Insomnia Guide Part II

Hello Kitty fan. Cute but I bet it wouldn't last 6 weeks before the motor burned up!

So, here's a shocker: IT'S ALMOST 2 A.M. & I'M STILL UP. Of course, I'm watching Hallmark channel b/c Frasier is on. Tomorrow, I'm planning on taking a trip to one of my favorite places (Target) w/ one of my favorite people (Momma) SO I have to get some sleep. I realized there is one thing I left out in my post from yesterday so I decided I'd blog about really quick. I completely forgot to mention listening to soothing music in yesterday's post. I'm sure most people with Insomnia know that it's actually NOT the best thing to watch TV when you're having trouble sleeping. There are several "scientific" reasons I've read about but I really don't feel like typing something for educational purposes at the moment. So, I am about to shut off Frasier (this episode has 2 mins left) & turn on the type of music that soothes me. People always laugh at me when they find out what that type of music is but I guess I'll just put it out there. For my whole life I have loved... SMOOTH JAZZ!! Yes, the Kenny G type of music. I think one of the main reasons I love it so much is b/c my dad listens to it & it always reminds me of spending Summers with him in Phoenix & San Francisco when I was really little. One of the channels I have on satellite radio, "Watercolors", plays smooth jazz & quiet storm which is stuff like Sade. I like listening to this while I'm in bed, reading a magazine. It doesn't necessarily put me to sleep but it does relax me and help calm me down if I'm having anxiety issues... like I seem to be having tonight. There hasn't really been anything that's happened today to make me be anxious, it's just one of the many things that usually comes with being a Meningococcal survivor. Oh, & no matter if I'm having a night where I can tell I'll be able to fall asleep rather quickly or if it's a night like tonight, I ALWAYS have to have my fan! I even have a small one that I pack in my suitcase when I travel. I literally cannot fall asleep w/out the noise. For years I tried explaining to my stepdad that the noise a fan makes is considered "white noise" & for many people, it's a soothing sound that helps them relax. I even spent a week in a, well, "crazy" hospital back in 2006 b/c my anxiety attacks had gotten so out of control & inside the hospital, they kept air blowing out of all of the vents 24/7 so that there was always that noise to help people w/ their anxiety. Anyway, I tried telling my stepdad about this for several years & it never seemed to register. So, last month when Mom & I got back from Little Rock for one of my speaking engagements my stepdad informs me that he watched something on TV while we were gone about how some people need the noise of a fan to help keep them calm or to relax them & then, he asks me, "Do you know that's what is called white noise?"!!!! Well, yes, not only did I already know that but I've been trying to tell YOU that for a few years now. No matter, I'm glad that it finally did register with him. So, on that note, I'm going to relax and hopefully fall asleep while reading a magazine & listening to my smooth jazz & my fan. Sweet dreams!