April 16, 2018
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Falling Asleep
I just got home from a ten day trip to Arkansas. Four of those days were spent driving and six were spent with family. It was nice to be able to see my mom more than I usually do and hang out with my sisters, brother-in-law and various nieces, nephews and greats. I even managed to spend some time with my brother, my uncle and a cousin on the way down. It was all very nice, but I was still on medication from a very nasty sinus infection and was exhausted the entire time I was there. I went to bed early most nights, took a strong sleeping pill and slept late most mornings. And yet, I still felt tired all day and yawned constantly.
My doctor recently prescribed a weaker strength of the sleeping pill. I'd had the old, stronger ones in my pill box for months because I don't like to take them when I'm alone in the house. They work really well and I tend to sleep through things that should wake me up, like the neighbor's house burning down a few years ago. My last night in Arkansas, I was out of the strong pills and took one of the weaker ones. I was still awake at 4:30 AM. It was a very rough eight hour drive to the hotel I'd booked in Illinois. I had to take the weak pill that night, as well, making for another very rough eight hour drive home. I'll never understand why it's so hard to fall asleep at night in bed, but so easy to fall asleep while driving. I talked to my doctor today and she gave me permission to go back to the strong pills.
The following poem describes how most of my nights pass. I'm sure there are many people who can identify with my lifelong struggle with insomnia and have passed many similar nights.
This poem uses prompt #4 from the National Poetry Month "Feeling Foolish Scavenger Hunt" put out by murisopsis.
Turn and toss,
Twist in the covers,
Check the time.
Stand and stretch,
Straighten nightgown, smooth the sheets,
Lie back down again.
Aching back;
Pull out heating pad.
Sip water;
Have to pee.
How can night pass so slowly,
And dawn come so fast?
Comments (3)
I'm so sorry you have trouble sleeping. I meet with 2 of my friends every week to chat, drink coffee and pray. They both have trouble sleeping too. I used to have no problems at all. Now of course I have to get up a few times during the night to pee. Usually I go right back to sleep but not always. I'm glad you had a good visit, and Very glad you didn't fall asleep while you were driving.
I, too, usually get up once or twice in the night, but go right back to sleep. I'm glad your visit with family was so good -- and maybe your lack of sleep was partly because of the stimulus of being with family or the fatigue of conversations. I hope that you'll do better now that you're home!
Awesome poem but I'm truly sad that this comes from personal experience. At least the doctor has approved for you to go back to the pills that worked. Of course it is usually better in your own bed as the strange places/bed/not your pillow can really take you out of the routine that some need to fall asleep.
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