I don’t know about you, but I always find there’s something very ‘dark’ about the hours between midnight, and 3am.
Not dark in an obvious, the-sun-has-gone-down-kinda way, but dark in the sense that everything just seems so much bleaker at that time of day, than it often actually is.
It’s one of the main reasons why I dread not being able to sleep…even though this has become something of an inevitability, at least one or two nights a month (the joy of female hormones!)
On these occasions, I find myself torn between ‘pushing through’ and trying to strong-arm myself back info a slumber, or admitting defeat, getting up and watching TV with a cup of tea.
The outcome for sleep is debatable in either case, but the former does at least FEEL a lot less like a subscription for next-day exhaustion. Maybe this is because - when done right - staying in bed does at least guarantee 'rest' (the next best thing to sleep,) which is more than can be said for the binge-watching Netflix option.
When I say ‘done right,' what I’m of course referring to, is an emotional response to not being able to sleep which looks more like positive acceptance, than frustration and stress.
I do try and always go for the first option, as hard as it is to hone a glass-half-full mindset when the problem-solving part of the brain is fast asleep (and when it feels like you’re the only one in the world not asleep.)
What helps in this endeavour, for starters, is a duvet that makes staying tucked up, infinitely more appealing than getting up. (Devon Duvets are to thank for this one, as their British wool duvets are renowned for supporting comfort and temperature regulation, particularly owing to hormonal fluctuations.)
As an important side note, these duvets are also free from chemicals, synthetic fibres, glues and bonding agents, and as a natural fibre, they are also resistant to dust mites and micro bacteria, making them a makes it a great choice for those with allergies, and sensitive skin issues such as eczema.
Returning to the topic of 'how to respond to sleeplessness more positively' - l have actually found as well, that of all the incarnations of sheep-counting (ie. mindfulness techniques) that exist, there is perhaps none so simple-yet-effective as the ‘scarecrow brain’ visualisation technique.
Granted, it sounds curious… but stay with me, for what this exercise involves, quite simply, is visualising your mind as being filled with straw. The evidence for the method is of course anecdotal, and it's important to note that neither comfort nor cognitive work can fully guarantee that the small hours won't be sullied by sadness, if sleep does so happen to elude.
However, if there is one thing I've found regardless of this caveat, it's that while the softest PJ's and the snuggliest duvet can't fully prevent my mind slip-sliding down the it's-2am-and-everything-is-awful rabbit hole, it can at least make the experience slightly more comfortable.
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