How I Won My Sleep Back
9 ordinary lifestyle changes to subdue insomnia and get a good night’s sleep
The symptoms of insomnia are awful, and I’ve suffered through most of them. I’ve walked for months at a time in a thick brain fog. I’ve experienced my day unfold in slow motion like I’m peering through a hole from an alternate dimension. I’ve rear-ended vehicles, put milk in my cupboards, cereal in my fridge, and poured beer on my burrito instead of hot sauce. I look back and wonder how clients didn’t fire me, or how I functioned half as well as I did.
I’ve suffered from insomnia since high school. I recall those harrowing weeks when sleep avoided me days at a time. I’d be up all night tossing, turning, and eventually watching sunlight creep through my window. Then it was up for school only to repeat that routine the next day. After 36 hours awake, I’d be lucky to get 3–4 hours of sleep the next night. I was a miserable, incoherent mess. Luckily this ended in my late 20’s, mostly because I fatigued myself daily with 2–3 hours of strenuous exercise.
Fast forward years later, I’m much older with a family. 3-hour workouts are not an option. My day filled with work, stress, honey-do lists, kids, dogs, etc. My insomnia returned, and this time it came prepared for war. On an average night, I logged no more than 2–3 hours of sleep. There were two different weeks when I slept for…
