I Can’t Believe It — Last Night I Slept 8 Hours Straight!
Gradually improving my chronic insomnia by tackling two key areas
I’m gobsmacked, because last night I slept eight hours straight.
This never happens!
I was in bed before ten and up just before six, feeling pleasantly rested for the first time in what feels like decades. It’s such an unusual feeling, I’m writing this to work through it and leave a record of what it felt like in case it never happens again. But actually, I’m optimistic this wasn’t a one-off; that it’s going to repeat often enough to eventually feel normal.
Why the optimism? Because since making a few simple changes to my routine the last two weeks, my sleep has gradually been improving. A wee bit up and down, to be sure, but the overall movement is definitely up. I know two weeks isn’t long enough to prove anything, but given what I know about myself, it’s definitely grounds for hope.
Next I’m going to recount where I’ve been and then describe the changes I made, but before I do, please take note: I’m not making any claims about discovering how to banish insomnia forever. What I am doing is telling you what I’ve learned, and what I’ve done on the journey to improve my specific brand of the condition, that seems to be bearing fruit.
Then: sleep was once my super power
I didn’t know it then, but I had a super power when I was a teenager: quickly falling asleep, and staying that way for as long as I’d previously decided to.
Eight hour sleeps at night were the norm, and I could fall into a 20-minute power nap in less than a minute. Best of all, I could tell my brain what time to wake up, and my eyes would snap open at that precise time. When I set an alarm, I’d wake to find my hand poised over the off-button a second or two before it went off.
Enter, stage left: Life, in all its sleep-disrupting glory: babies, teenagers, illness, anxiety, work and money stress. I’m in my mid fifties now, and haven’t had consistently good sleep since my children were born back in the 90s.
Now: Oh — it’s actually me, not them… whoops!
Oh, my poor family! For too many years I’ve been wondering what’s wrong with them — torturing me with clicking pens, playing music and podcasts turned to the shrill side of the volume knob, and clattering dishes like it’s a decibel competition. Little did I suspect I might be the problem!
Without a diagnosis I can’t lay claim to any recognised condition, but I don’t need a medical professional to tell me I have sensory issues. A light went on in my noggin the other day when I stumbled upon a list of the symptoms of hyperacusis and misophonia.
Hyperacusis is an increased sensitivity to environmental noises, where sounds that seem normal to non-sufferers are perceived as painfully loud by hyperacusics. People with hyperacusis are often also tinnitus sufferers.
Misophonia is a related, though different condition, where certain sounds (not their volume) act as triggers to elicit strong emotions, including rage, fear, and panic. Source: Misophonia International ar
I don’t know which of these two conditions I suffer from, if any, but I do know that I regularly experience some mild symptoms of each. Should have seen my family’s faces when I read the list of indications to them. “Yep, that’s you,” they said, smiling wryly.
I can’t tell you how validating it feels to hear myself described in such clinical terms. As in, I’m not merely annoyingly strange, and I’m not alone! * happy sigh *
Two things I put on my body:
Ears
Right, back to those 8 delicious hours of sleep, and how I got there. The two things I started putting onto my body are earplugs, and an eye mask. So simple, but so profoundly effective!
First off, the ear wear. I’d seen the attractive Loop earplugs (referral link) around the internet for a while, and decided to give them to my mother for her birthday. To make up the amount needed for free shipping, I added a pair for myself. You know, just to try them out.
Best decision ever, people — life changing! Mum is happy with hers, and I will be forever grateful for mine. I now own a pair of each of the three types of Loops.
The Engage help me focus during the day, but wearing the Quiet at night time is where the true magic takes place!
Being an early riser, I generally pack up and get ready for bed around 9pm. Hubby often retires late, and the rest of the crew can be heard clattering about the kitchen or chatting with friends well after 10 or 11. Even when people are trying to be quiet (so they tell me), it sounds to me like a herd of rampaging rhinoceri.
With my earplugs gently but firmly in place, I’m able to hear the ocean-like sound of my breathing, and quickly settle into a bubble of peace and calm. It’s surprisingly comforting to be so aware of my own internal pneumatic rhythm.
Eyes
Next, the eye mask. It’s taken me until recently to twig that even small amounts of light streaming through the cracks at the sides of my blinds and under my door can disturb my sleep, or even fully wake me up.
When looking for a mask, you might like to consider these points:
Look for circular foam pieces that sit around the eye if you can’t bear pressure directly on the eye region
Make sure it can completely block out light in all directions (test it in a dark room)
Get a mask with an adjustable head strap. This is a must for me, as I can’t bear any kind of pressure on my generously sized head (one-size-fits-all hats, I scoff in your general direction)
Check the thickness of the band at the back and sides, plus any fastenings, to see if it will be comfortable to sleep in
I have a fairly generic, soft eye mask with two thin, adjustable, elastic head straps. The Trtl brand looks nice and doesn’t put pressure on the eye sockets, but I don’t know if it’s worth the steep price or not.
I’d been putting up with inside light pollution for years, recognising that it was impacting my sleep, but unconsciously blaming others instead taking action to solve it myself. But not any more!
…And two things I put into my belly
Food
I’ve started pre-preparing food according to the Bright Line Eating (BLE) protocol again. It’s something I used to do religiously, 2–3 years ago. BLE can be a weight-loss program if that’s what you need, but its biggest strength is in giving you a sense of control over food.
There’s a lot more I could write about this, but for now I’ll say that this way of eating massively reduces my cognitive load. It frees me to focus on where I’m going, instead of constantly battling with my various food issues. FYI, I’ve never bought any of the BLE programs; only ever read the book and followed the principles.
I prepare and pop these meals into containers in the fridge before the urge to eat hits me. The latter is the important part! I eat three meals with around 4 hours between each, leaving 16 hours for my body to do its thing without having to worry about more input getting in the way. Classic intermittent fasting. One version of it, anyway.
Each meal is enough to keep me satisfied until the next one. They contain no added sugar, which I suspect may be the biggest contributing factor to a whole raft of symptoms I experience when freely partaking of the sweet stuff.
The most interesting thing is this: when I start the day with good, healthy food and no added sugar (or intensely sweet things like sultanas and dates), my desire for sugar the rest of the day is significantly, even severely reduced. And that feels like a miracle in and of itself.
Water
A couple of months ago I treated myself to two Yeti insulated drink bottles; a 1-litre model with a straw, and a smaller cup for hot drinks. Each morning I enjoy a nice cup of calidum aqua pluvia (“hot rain water” sounds more exotic in Latin, don’t you think), and get through the larger bottle throughout the day. Most days I also have another warm drink (often turmeric-based) in the evening.
This represents a massive increase in my overall hydration! I can only assume it’s having a good effect on the overall functioning of my body.
It’s true that I have no concrete proof that my changed eating and drinking habits have anything to do with the improvements in my sleep, but I’ve observed a correlation that I’m happy to run with. They’re good for me, and are the only other thing I’ve changed, so they’re staying!
Ok, bed time (again) — fingers crossed
These days it’s my second son who holds the crown for being able to sleep anywhere, any time. The rest of us look at him in wonder, and a moderate slice of envy! I may never reach my boy’s level of sleep-skill, or regain my own previous super powers, but the last few weeks have proven that I can do specific things to improve things.
To those of you who’ve made it all the way to the end, hoping to find some tips for improving your own insomnia, here’s the takeaway:
Your symptoms and their reasons for being are uniquely yours, and may not respond to a particular treatment in the same way someone else’s have
Observe yourself, and ask others to help you identify patterns in your reactions and behaviour
If you suspect you have sensory issues, sleeping with earplugs and an eye mask may help you stay asleep
Tweaking your nutrition and water intake could be a contributing factor to better sleep
One last point: If you have a great night followed by a poor one, don’t lose heart! It’s the overall direction of the good to bad sleep ratio you need to pay attention to.
You may have noticed I haven’t even mentioned electronic devices in this article, until now. There’s plenty of advice out there around when you should and shouldn’t use them, and how. I’ll leave that up to you to research. I’m an unapologetic bedroom phone user, partly in case of potential emergencies, and partly for anxiety management. You do you.
In the tough, frustrating times that seem to stretch on forever in the darkness, give yourself permission to just lie there and rest your body, not worrying about whether you’re asleep or not. At times like that I tell myself I’m free to stay resting, or get up and read or start work. Knowing it’s okay to go do something else often gives me enough peace to stay put, calm down, and eventually fall back to sleep.
How to Cope With Insomnia, and With Other Grumpy Insomniacs
Unusually effective strategies from someone who knows what it’s likemiscellaneplans.medium.com
Wishing you all a calm and restful night, and optimism toward a future of balanced sleep!
Links to the Loop website are my personal referral link. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, you’ll get a nice discount, and I’ll earn points toward free products.