Chasing my Dreams

The little girl just couldn't sleep, 

Because her thoughts were way too deep, 

Her mind had gone out for a stroll, 

And fallen down a rabbit hole.

I stumbled across that little rhyme one night while surfing Pinterest.  I am not sure who wrote it (Lewis Carroll maybe?), but it describes me perfectly.  It doesn't matter what day of the week it is or where I am in the world, if it's 3:00 AM, I am awake and my mind is racing. 

When I was a kid, I would occasionally sleepwalk. Other than that, I slept well pretty much every single night. I even indulged in frequent, luxurious, afternoon naps.  It was fantastic.  Me and sleep? We had it all going on.   

As an adult, sleep and I had a pretty good run for quite a few years.  As in my childhood, I could fall asleep anywhere, anytime.  I could fall asleep sitting on concrete steps with a tornado whirling overhead, and I'd sleep like a baby.  In fact, I used to actually have to fight the urge to fall asleep. Seriously, if I so much as even tried to "rest my eyes for just a few minutes", I'd be down for the count.  See ya in the morning! 

I am not sure exactly when things went off the rails with me and sleep, but we have been on the outs for quite some time now.  I think it all began about four years ago.   I was going through some life changes when insomnia stopped by and decided to set up camp.  Sleep eventually got edged out, one hour at a time.  Sleep and I have not quite been able to repair our relationship since then.  Insomnia is a jerk...clearly.  Things have improved recently though.  I do get a "decent night's sleep" for the most part, but I still never sleep entirely through the night.  I miss sleep.  Sleep was a good friend.

I need to figure this out though, for many reasons: I have bags under my eyes all the time (not a great look for me), my body begs for a nap every single afternoon (about the same time my boss starts cranking up my workload, of course), my mind gets fuzzy in critical situations, I'm constantly yawning at inappropriate times, I get sleep deprivation headaches, and worst of all, I have been gaining weight nonstop ever since my sleep issues began.  

I've read numerous reports from reputable sources about the connection between sleep deprivation and obesity.  They have proven medically that there are metabolic consequences for not getting enough sleep.  Fact: sleeping poorly increases a person's risk of developing obesity.  Apparently, the body perceives sleep deprivation as stress, so it begins to produce the hormone cortisol to protect itself. Did I mention that cortisol causes belly fat?  So yeah, there's that.  Oy.     

I am looking for lasting change on this journey.  I not only want to lose weight, I also want to be healthy in every aspect.  It is time to mend the fences with my long lost friend sleep, once and for all.  So tonight, I begin what I am dubbing "Project Sleepy Time."  I am pulling out all the stops!

Project Sleepy Time Rules:

1.  Turn off lights/TV/electronics about a 1/2 hour before bedtime
2.  Turn on the "Sleep Pillow" app (noise machine) on my phone and set the timer for 1 hour
3.  Keep bedroom cool and dark
4.  Mist bed with lavender essential oil before crawling in to sleep
5.  Turn on salt lamp at dinner time to produce positive ions in the bedroom (shut off at bedtime)
6.  If/when I awake at 3 AM, do NOT look at my phone
7.  Do simple yoga stretches for relaxation about 1/2 hour before bedtime
8.  Ceiling fan on....always!
9.  Make a point to think happy, relaxing thoughts as I drift off
10. Go to bed early enough to actually have time for a full 8 hours of sleep

I feel pretty good about this plan.  Time will tell, but I think it will work.  I am resolute about following these rules, hard core. It's time I stepped up and stopped being so cavalier about this issue.  I need to give my body every advantage possible to get and stay healthy.  I want to patch things up with sleep and put our differences behind us once and for all.  I want to kick insomnia to the curb, like  a bad boyfriend!  Beginning tonight...armed with nothing more than my rules, my pup, and the sweet sound of crashing waves pumping out from my Sleep Pillow app.  I've got this.  Zzzzzzzz........