Feels Like Insomnia

I am what most people would probably call a nocturnal creature. Looking back, that well recommended 8 hours of sleep has eluded almost all my life. When I was a kid, I could remember my mom and my dad forcing me to sleep in the afternoons. In college, my earliest bedtime would be 12MN and on a weekend... well it would be at 6AM after partying on a Friday or Saturday.

In those days, sleeping for a couple of hours is an advantage. It was a student's badge of honor- especially when cramming for exams, thesis, projects and power point presentations. But over the years, I noticed that my sleeping habits only got worse. The busier my schedule became, the later I slept. At first, less sleep was necessary. Being a socialite means that you're always at events, parties and social gatherings. These parties takes up more of my sleeping hours than it should- beginning at 9PM and almost ending at 5AM. Even when I go home and lay down in bed, my mind would be racing and on hyperactive mode. To make things worse, sometimes I would have such vivid dreams that it wouldn't feel like I slept at all.

Feels Like Insomnia

Sleeping (and the lack of it thereof) has never really bothered me in the past, but that was when I could sleep for just three to four hours and still have boundless energy afterward. It's a good thing that my lifestyle can be pretty flexible or otherwise I wouldn't have any sleep at all! These days, the habit is almost unbearable because I couldn't even sleep if I want to. This I believe is my body's way of telling me that it's time to change my habits- and fast!

Insomnia is a disturbance in nocturnal sleep patterns that causes adverse daytime consequences. It's common symptom is due to emotional and physical disorders. Some doctors may prescribe sleeping pills to cure Insomnia, but sometimes a drug still wouldn't work. I specifically hate the drowsiness that came afterwards like I have a sieve or something. I also tried acupuncture and getting a massage but to no effect at all. Some say it might even be depression- which of course does not apply to my lifestyle. I'm much too busy partying to be depressed!

So I figured, an alternate route may be the answer. My active mental state was probably the cause of it all. So what I did, is I relaxed and unwind properly to fall asleep. I abandoned my party lifestyle for 2 days just to get some well needed rest and relaxation. I started meditating while listening to music, switched my room lighting in the evening, bathed in warm water, minimized drinking soda (which is good for my diet as well), and got hooked on aromatherapy scents in my room.

I can't say that this means goodbye insomnia but it did helped quite a bit. I sleep better these days and I still have enough energy to get things done when I wake up without the hassle of the fuss.