A Hard Day's Night, Part the Second

I haven't been sleeping very well. There are lots of not sleeping very well types - one is Upset...and it's not that. One is Hormonal..and it's not that. No, this is just Being Awake. And the weird thing is, Hormonal does on the hour..generally 4am...Upset is all over the place...but this Being Awake does on the half hour...strange.

It's been the last couple of weeks..no matter what time I go to sleep, I am awake again, and a time check makes it half past two. I hate that, because there is a Long Night Ahead. I just wake up, instantly, and am Awake. Not sleepy...my brain is as awake as if I hadn't been asleep. And there is no reason. I am not thinking about anything. I am not worried. Just Awake.

A few nights ago, I was awake at the usual 2.30am. Went back to sleep. Woke up. 3.30am. Slept. Woke up. 4.30am.......repeat...5.30am.....6.30am. Stayed awake then.

You would think I would then be dog tired during the day. I'm not..and you know how easily I fall asleep generally.....so I Made Plans.

First, drink De-Caff coffee in the evening (thank you Maria for buying some and leaving it in my cupboard...) altho I think it has nothing to do with it, I always take a coffee to bed and it makes no difference, but hey, I'll try anything....then, get rid of the dog..Sophie sleeps in a basket in my room, and she is restless, wriggly and snuffly..she gets up and shakes herself, scratches at the carpet and is generally a nuisance. Is she keeping me awake?? So this night (after my day with James, as described in my last post) I went to bed early-ish, didn't bring my computer to bed..put the dog in Clive's room, shut my door, drank my de-caff, read the paper and waited to feel sleepy. And waited....

I lay down to sleep. I slept. Woke up. Half past 2. B*gger. Now I have using some new moisturising cream...and my legs felt itchy..I scratched..they got more itchy. I tossed and turned, tried to sleep, no, brain is too awake, legs too itchy. I wonder what it is. Have I got Itchy Legs syndrome, and I will always have it now, and never sleep again...I get to the point where I realise I am not going to sleep. I hatch a plan..I put the light on. I sit up and look at my legs...oh dear.....little red bites dotted around..bl**dy h*ll, the dog has fleas and my banishing her next door they have come and found me. B*gger.

I go downstairs, hunt in the medicine cupboard and find anti-histamines to stop the itching..with any luck they'll cause drowsiness and stop me from using machinery at the same time..I take out 2 ibruprofen for luck, they might help me sleep, and I also make a mug of hot milk and add a generous tot of whiskey..now you know I don't like whiskey, but my mummy used to give me this medicinally if I was ill and couldn't sleep, and I thought it tasted nasty, but now I like the associated comfort, if that makes sense. Last but not least, Time for a Little Something. 4 digestives. Cos I didn't have any dinner, and it could be hunger keeping me awake...

So I go back to bed, read the local paper (nothing too stimulating) pop pills, drink my alcoholic drink, eat biscuits, wait to feel sleepy. And wait. And wait. Finally I decide to lie down and see what happens..I look at my phone..it's a quarter past 4.

Next thing I know it's 7.15am and Clive is bringing me my tea. Time to get up..and I am bl**dy sleepy now. C'est la vie.