall off to sleep quickly.

The rest have been filled with this incessant struggle to get off to sleep. Then to stay sleeping.

I’ve tried many things that are suggested to bring on sleep.

…

Here are a few of them:-

· Adjusting the room temperature.

· Not eating too close to bedtime.

· Going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time.

· Getting up, having a hot drink, then trying again to re-wire my brain to train sleep to come.

· Listening to audio with titles like “Fall Asleep In 7 Minutes” — (they didn’t work. Explains why the audio was longer than 7 minutes in the first place!!).

· Changing to decaf coffee after 2 pm.

· Using guided sleep meditations.

…

I’ve been told it’s the mobile phone and blue light that are also disrupting my sleep patterns.

I’ve tried not using my mobile phone for the golden hour before bedtime.

Even kept my phone in a different room.

It has made no difference.

I write this to you at 1:45 am and I cannot sleep.

My eyes feel tired. I know that I need to sleep. I have a full day of work tomorrow. I desperately need to sleep.

But my body won’t allow my eyes to shut and my brain to turn off.

To all the insomniacs out there.

For the first time, I understand your pain.

To my friend who I didn’t believe — I am sorry.

I can only hope that this is a passing phase and that sleep will come back and this time that it will stay with me.