My New Years Resolution to Sleep

Laugh at the world, laugh with you,snore and you sleep alone. Anthony Burgess inside Mr. Enderby 1966

My New Year's resolution is to get more sleep but as an insomniac, I think that is impossible. I have spent many sleepless nights, looking up at the ceiling trying to get sleep. The more I tried the more I struggled.

I have gone days without sleep, especially when staying up for term papers or class study exams in high school and then college. I could never get a good night's sleep soon after.

Due to my insomnia, I once got a nighttime job at a club in New York City doing the cleaning. I figured if I can’t sleep I'll make some money during the night. After all, time is money. Everything caught up with me with the lack of rest; the job and school. My body and my mind couldn't keep up. I had to get some rest so I eventually left the nighttime job. I was always tired.

I tried over-the-counter sleep aids, like Melatonin and that wasn't helpful. I had quit trying to get all the sleep I needed and managed with 4-5 hours of sleep for a long time. Finally, I have decided to make this New Year's resolution to get more sleep.

After all, I'm 52 years old and I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I need to do this for my overall health. I already have chronic health conditions caused by my insomnia such as diabetes and high blood pressure. About 90% of Insomniacs suffer from chronic health conditions due to lack of sleep.

My ongoing sleep deprivation is likely to increase my heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other conditions. I don't want to age prematurely and continue to gain weight. These are some of the issues related to lack of sleep that has affected me and many others. Some other issues include anxiety and depression. In addition, it robs us of cognitive thinking skills such as alertness, focus, attention span, and concentration. Sleeplessness causes traffic accidents for people that drive. Poor sleep causes obesity and shortens life expectancy.

Some factors and reasons that cause poor sleep are bad sleeping habits. Sleep also boosts immunity according to nhs.uk

"I can’t be expected to drop everything and start counting sheep at my age. I hate sheep". Dorothy Parker, The Little Hours

These are some reasons why I want to change my issues with sleeplessness. I really want to change my Sleeplessness pattern and work on my insomnia for all of the reasons I listed above. I have been suffering from insomnia for years and this year will be the year that I change that condition.

Although, it will be hard because my insomnia can be traced to my childhood. Especially since I consumed coffee at an early age. I started to drink coffee and soda when I was 8 years old.

Besides stunting my growth, caffeine played a role in my insomnia.

According to Prevention magazine, 50% of children will experience a sleeping problem. I wish I knew this earlier. I would have followed the tips that were given in the article. The article mentions how Stress and Anxiety play a role in sleeplessness. Some people tend to worry about money or health issues which cause Stress and Anxiety that manifest in sleeplessness. It is hard to manage worries and stresses, but they should be managed and controlled so that people can sleep again.

Some ideas I plan to try, to help with sleeplessness.

1. Is to read a book before going to bed to make myself get sleepy. Especially if it's a technical stylebook, something that is not interesting and boring.

2. Another idea is to have a cup of warm milk before sleeping. This is an old remedy that has been shared for years. According to the Sleep Foundation “ scientific evidence suggests that warm milk before bed may help you sleep”. They perform numerous studies involving people over the age of 60 that determined that drinking warm milk helps them fall asleep more easily. Milk has the property of amino acids; the Tryptophan has been shown to improve sleep and mood in the elderly. Tryptophan plays an important role in the production of Serotonin and Melatonin.

3. Have a cup of chamomile tea, it has been used for sleeping problems for centuries. Chamomile has an antioxidant resource known as Apigenin in which can induce muscle relaxation.

4. Valerian tea is a great remedy for insomnia because it has sedative properties and it can induce deep muscle relaxation and sleep surrounding according to Facty.

5. Apple cider vinegar and honey helps to combat fatigue. Apple cider vinegar breaks down fatty acids that contain Tryptophan to release them quicker throughout the body. Honey promotes sleep by raising insulin. These are some remedies that can help anyone for sleep.

6. Taking a hot bath about two hours before sleeping can help one fall asleep. Place aromatherapy essential oils in bath tub water like chamomile, lavender, and lemon.

7. Shutting off the blue screen on devices when going to bed. The light is distracting and should be completely shut off.

8. No snacking or eating before bed. Sleeping on a full stomach can create discomfort and create sleeplessness.

9. Plan to limit caffeine intake to less than three cups of coffee a day. Too much caffeine can impact sleep patterns.

In summary, Keeping New Year’s Resolutions can be tough. But when it comes to keeping up with Sleep and the health issues that sleep deprivation can cause. It is a resolution that is important and should be kept if made to oneself. It is important for health and wellness.