Posted August 23, 2020
By:
Joan Whetzel
This year has
weighed heavy on my, and yes, I know I am not alone in this. Between the Covid,
the lock downs, lower income because of not working, the political climate, and
just a general feeling that everything feels unsettled, I have come to a point
this summer where I cannot sleep well. It reminds me of my personal summer from
hell a few years ago, and has triggered some of the feelings of being in a life
I have no control over – feelings I had that summer after my husband died –
triggering memories of the trouble sleeping I had back then. Sleep-wise, I would
kill for a consistent string of all-nighters, with only a rare trip to the
bathroom.
Well I have, in
the intervening years, developed a bedtime routine of sorts, which has helped
me get a good night’s sleep most of the time. At least until this summer. This
summer’s routine means I am getting a little more sleep than I did that summer
(5 hours interrupted sleep as opposed to 3 hours of extremely interrupted
sleep). But oh, what I wouldn’t give for a normal sleep pattern again.
My bedtime routine
includes:
1. -- Running
the ceiling fan to keep it cool (and for a little white noise).
2. -- Going
to bed and waking up at the same time.
3. -- Watching
what I eat, especially in the evening (no spicy or fried foods, no coffee past
noon).
4. -- Using
dim table lamps the last hour before laying down to go to sleep.
5. -- Praying
(usually the rosary, something about the rhythm of it) right before going to
sleep.
6. -- Getting
regular exercise during the daytime.
7. -- Turning
off political and Covid virus news. Period.
8. -- Watching
TV shows or movies that allow my mind to wander and imagine; shows that don’t
leave me agitated and upset.
I have found a few
bedtime and daily routine things that I change out or add in to my day and
night as needed:
1. --I
have noticed that my exercise routine has fallen off considerably, and I am
working back into increased exercise daily.
2. --Since
I’m home all the time, I have begun taking afternoon naps. Definitely a habit
I’ve had to work hard at stopping.
3. -- I’ve
been locked up inside. So, on the few days I get outside and catch some rays, I
have slept better that night. So, this will be something I add more regularly
to my days. Even if it’s only to go sit out on the deck to eat lunch.
4. -- I
do occasional mindless repetitive tasks in front of the evening TV, like
mending, making lists of things that need to be done seems to wind my mind
down. Less time to worry over the things that keep my head from shutting up.
5. -- I
turn on a relaxation or sleep “video” from my Amazon Prime account, and setting
the TV timer to turn off in 30 minutes. (I always fall asleep before the TV
goes off).
6. -- Or
use my white noise machine. It has a selection of sounds to choose from and I can
set it to turn itself off. (I fall asleep before it turns off).
7. -- I also read a few chapters of my latest book several nights a week.
Lately, I have added one more trick that Grandma Pauken used to help us sleep when we went up there on summer vacations. I've rediscovered drinking a glass of warm milk with Ovaltine. I’ve done it for the last 2 nights. It definitely helps me fall asleep. It hasn’t quite helped me stay asleep all night – yet. But then it’s only been 2 nights. So, we’ll see. I have found a few other tricks I might swap out. I’ll let you know how they work.
