Sleepless

I haven't been able to sleep for the last 2 nights. But not for any reason that I can figure. I get comfortable, start to drift off and then something happens to make me come fully awake - what? - and that's it for the night. Inexplicable. And frustrating. It doesn't help that the nights are finally getting a little cooler and the cats are snuggling closer and trying to ride out any effort I make to disentangle myself from them. Hard to get comfortable with a 12 pound cat on your stomach and a bushy tail waving majestically in your face.

I had to get up early this morning, it being Thursday and my day to volunteer at the hospital. So I did my hospital rounds and came home and now am so very tempted to take a nap. That would be just lovely...

And a big mistake! I've had bouts of insomnia before, of course, so I've tried various methods over the years to get over it - and I know that napping will sabotage the next night too.

I think my brain wants to carry on the day's conversations, or rehash old mistakes or embarrassments, or otherwise play reruns. The trick is to turn that off entirely, something I'm not always successful doing. Alternatively, I try to think of something completely routine and devoid of any intellectual or emotional content - like what to wear to work the next morning, except I don't work anymore... Similarly, textbook reading used to put me to sleep but I don't have any at hand any longer that are actually dull enough. This is a serious case!

Some might point out my considerable caffeine intake as sufficient causation but, in true junkie fashion, I'd counter that my Diet Coke habit didn't affect me 3 days ago so I can't conclude that it did me in yesterday, right?

No, I just think the problem will go away as mysteriously as it came. Or at least I hope so. In the meantime, I'm not going to operate any heavy machinery!

I am SO sleepy.