Oh, the joy of sleep! The average person spends about 1/3 of their lives sleeping. Beds should be used solely for the purpose of sleep and sex. So true! But what happens, when that bed you’re lying on doesn’t help you sleep at night? Sometimes, it’s the bed itself. Sometimes, not. Yes, my old mattress was more than 8 years old. And about a year and a half ago, I did purchase a brand spanking new mattress in order to….sleep.

(This is me when I sleep! FYI, this Chihuahua looks almost like my eldest dog!)

Somedays, I can sleep throughout the night, other nights…. yeah, RIGHT! I love my bed to be cozy and soft. My room has to be completely dark and quiet to get any sleep at all. No noise, no sound, and no light. Earplugs only go so far. Most importantly, the room has to be at no more than room temperature. The room has to be cooler than 72 degrees. I always have the fan on. Always, I can’t sleep with out it.

In recent months, my sleep has been erratic. One night, I will sleep soundly. The other night, I don’t think so! Insomnia likes to bite you in the butt some nights. I hate it. When anti-anxieties can’t help you sleep soundly through the night, then its natural remedies that you have to explore. I don’t like warm milk unless it’s in a latte. Milk has never agreed with my stomach. I’m not lactose, I just can’t drink milk unless it’s with something like cereal. Drinking tea isn’t my forte. Especially, the nighty-night tea that you can buy at the nearest grocery store. Some of them are very gross and sometimes don’t do the trick. Melatonin that you can get over the counter is something that I’ve tried many times and it doesn’t really help me sleep. In fact, it makes me more drowsier than before. Drinking water instead of caffeine before bed is important even though I don’t always do this. Oops. Mea culpa. Other sleep aids that you can find at the drugstore or grocery store don’t really work for me at all. I did start using ZZZQuil (a sleeping aid) and that seemed to work for me. I took it and about a half hour later, I was sleeping like a baby.

But it’s really important to exercise a little self-control when it comes to vitamins, supplements, and sleep aids because addiction is very easy to get. Believe me, I stay away from drugs, alcohol, and other habit-forming substances. Addiction runs in the family and it’s important to take things in moderation. I love my beer, but only in baby steps. Whatever you do, don’t drink and take your medication simultaneously. I’ve made that stupid mistake before! Taking medications and drinking a few beers really messes you up. One time, I did this at a restaurant and almost had to be carried out. Did I forget to mention that I was by myself and had to drive home in my car? Yeah, we all make mistakes.

Sleep is an ongoing struggle for me and I’m certainly not the only one with this. A co-worker of mine barely sleeps five hours a night because she can’t sleep. I can’t function on five hours of sleep a night. My body needs at least 8-9 hours of sleep in order for me to be fully awake and functionable.

I love sleeping. That’s one of my favorites hobbies on a day off. Seriously! Take some time on your day off and just…relax. Unplug all devices, let the world know that I’m taking a break and just chill. This relaxes my body so much. I need a little R&R for my sanity and for my health. The key for me is to not spend all day in bed. I could if I wanted to. You could pay me to sleep all day. I would do it. No questions asked.

However, sleeping too much can cause adverse effects on your body. Well, isn’t that a shame now isn’t it? Oh well. How many hours of sleep varies from person to person. I need my 8-9 hours or else I lose it. I can’t work, I can’t talk, I’m pretty much useless without my beauty sleep. I’m a bitch on wheels when I’m running on empty. My body will send out warning signals to me if I don’t get my rest.