To die, to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream ...

I found this meme at Chani’s thought-filled blog (if you are not a regular reader of hers, then you must give it a try) and since she invited anybody who wanted to take part to indeed take part, I decided to do so.



It’s all about sleep and some of its realities for us as individuals. Here are my thoughts on Zs bagging.



1) How do you sleep at night? Is your sleep affected by the national angst? Do you drop off easily, as you always did? Or does it take a while to get to sleep?



I recite in my mind the Serenity Prayer. ‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” And then, after reading for a time, my eyelids get heavy and usually I nod off to sleep quite quickly. Sometimes I’m feeling more hypersensitive and am impacted by any noise or movement by Wendy. Then I get keyed up. Simple solution, since there are only two of us in the house, is to depart for the other bedroom, which has a beautiful brass bed (headboard and footboard are brass, not the bed itself because that would be very uncomfortable) and a fine duvet, and I usually then go to sleep quickly. As for the national (international) angst, of course it makes me anxious and I feel greatly for those who have been displaced, but I can do nothing about it other than ride it out and accept the fact that a big chunk of my retirement investments have been royally screwed up the backside. C’est la vie. At least we still have our home.



2) What strategies, if needed, do you use to get to sleep?



I read. I must read. Usually non-fiction. Often true crime a la Ann Rule or her ilk. I used to love forensics and detection and the meting out of justice when I did cop work by handling the police beat at my paper. Sometimes we watch TV for a half hour or so before turning to our respective books. To be candid, I used to like lovemaking. No, I still really like lovemaking, but not just before lights out time. The adrenalin rush is not conducive to sleep.



3) Do you wake up in the middle of the night, plagued by obsessive thoughts?



At one time I did quite significantly. I also suffered from bedtime insomnia. Quite frankly I found that cutting out alcohol enabled me to get to sleep more easily and sleep through the night. But sometimes, if I wake up at say 3 a.m. and need to pee I can then have a very difficult time getting back to sleep as daytime thoughts intrude and all my insecurities come to the fore. Indeed, many mornings I end up wandering around the house at 3:30 wondering if it’s too early to put coffee on.



4) What strategies do you have to get back to sleep?



I try to clear my mind. I change rooms. If I go to the other room I sometimes turn on the light and read for a while. If nothing works, I just get up. No point in lying there and getting more fretful. Anyway, an advantage of working from home is that I can always nap in the afternoon.



5) Are your dreams affected? Are they more anxious than before? Do they wake you up in a sweat? Or are they peaceful, innocent, undisturbed by the general malaise?



Not really. I have good dreams for the most part. Sometimes adventurous. I do a lot of traveling in my dreams. Sometimes they’re sexy and I have had amazing encounters with people with whom I have never had such encounters. Sometimes they are nostalgic and will include people like former wives, lovers or friends. Sometimes I am extremely sorry when I awaken to find that the dream was not true. I used to have a lot of such dreams about my stepdaughter in which we were reunited in a warm and loving way. Those aren’t happening as much now. I never really analyze my dreams or discuss them with others. Mainly my dream life is an escape from reality. I like that about the process.



So how are you doing? Tell me your experience. As was the case with Chani, I am not going to tag anybody with this, but would be delighted to read your tale. If you decide to do it, please let me know so I can read your responses.