I slept.
Those are such simple words, so trivial, so casual. Until you haven’t, anyway. I can’t say it was a night of perfect slumber — but every time I woke up, I got back to sleep again, and this morning I feel good. Well-rested, with my brain off the hamster wheel. I lost a couple of days, but if I slept because of the steps I took, and not because of luck, I won’t lose any more.
What steps?I went outside yesterday and got about twenty minutes of direct sunlight, and made sure the blinds were open during the day so the inside of the house was bright.
I got some exercise.
I did deep breathing.
I did not let myself sleep during the day, though I was so exhausted I couldn’t see straight.
I took an herbal — melatonin — about an hour before bed.
I set my alarm, but turned the clock so that if I woke up, I wouldn’t be able to see it; and I made myself not look at it when I did wake up.
I went to sleep at ten, and got up at six. I’ll be keeping those hours steadily for a while, even on weekends, to see if staying on a regular schedule will help fix the problem.
Meanwhile, though … a full night’s sleep. Yay, me.
