What Keeps You Up at Night?

You're tired. You're eyes are burning and begging to be shut, but your brain refuses to shut off. You're worried about everything from some minor car repairs to how you'll pay your college tuition. I know, because these are some of the things that keep me up at night when I should be sleeping like a baby!

The other night, I lay awake till 7 a.m. (thank God I'm on hiatus till summer semester starts) wondering what I'd grab first going out the door if my apartment caught on fire! I had it all planned; cats first, then my important papers. But wait! Most of my important papers aren't all together! My taxes from the last five years reside in my desk. My birth certificate and social security card are in a drawer, and at least one copy of all my bills are scattered throughout the house. I knew I wasn't as organized as I needed to be. I lay there, tossing and turning, trying to devise a way to keep all my most important stuff in one spot. I silently planned a trip to an office supply store to buy a lock box with a handle to put my taxes, birth certificate, social security card, and my good jewelry into. I decided that I really needed to go buy a larger kitty kennel. I prayed that no one would knock on my door in the middle of that night shouting "fire" before I could put my preparations in place. And I just couldn't sleep until the sun came up.

Other nights I contemplate stupid stuff like death, and the idea of infinity. Occasionally I get a little paranoid about burglary. I even worry about ghosts, biblical demons, and aliens. I wonder if I'll be able to get to a phone if I should have a heart attack. I brood over ways to add to my bank account either by adding another job or eliminating something I pay for monthly. I picture the things that I want most, but don't have. I design my dream house, or dream trip to Europe. But what is at the base of all these worries that keep me up at night? Why do I feel the need to make mental lists when I should be resting? I don't know. I have no real answer as to why some nights I go right to sleep, and other nights, I put Jewish mothers to shame in the worry department.

We all have worries, and we all deal with them in different ways. Losing sleep shouldn't be one of those ways. There are things we can do to help rid ourselves of needless worries that can wait till the next day. First, we can do some stretching exercises before bedtime. Second, take a hot, relaxing bath. Light a few lavender and chamomile candles to circulate those soothing scents. Three, take that bath with your special someone and engage in some other type of fun "calisthenics" with him/her. After all, sex almost always at least puts the guy to sleep! Four, take some non-addictive sleep aids like Tylenol PM or some over the counter Serotonin. You could even make a short list of things you plan to worry about tomorrow on paper just to get them out of your head for the moment, and allow you to sleep.

Whatever your worries, it may be a clear indication of something missing in your life, or just a lack of organization. You might even just be overloaded with responsibilities and have no way to unload some of them to make your burden a little lighter. Perhaps, if you're like me, you find yourself sitting at your computer at 3:31 a.m. writing about all the craziness that keeps you awake! I'd just like you to know, you are not alone. There's a world full of people who are lying wide-eyed in the dark trying to decide which bills they can afford to pay this month, whether or not they'll meet that impossible deadline their supervisor set, or even just listening quietly to the sounds of their house to make sure no one breaks in. I'm doing it too. I'm right there with you on that large, uncomfortable bed called the Worried Sleepless Sleeper. Roll over! You're hogging all the covers, man! Okay, that's better. So, what keeps you up at night?