Take Eight of These and Call Me in the Morning

Once again, in the wee hours of the morning, I find myself compelled to write. Lucky for me, this is where a random and noncommittal blog comes in handy.

The fact that I’ve routinely had an odd relationship with sleep does not make me unique. Sleep issues have become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon: not only do we have them, openly discuss them, and buy things for them, but issues with sleep seem to be regarded as both common and mysterious.

It’s difficult for me to pinpoint the general culprit of my sleep issues. My knee-jerk response is that my own insomnia, through the years, has been linked to my professional life. For instance, nowadays I often fall asleep after dinner, between 7:30 – 8:00 PM, wake around midnight or 1:00, finish up a few tasks for the evening, sometimes hop online, then sleep for a few hours before the work alarm sounds.

Four hours of sleep, three hours awake, then two or three hours of sleep is not good. I’m fairly well-acquainted with the “wellness” industry… a solid eight is the gold standard.

When I was young – very young – I used to sleep walk. I never did anything crazy, but I do recall a few nights of waking up, standing in the hallway or the kitchen, wondering how I got there. Otherwise I don’t recall having major sleep issues until I was in Columbus. Sometimes it feels like I slept all of 24 hours the three years I was at Ohio State. That was a very unsettling time.

 I often try to figure out whether I’m a Morning Person or a Night Owl. I vacillate. My subsequent inability to decide leads me to wonder whether I’m just one of those people who don’t need a lot of sleep. You know, like a surgeon or a genius.

Turns out I’m neither.

I’m sure at the end of the day, my sleep issues are inextricably linked to a greater, more personal, existential crisis – what am I going to do with my life? – for which I have no answers. Maybe something will come to me in the morning.

 

Pippin taunts me with her sleep.