Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Trouble With Sleep





They say in the older days,  when electricity is yet to be invented,  when the price of a candle can afford a peasant's meal for a day, when nobody goes out when darkness swallows the earth,  people sleep at the set of dusk. That is what I learned from watching History Channel.

Old nocturnal habits have began disrupting my Circadian Rhythm.  I arrive home at past six.  Dinner time is at eight.   The full meal I eat - the only one allowable after starving myself the whole day leaves me in a state of sluggishness.  I become a couch potato after turning into a gym bunny a few hours earlier. Since my living room is also my sleeping quarters, I end up dozing off after watching my favorite TV shows for an hour. Body clock wakes me up at past midnight. And no matter how I force myself back to sleep for the supposed-to-be six in the morning work schedule, the attempt becomes an exercise in futility.

In the older days, people sleep twice at night.  They get up at around midnight to do some chores that would not require them to leave their fortress homes. The landscape must have been shrouded in complete darkness, save for a billion stars turning the sky into a patchwork of lights. The silvery glow of a round moon was the only source of solace, if she takes her place in heaven.

But in the age of 24-hour television, of call centers and artificial lights, Night becomes irrelevant, not even for sleeping.

And so here I am, after downing a pill that would easily induce slumber, with the mind on the verge of a shutdown, is looking forward to a union with my pillow. An hour or two of shuteye is enough to keep me in a state of wakefulness until noon.   After which, the same cycle begins again, leaving me sleep bound, leaving me slumber less until I get used to the pattern and after so many nights of whining and so many nights searching for the sandman

The midnight break will not trouble me anymore.



There is no reprieve. Six am. Off to work.

13 comments:

Nimmy said...

try to drink warm milk kuya. it'll help you get more sleep. pampa-relax :D

Canonista said...

They say there are reasons why one is having difficulty sleeping...

1.) Too much brain activity - thinking too much will keep you awake, so don't think about sleep and watch mindless TV shows.

2.) Lack of physical activity - you're not tired enough.

3.) Too much physical activity - you body is still wide awake because it is at its hypermode. Try to relax hours before you want to sleep, that way, your body will "think"... There are not much to do and needs to hibernate.

4.) You have issues.

5.) You have problems.

6.) Get your mind off things, or your heart. You have a lot going on in there.

casado said...

At this age (27 choz!), i have never had problems with sleep. Everytime I close my eyes, I doze off right away ehehe...

Hmmm...don't be a slave to pills, my friend. Baka that can be attributed to too much stress... wag masyadong mag-iisip (mahal ka nun! ahahah) :P

Anonymous said...

clear your mind mugen. kelangan before ka magsleep, wala ka na masyadong inaalala, iniisip. tas try mo din minsan makinig ng mga soothing music. makakatulong iyon.

wag magbukas ng tv sa kwarto dahil isa iyon sa dahilan kung bakit nahihirapan tayong matulog.

at higit sa lahat, kelangan kumportable yung hinihigaan mo. hindi ko naman sinabing kelangan eh super lambot na kama, mamahaling unan at kung ano pa, basta pasok sa preference mo at yun nga, comfortable ka kapag nakahiga. ZZzzZZzzZz :)

Nishi said...

Decolgen Forte. Ibang klase tama nun.

wanderingcommuter said...

pill does not produce dreams and for someone like you such is deemed very necessary...

feed you imagination, joms.

c - e - i - b - o - h said...

@Ex Jason > isang malaking check ang Decolgen Forte.

@Mugen>> try mu n din Iterax. hehe

red the mod said...

One thing I learned from being an insomniac my whole life is the skill of the power nap. It affords me lucidity despite my routine of barely minimal sleep. But then again, it also stems from an inherent disposition to prowl at night.

I embrace the evenings as it feeds my mind the creativity daytime cannot. Although I know this is unhealthy, and downright inappropriate, the power nap is an effective tool to temper this poverty of rest.

But know too, that often the arhythmia of one's Circadian cycle is indicative of another form of restlessness. If you figure it out, sleep will come, or even if it doesn't, the 20 winks you get would suffice.

Mugen said...

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I think my sleeping time simply runs against my working hours.

AkoSiMiguel said...

Clear your mind before going to sleep. Don't stress yourself too much. Drink warm milk. It helps. Dont rely on pills.

If di gumana sayo yung mga sinabi namin, try counting sheeps.. :) hihihihi

MaginoongBulakenyo said...

i think stress ang kalaban mo..

May napanood ako sa cable dati, na dapat daw yong color na gagamitin sa room e yong nakakarelax ng mga kulay para daw pagpasok mo pa lang sa room mo e parang iniinvite ka ng magpahinga.

gauxves said...

hi Mu[g]en... pansin mo ba if before you sleep marami ka iniisip? kapag ganon, try to clear your mind he he... sabi nga ng friends ko... DEDMA... hope to see you soon punta ka ng house warming sa October

somelostboy said...

Sleep is for the weak, said our law professor