Member-only story
How I’ve Broken Insomnia Spells
When Counting Sheep Doesn’t Cut it Anymore
Insomnia is torture.
I don’t know how I can describe it any better.
If you’ve never had a serious bout with it, consider yourself lucky. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
The negative effects of sleep deprivation can be devastating. It impairs cognitive function, healing, and emotional stability, to name a few essentials.
When I, unfortunately, string together consecutive nights of 2-3hr sleep or full nights of limbo — not being able to fall into a deep sleep at all — I’m in trouble. I’m too weak to function in that case and usually need to take off from work. I damn-near feel like I have narcolepsy (which I’d also imagine is a nightmare).
I am blessed in the fact that for the majority of my life, I get good sleep. It normally doesn’t take me long to fade into dreamland once my head hits the pillow.
However, I’ve had three instances in life where insomnia really shook me to my core. The first episode was the worst, running from the Summer of 2014 into that Winter. The second was in the Spring of 2021, and the third just concluded, thankfully.