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Sweet Dreams. Eventually.

Do you ever have trouble falling asleep?  I don’t.  Not since I’ve had three kids, anyway.  Give me 10 minutes, and I can fall asleep practically anywhere.  My bed, the car, an airplane, the family room couch, A-N-Y-where.  Most nights it takes less than 10 minutes for me to fall asleep.  I like it this way.  I love to sleep. 

On a VERY rare occasion, most often when I’ve been pregnant, or if I’ve unintentionally consumed a cup of caffeinated coffee too late in the evening, I will find myself lying in bed, wide awake, unable to get to sleep.  When Husband has trouble falling asleep, which is not unusual, he always gets up and goes downstairs to watch TV or something.  Not me.  I refuse.  On the rare occasion that I have trouble sleeping, I will lie in bed until my body finally succumbs.  I’m stubborn like that.

Well.  Yesterday I was dragging.  I had stayed up way too late the night before, watching Lost.  (We just rented Season 1.  Yeah, yeah, we’re behind the times.  Better late than never, right?)  Then I had risen at 5:15 for my morning walk.  So by 3:00 in the afternoon, I felt like I’d been drugged.  And Husband was going to be working late, so I knew there would be no relief at dinnertime. 

So finally, I laid down on the couch and indulged in one of those quasi-naps where you are still pretty much aware of everything going on around you.  You hope.  Because you have a 21-month-old who likes to play in the toilet and other such charming activities.

At 4:00, I roused myself and stumbled over to the kitchen counter to make myself a cup pot of coffee.  You know where this is going, right?

I never thought about it!  It was FOUR O’CLOCK, people.  Not 9:00 or 8:00 or even 7:00.  FOUR in the afternoon.  I drank two cups of strong coffee and then waited like a junkie for my fix. 

Yes, I know I’m supposed to be limiting my coffee intake due to my charming triad of gastrointestinal ailments (the GERD, the gastritis, and the IBS, in case you are a newer reader and weren’t privileged to be here when I was discussing all sorts of reflux and bowel issues.  I know you must be sorry you missed it.  If you are REALLY interested, there is a category labeled Heath and Wellness over there on my sidebar.  But all you really need to know is, I have a plethora of gastrointestinal disorders that make my life at best uncomfortable and at worst debilitating, although fortunately the debilitating times are few and far between.) 

Suffice it to say, I really should NOT be drinking excessive amounts of coffee.  But sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.  And let’s face it, living without coffee is kind of like blogging without comments; what’s the point?  You feelin’ me?  I thought as much.

So.  The coffee did the trick, and the kids and I survived the rest of the evening. 

Now, all day, my intention had been to go to bed with the kids at 9:00 because I had to get up this morning at 5:15 again, and I didn’t want to spend another day dragging like I was yesterday.  But.  When I climbed into bed for some much needed shut-eye, I found that I was W-I-D-E awake.  I lay there for about 15 minutes with my mind racing a mile a minute, and no sign of sleep in sight.  But I do not get up, so I continued to lay there.

Then I started thinking about that DVD of Lost we had downstairs.  Husband and I have been watching a couple three or four episodes a night, and there was one show left.  He had just gotten home, and I was sure he would love to watch it, but he would never watch without me.  But I don’t get up, remember?

Well, I got up.  I broke my insomnia policy.  I know, I’m such a rebel.  But really, it was for him.  It was!  I hated to deprive Husband of an evening of Lost.

So.  We watched the last episode, and I didn’t nod off even once, proof positive that the caffeine was still coursing through my veins.  In fact, I was still W-I-D-E awake when it was over.  By then it was 11:00, and I knew that I had to get some sleep.  So I resorted to a Unisom tablet that I had left over from when I was pregnant with R, and we were buying this house and selling our old one, and let’s just say that sleep did not come easily for a couple of weeks while our lives were in upheaval.  I hadn’t taken one since, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Sure enough, 30 minutes later, I was sound asleep, and I slept like a baby until the alarm woke me up at 5:15 this morning.  So here I am, trying to figure out how I’m going to make it through another day on six hours of sleep.  I know one thing.  I’m not making a pot of coffee at 4:00!

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11 Responses

  1. Oh my, a new LOST fan! You know I’m counting down the days till the new season. You need to catch up by then!

    (oh, yeah, and try to get some sleep!)

  2. Hi! I have been reading for a couple of weeks and really had a good laugh on this one. You took the words right out of my mouth. Everything you described is totally me. Except we have pushed through all the LOST seasons and can now watch it with the rest of the world. You have lots of frustration ahead, my friend. I am sure you are already confused and LOST, but just wait. Anyway, hope you make it through the day. I am about to go make my coffee.

  3. I have never seen Lost but got J. the first season for Chris*tmas so think I will borrow it. I’m the kind that I’m almost asleep before my head hits the pillow too so hate it when I have the once a year sleepless night. R on the other hand hasn’t had a good nights sleep in years poor guy.

  4. You are a rebel! I try to lie there too and it can get frustrating. Of course, I always pollute my body with coffee throughout the day, so it has built up a tolerance.
    LOST is sooo good, glad y’all are catching up. One of my favorite things is watching an entire season of a show on DVD. I’m a nerd.

  5. Hot chocolate is my drug of choice. I can’t get enough. ANd though it doesn’t keep me awake it has other, well, side effects. I really need to cut back before my thighs explode.

  6. I hope you aren’t dragging too much today and can make it through to sleep well tonight. I didn’t think caffeine ever effected me, and actually don’t think it did for years. I could drink a pot of coffee or a 2-liter of coke (not that I actually did that) and go right to sleep. Now days – not so much. And I think I’m finally figuring out why it’s common for me to be wide awake at 2 or 3 in the morning! Maybe I should consider cutting back!

    But at least you got caught up on the first season of Lost – and I’m sure you are totally hooked now! (How could you not be?) ;o)
    Sweet Dreams tonight!!

  7. I just discovered your blog and love it! I totally get you on the coffee in the afternoon – sometimes you just have to.

    Welcome to the wonderful world of LOST- it’s the best show ever. That’s how I found all the mommy blogs- I pulled myself away from the Lost blogs since there was nothing new to read.

  8. Thanks! As I come to your blog for the first time …you put thoughts of coffee…mmmmmm (starbucks~~@ home!!)…::drooling:: in my head!

    Great! Well I’m safe. . .its 12:30pm and I could use a little pick me up!!

    We’ve all been through this! Tuff it out and you’ll sleep great tonight!

  9. I still haven’t succumbed to Lost yet 😉

    I only wish I was a good sleeper. I have never been one who could just lay down and fall asleep easily. Oh no. Must hash out my life every night before I sleep. *rolls eyes*

  10. AND you’re a Lost fan???? Wow. We are total junkies. There were many a night when some terrible parenting went on as we tried to catch up with the DVD’s. We also like 24. Do you watch that? Also, I just noticed our blog names are similar. I swear I didn’t see yours before I made mine. I am a little overwhelmed at all the great blogs out there. I am confused at how to add the cool extras to my page. I have a myspace profile that has more on it. Check it out too:
    https://www.myspace.com/gbeth

    GLory