I have a life long relationship with insomnia. My mother tells me that when I was just a wee thing, I would climb out of my cot, make my way to my parents bedroom at 2 o'clock in the morning and poke them awake with requests for play, stories and the like. As I got older I was called a "night owl", unable to sleep until the early hours of the morning. As an adult, I have passed in and out of days on end unable to quiet my brain from all the thoughts and wonderings. So still, sometimes my head spins and I can not sleep.
Just a sampling of what keeps me awake these days...
Will the sour dough starter work it's magic science and turn into the hoped for source of delicious breads and pancakes?
After ages of not buying any new fabric, have I gone over board with a rare obsession with
Lily Ashbury - Trade Winds for Moda?
How long has it been since I made a quilt. Too long. What kind should I make; whole cloth, patchy, stripy? How big? How long will it take, what fabric? Oh my.
How shall I dress 'The Couch that Mocks Me'? It's time for a change, again. Perhaps I should do a blog post about it, a retrospective of The Mocking Couch!
Oh dear school is about to start, I should get those school supplies.
Where should we go on our last camping trip before summer is officially over?
What shall I do with all of the potatoes we dug up today?
Pancakes for breakfast?
How about you? Do you sleep quick and sure every night? Do you lie awake thinking and spinning? What keeps you awake?
Even the horrible heatwave can't keep me awake for long... but our Son 1 (the pizza maker/eater on my latest post) is a real insomniac too. I think it's good for him to know he's not the only one, and that it's not an abnormality that will ruin his life. Do keep us up to date on the Couch that Mocks You - I often link to you when I refer once again to my own mocking sofa. And thanks for your comment - have a wonderful camping trip, wherever you go.
ReplyDeleteInsomnia is a powerful and frustrating thing to deal with. Good for you for finding ways to be creative with your extra time. Now get some rest!
ReplyDeleteOh my Dear...I have shared with you before, the struggle I have had all of my life too. My brain does this day and night. I have found a friend in Benadryl, one at night, for some reason, works for me. Also, I have kind of accepted that the way I think can be good if I choose one thing and do it...you are laughing right along with me right now, easier said than done, huh?
ReplyDeleteYou know I love 'The Couch That Mocks Me' and would enjoy you doing a blog post about it!
Have a lovely week. xo
I have had a little bit of a bought with insomnia, thankfully I can climb out of bed and read blogs. I come from a long line of insomniacs. My husband and I started a batch of sourdough starter last Sunday. We are hoping ours turns out as well.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment it is lists that are keeping me awake at night.
ReplyDeleteLists for how we are going to get this every thing including the kitchen sink costume finished by Monday.
Lists about have we sold the house, haven't we sold the house, will I find schools for the boys, will they be happy, will they ever start to behave themselves, will we sell the house before the stress of keeping it clean and tidy kills me off?
Oh you know the usual stuff!
Love the idea of a make over for the couch that mocks.
I've always been able to sleep, but since à couple of years I know these nights where my head can't stop thinking. I think it is hard, especially a day later at work. But I don't know a solution unfortunately. But it's kind of nice to know you're not the only one. ;)
ReplyDeleteSewing all evening until bedtime: I then spend the whole night tossing and turning and stitching imaginary zips and unpicking imaginary seams!
ReplyDeleteSleep well!
Pomona x
I've been trying to practise meditation! Not easy when you have a brain that runs at 100 miles an hour! I've had some success and am now sleeping better! I think having a creative mind can make our brains swirl! Hope you get some sleep! Ada :)
ReplyDeleteSerious insomnia, lifelong. Anything can keep me up.
ReplyDeleteI get where you're coming from Alex!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother was a terrible insomniac, and it seems I have gone the same way. Churning silly worries over in my head mostly. If i do sleep i wake at the slightest noise. It doesn't help that my partner has severe sleep apnea and wears a mask/machine to breath at night. Like the humming sound you hear on a plane/air conditioning unit. Better than V loud snoring tho!!!
I hope you get some sleep tonight.XXJ
I have no solution for insomnia but wanted to tell you that with all that yellow floral happy on the mocking sofa it looks as if my mocking sofa has a relative! love it (even if it is temporary)!
ReplyDeleteInsomnia sucks! I used to think I did my best thinking in the wee small hours of the night, I was an incredibly problem solver and planner at 2 - 5 am and then good for nothing for the rest of the day! Then I went to a hypnotherapist and made a few drastic lifestyle changes and started sleeping better.
ReplyDeleteHard work though!
Jo x
My mum often tells of the time where she had to drag me out of bed on Christmas Day because there was no signs of me getting up.
ReplyDeleteI love sleep, there's no getting round that...Still I have these phases when I can't sleep no matter what I do. Years ago when I lived at home, my mum would bring me stacks of library books home, I'd read till I got drowsy, birds would start tweeting , I'd be lucky to have an hours sleep and have to get up for work. I even had some jumped up supervisor tell me 'my eye bags were a mess and maybe I should go to bed instead of partying all night' . I bloody wish!
Whatever you may be thinking of craft wise when you are in bed .. draw it out the next day. To me that helps a bit, because its not swimming around for the next night
I've been known to go days before getting sleep and then just crash. Dear hubby hits the pillow and is out - his secret - He's says he just think of nothing! How do you think of nothing? Aren't you still thinking? lol now you can see why I stay awake all night.
ReplyDeleteMy brain has a terrible time slowing down, 'though since I've had early bird kids, my body has managed to adjust somewhat. But I hit the caffeine too late in the day today, so I'm up well past midnight puttering around. It's sort of nice to be up when the whole house is quiet. :)
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the insomnia. I have a hard time sleeping when I am anxious about something or if I am trying to plan things. But, sometimes my best ideas have come in the middle of the night! Oh, I can't wait to see what you quilt! I know it will be beautiful! xo Heather
ReplyDeletemy son has this, reading through your comments makes me realize he may have to deal with this on a long term basis. I hope he can make his life work around it as most of you seem to have done. Your new quilting idea looks exciting! Heather x
ReplyDeleteSitting at the computer late at night is a recipe for bad sleep, I have found. Mind you I still do it. I sometimes worry about not getting to sleep which makes the problem worse but right now I'm tired so seem to be ok.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, you've just reminded me about things I really should be doing ...
I seem to be running on about 4 hours sleep a night at the moment. So you have my sympathy. At least you have delicious new fabrics to fill your wakeful hours. So pretty. I see a strip quilt, wonder if I'm right :D
ReplyDeleteI too have been labelled a night owl and have never been a good sleeper. Though sheer exhaustion from herding up 3 kids on a daily basis has improved my ability to crash of an evening somewhat.
ReplyDeleteTis a shame that you are on the other side of the world in a different time zone or we could sit up and drink chai lates and discuss that couch of yours in the wee hours ;)
I get insomnia too. Especially with full moons. I have a few solution suggestions. 1. Rescue Remedy Sleep Aid. 2. White Chestnut Bach Flower Remedy (for the restless brain). 3. Sleep with your head at the foot of your bed.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I'm definitely a night owl, and I'm not the only one in my family either. Unfortunately, Matt works early mornings, so there are often several days at a time where I don't crawl into bed until an hour or two just before he's about to wake up. To compensate, I do most of my reading at night while he's sleeping, but sometimes I'll have a huge to-do list (like yours) on my mind, and I have to get up and write it all out to ease my anxiety. Other times, I'll come up with a great idea, and I MUST get up and act on it straight away.
ReplyDeleteI honestly do wish I was more of a morning person. I love early mornings! Especially in the winter time when it's still dark outside, but I can only maintain an early-morning schedule for a week or two before I start to fall back again. Oh well!
Anyway, you're making me want to get another sourdough starter going! I miss my sourdough breads. :)