My Nighttime Craving

I’ve got this crazy obsession. You’ll never guess what it is. Here are a few hints; see if you know what I’m talking about.

You do it in a bed. But when a bed isn’t available, you can do it anywhere. Without it, our species would die out. Lack of it makes you crabby as hell. Kids have a way of interfering with it. It’s harder for women to achieve it than men. It’s hard to ever get enough. It begins with “S.”

Ring any bells?

Yes, you got it. SLEEP!! Lately, I’ve been jonesing for it hardcore. I’ve always been a problem sleeper; just ask my parents, who had to move apartments because I wouldn’t stop crying all night. My first bout of insomnia was at the age of ten. What would keep a ten-year old awake? I don’t remember, I just remember watching the world outside my window go gray with dawn and realizing I hadn’t slept one single minute. 

 

In college I could put my sleepless nights to good use. As long as I retained enough brain activity to finish a paper or study for a test, I could skip the sleep. But by the time I’d graduated, I’d grown to crave sleep. I loved anything that promoted sleep and disliked things that didn’t. Wine fell into the first category, cocaine into the second. You’ll never catch me doing cocaine, speed, or anything likely to interfere with my sleep. I even quit drinking all caffeine because it kept me awake at night. How’s that for an anti-drug campaign? “Just Say No, I Need My Sleep.”

When I met my husband, I was impressed with his kind heart, his loving nature, and his incredible ability to sleep. The man is a phenom! He falls asleep the second he lies down, and can sleep soundly for hours and hours. If he gets woken up, he deals with the interruption good-naturedly, then goes right back to sleep. Meanwhile, I toss and turn; it might be hours before I can get back to sleep. I’ve been told that it takes 17 different chemicals for a woman to go to sleep, where as men need much fewer. Oh, the injustice!

By now, I know what helps and what doesn’t. I stay away from pharmaceutical sleep aids, but some herbal remedies can help. Reading is good, but the computer is bad. Valerian root does nothing for me. A warm bath can work. Lavendar is nice, as is the Chinese herb dong quai. But I’m always in the market for good sleep remedies.

What do you when you can’t sleep? Any surefire cures? 

Drowsily yours,

Juniper Bell