Miles to go... . Review on Dealing with Sleeplessness

I'm not a doctor, nor do I know what can truly help people find sleep. I'm just someone who has lived with a curse called sleeplessness for several years. Edgar Allen Poe wrote "Sleep. those little slices of death. how I loathe them". Whether he was far or close to truth. I know not.

All I know is that sleep is as elusive, as rare as a pair of purple underwear with yellow polka dots. All that early to bed, early to rise stories are old wives tale. poppycock. it never happens to me anyway. It wasn't this way. I used to get the required 8 hours of sleep when I was younger. It made me look young and extremely handsome too(er. nevermind). It refreshed my mind, my soul and everything else in between.

Yeah, sleep is a geat thing. You don't have to listen to people nagging or telling you what to do. You don't have to think about anything and get stressed. But then. a lot of tragedies happened in a row which sent the brain out of whack. Everytime I shut my eyes, these thoughts haunted me. Deaths of many loved ones being the major culprit.

I couldn't figure out why my body wouldn't shut down. I'm extremely hyper and burn more calories in a second than the entire population of Iceland put together. I don't drink coffee. I work out. I don't have phobias(well maybe I do have a phobia of smelly socks. socksophobia). I tried everything. everything possible.

First I drank warm milk(yuck.). After I drank warm milk I felt like my insides were about to cave in. My intestines squirmed and I felt nauseous. Not only did I not discover sleep, my stomach kicked the living crap out of the rest of my body for a week.

Then I tried having cold showers and reading a book. the books I read were so weird that I lost sleep for days after.Then I decided to make myself so bored that sleep was the only option left for the body. I watched regional language movies. But watching Rajnikant throwing cigarettes in the air, lighting it with a gun and catching it in his mouth affected me. I started throwing my pillow in the air and catching it with my teeth. Once I even threw my table lamp in the air.

I tried to get real drunk and pass out. The problem is. I don't get that drunk. And alcohol isn't a great choice. It gives you horribly disturbed sleep. might result in many trips to the bathroom(sometimes you wont even make it to the bathroom). and a bad taste in the mouth. The hangovers are added bonuses.

FInally, I tried calmpose. It worked. But a chemical dependent life wasn't in my mind. So after that solitary pill, I decided that if sleep isn't in my life, I'll make good use of the extra time I'm getting each day.Started writing and learning things. It was rewarding but not as far as the body was concerned.

Then, in the latter half of the 90's I discovered New Age music. I got this 4 CD set of music that fused together music derived from nature with subtle pianos and strings and gentle percussions. The music included sounds from Tropical Breezes, flowing rivers, sounds from the rain forests, the call of the mystical loons and the most second beautiful sound on earth(second only to the gurgling laughter of a baby). the cries of dolphins and whales.

That night. sleep came earlier than the usual 4 a.m. The power of music to heal is incredible. I found something I could rely on. fall back on when I need it the most. And when it's the sound of mother nature herself, it's the most soothing experience of them all.

Sleep cures vary from person to person. The only way to deal with it is to isolate the cause and work towards a remedy. My problem is a hyperactive brain that is always on full blast. The only way to tame it was through music.

As far as possible. avoid being hooked on to chemicals. I've seen a whole lot of my real good friends perish to chemicals. It's not the best way to leave this planet. It's also not the best way to find sleep. Unless a doctor advices it. don't touch it.

I rambled.

~finis~