I have always taken a good night's sleep for granted. I remember when I was in High School, on weekends, I could stay up until 5 in the morning and sleep until the early evening. I could go to sleep at 10 pm and still, I could sleep until the early evening. I think what I did between my adolescence and my late teen years could very well be classified as hibernation. Now, I consider myself lucky to get a full, uninterrupted, six hours of sleep. Over the last few days, I have found myself getting less and less. It culminated into a whopping 2 hours last night. I was exhausted all day yesterday from the previous night's 4 1/2 hours, so I figured I'd be out by the time my head hit the pillow last night. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
It all began the night before last. I think I need a new pillow. This is something that crosses my mind every night, just before I head off to dreamy dream land. However, the next morning, neck and shoulders aching, I go on with my day. I could not get comfortable that night. With the help of my bulldog using my pillow lengthwise as a bed and snoring like a grizzly, and my boxer bucking convention and sleeping across the bed, I was able to have around 2 square feet of real estate to slumber. This, obviously, will not work for me, as I am a very "healthy" sized man. The dilemma I found myself in is the fact that I have let my dogs get away with murder. I have, essentially, created monsters. My Frankensteins. My nightmare. Once the dogs get comfortable, I have a hard time moving them from their chosen sleeping spots. I have to adjust to them. It can be frustrating, but for the last few years, it is how it's been. I've gotten used to it. However, that night, I could not. I tossed and turned on my little 2 square foot island, surrounded by a sea of snoring, and comfortable, puppies. My night was a waste.
After a sub-par sleep, having a busy day is no fun, as you can imagine. My day, however, was just not that. It felt it was, although I did nothing but relax. No work around the house. No running errands. No purse shopping at the mall. I could feel sleep creeping it's way to my brain around 7:30 pm. Sweet. Just what the doctor ordered. Fighting it while on the couch, I continued to watch TV. Around 8:30, I succumbed to the sleep, as I was crashed out on the couch. I woke up around 10 pm. All of us were asleep. I helped take all the dogs to the bed, and they crashed out again. I however, was not so lucky. I had been teased by that little bastard we know as sleep. I spent the next four hours laying in bed, wide-eyed and totally awake. I couldn't take it. My eyes hurt from lack of sleep, but I could not keep them closed. I moved myself into the living room to try my luck at crashing out on the couch. I turned on the TV. I stared into the screen like a mental patient. Nothing. If anything, I was becoming MORE awake. Can this be possible?! Tossing. Turning. I couldn't understand it. Why? I had a glass of whiskey. Didn't work. I beat off. That didn't work, and, actually, had the opposite effect. I always thought that if you masturbated before bed, you would sleep better, and have great dreams. Apparently not. After two MORE hours (now 4 am) I finally fell asleep. Dreams after a long stint of insomnia can really freak you out. I usually never remember my dreams, but these ones freaked me out. I won't go into much detail, but I was thoroughly weirded out. In my dream, I was facing a crude bomb someone had rigged up to my house. The clock began to beep, the time was up. I tried to stop it, but it was just my snooze button. My alarm was going off, and it was 6 am. Hopefully tonight, I can fall asleep.
Have you tried herbal remedies?
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