"Sleepless Night" - Kinks, 1977

Isn't sleep a mysterious thing?

When I was a kid, one of my little friends was afraid to go to sleep. She thought it was like dying. I suppose it is, in a way...temporarily, at least. I think she'd lost a grandparent, or somebody else close to her, and thought they were asleep when she saw him or her in the casket.

All my life I've had a problem sleeping in public. Now that I travel so much for my job, I wish I could sleep better in planes. I'd be in better shape when I arrive at my destination if I could get more in-flight sleep. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that I don't want to be unaware of what's happening around me in a public situation. (It's the same reason I've never liked to drink too much in public...and lose control.) Of course, the fact that I'm squeezed and squished into a seat in the cattle-car section of the plane doesn't help.

Getting enough sleep affects every aspect of our life, doesn't it? And so many complications of life affect our ability to get a good night's sleep. It's all so incredibly interconnected.

When I was young, I had a fool-proof way of getting enough sleep. I simply crawled into bed. That was it. Easy as pie, as we say in the States. Head on the pillow, and I was out cold for at least 9 hours! Sounds nice...

Now it's not so easy sometimes. We recently read something about making your bedroom a "sanctuary" -- clutter free, nice colors, etc. That does help. So does nice, soft bedding. So does the proper room temperature. So does not eating dinner too late.

But all those things just aren't enough sometimes. And it seems that the more you worry about not getting enough sleep, the worse the situation becomes.

I don't have the answer. But it helps to talk about it here.

Janet

PS I'm open to any ideas!