How To: Fend Off a Sleepless Night

Steps: (not necessarily in order)
1. Get up and walk around.
2. Move to a different spot. 
3. Drink some hot tea or warm milk.
4. Use some relaxation techniques.
5. Listen to soothing music.
6. Listen to white noise or other repetitive sound.
7. Read or write.

It seems like for me, I either sleep like a rock or I don't sleep at all.  I have pulled my share of all-nighters, but not necessarily by choice.  I just have a lot of issues sleeping, and sometimes they have a cause and sometimes they don't. I even went through this phase when I was in second grade where every night I would wake up at 2:00 am on the nose and I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. I think my all-time record for consecutive hours awake is 38 (set shortly after the school year started), and a close second is sleeping for 11 hours over the course of 72 (set over our weekend at MBLGTACC '12)  Not being able to sleep is a huge annoyance at best and a debilitating problem at worst, and most of us have issues sleeping at one point or another. It always seems to get worse for me over summer and I have quite a few friends who struggle with insomnia, so here are some of my tried and true methods for dealing with rough nights.

One suggestion I have is getting up and walking around or moving to another spot.  I'll either walk around the house a few times or move to a couch, something I know my dad does as well.  Usually I just hang out on the couch for a half hour or so and then move back to my bed and magically I'm able to find a comfortable spot and drift off.  I think trouble sleeping has a lot to do with restlessness--either the body or mind gets stuck in one spot, so try changing it up a bit.  Move to a couch or get a different pillow or something like that.

Now, I'm a huge tea fan and there are a lot of brands and types of tea marketed for their calming effects.  My family swears by Sleepytime from Celestial Seasonings, and there's also Quietly Chamomile by Lipton.  I think hot liquids help a lot in general as a means of relaxation.  It may be a placebo, but I absolutely swear by a mug of warm milk.  It works every time for me. I also recommend using some relaxation techniques, such as progressive relaxation which involves tensing and relaxing individual muscles. I usually start with my feet and work my way up, and it also works well for anxiety. Google it for more info. I also listen to music a lot, especially if I can't sleep in summer.  There is some really great Native American flute music as well as acoustic guitar on Youtube which never fails to help me out.  Also, listening to white noise or something repetitive. If you like to fall asleep to rain, you know what I'm talking about. I found that I could fall asleep pretty easily to the ticking of my watch or my dog's heartbeat. 

Often times when I can't sleep it's due to thinking too much.  I just can't seem to turn off my mind either because I'm worried about something or I have an idea that's bugging me.  I suggest getting out a notebook and just jotting all the stuff down to get it out of your head.  I also find writing things out, especially in a way that others would understand them, helps me to organize and better comprehend my ideas or the situation as a whole, instead of everything being jumbled up and scattered.  Who knows, you might even find out you wrote something brilliant when you wake up.  I keep a notebook under my bed and it has come in handy quite a bit.  Also, reading a book for a little while might help relax you enough to fall asleep.

I hope some of these things work for you if you're having trouble sleeping, and you can always look up some techniques on your own. Good night, good luck, sweet dreams, and whatever you do, don't drink caffeine before bed!

With love and hugs,

-Megan

Waiting

1. Try to get some sleep - going 27 hours on no sleep is not a good idea.
2. Sometimes the weather is a bit moody.
3. Writers block is annoying.
4. Good things come to those who wait.

Why hello there! Sorry for long delay - I've been having a bit of a tough time finding things to blog about. Plus, it is nearly the end of the semester and things are a bit busy. You'd think after ending a play, I would have time...apparently my life just gets busier. I had a pretty busy weekend and didn't get a lot of sleep. I think I made up for it with a nap yesterday and a good night's sleep (Megan didn't fare as well as I did though). We only have a few more days of classes then finals, then we're done! It's crazy.

The typical response to "Excited to be done?" would be "I can't wait!" but for me, I can wait. Sure, I'm excited for summer to come, but I also want to savor these last few days here on campus. The sun, it seems, has finally decided to stay. The campus is being cleaned up from winter and it's become possible to lay outside and read or just chill. It's something calm in the midst of all this craziness.

Honestly, I can wait for summer. I'm beginning to realize how much I am going to miss my family here. It's going to be weird, when I work on campus this summer, to not see their faces and hear their voices. I'm ok with waiting for summer to come. I'm going to pack my next few days full of chilling with friends (even if we are just doing homework). I'm going to listen to laughter and tell jokes and be a bit ridiculous.

I can wait. It's all good.

Peace!

-Nicole

Boy, Do I Need Sleep

1. Don't run out of milk. It sucks.

2. Seeing your breath outside in September is never fun.
3. Getting a new book to read after weeks of not reading a book for personal enjoyment is awesome.

4. Get some sleep. Realize that you will see your friends nearly every day and there will be plenty of time to talk to them.

It has been an off day. A really off day. I have spilt on myself numerous times, confused my mom while on the phone, and been so tired and loopy someone told me I reminded them of someone who is drunk.

It has been quite the off day.

But it has all been good. I am now moving into the stage of "This ain't camp; this is college". For the past few weeks, college has felt like summer camp. It has felt like I have a very limited amount of time to get to know everyone and to become friends, only to say goodbye in a few days. But now, after about two week, it is beginning to feel like home and less like camp.

Which also led me to another revelation: I need sleep. Yep, I sure do. I hate having an off day and the only way to repair that is through getting more sleep. I am not blaming anyone but myself for my situation. I was the one who decided to stay up way past the time I should have been in bed and talked for 6 hours with a friend. Somehow, I thought I only have a few days to know them before we say goodbye.

When I was younger, friends never lasted too long. In elementary years, friends were often easy to come by. Middle school, you switch 'groups' so much you always have a new batch of friends. In high school, especially around junior and senior year, everyone knows the end is coming. So, friends never lasted long.

But here, it is different. Not only do I live with them, I learn with them, eat with them. We are family. After we graduate here, the friendship doesn't just end; it continues well into our lives. I am so flippin' happy because of this fact. Finally having the stability of friends is quite comforting.

So since I will be stuck with these people for 6+ years, I might as well get some sleep. There are many more nights, meals, and classes to talk to them and to get to know them.

We have all the time in the world.

Peace!

-Nicole