Speaking of reading, I read a LOT of books when I should be sleeping...because I can't. Sleep, that is.
We could call out a couple reasons for that -- stress, my musical, kids, health...but we'll leave it there.
A couple things I've learned about NOT getting healthy sleep:
- Over time the brain will degrade and Alzheimer's symptoms may appear.
- Good luck taking off the weight if you don't give the body adequate time to rest.
- Your brain and tongue become separate entities.
So how do we overcome sleeplessness?
1. Exercise: When I first expressed I was having sleep issues, my father and doctor told me to exercise more. Default advice. (But not right before bed.)
2. Hormones/Gut health/Allergies: I don't know about you, but I have TERRIBLE allergies. If anything is off in my environment, sleep is the first to go. And let's face it, for women, hormones are constantly fluctuating, so...you know...get that under control.
3. Light pollution: The body is sensitive to light. Light tells us it's time to wake up. Darkness is your best, sleeping friend. This includes screens. Turn them off a couple hours before sleeping. Use a dim lamp while preparing for bed to help your body recognize it's almost sleep time.
4. Decompressing/routine/limiting stress: Build a routine around bedtime that helps your body and mind relax. For myself, that includes writing in a journal (getting out all the thoughts). Massage and soothing music may be helpful as well.
5. Breathing/meditation/prayer: Deep breathing -- meaning getting air all the way to the bottom of the lungs -- physically relaxes the body. Meditation releases the worries of the day. Prayer gives us an opportunity to place our cares on someone else.
6. And if none of that works, some people count sheep, but I've never found that effective. My brother in law recently taught me a new trick: WORD SOUP. Pick a word at least 6 letter long. While resting in bed, imagine an image that begins with each letter, going through them one at a time and -- focusing on each image for a minute or so.
Example: Hungry
H= hat
U= umbrella
N= newt
G= gold fish
R= rain
Y= yo-yo
This relaxes the brain. Chances are you'll get through 3 to 5 letters before sleep steps in.
Speaking of sleeping, the IWSG question this month addresses writing -- and since many of my story ideas come from dreams...
July 2 question - Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?
Yes...and no. I want to write a biography about my special needs brother. I started it once and couldn't continue -- mostly due to the emotional drain. Also due to worries about conflicts with siblings who have DIFFERENT memories. Will I get back to it? Maybe. Maybe not.
And now the BIG awesome!!!
Check out the highlight reel from my musical! Snatches, fun little snatches from our staged reading back in March. We'll be sharing more in the coming months -- a whole series of videos outlining scenes, giving the inside scoop, introducing characters, etc. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if you want the updates, join the newsletter to get all the insider info, and if you want EARLY access to all the awesomeness (and more), donate to the WORLD PREMIER. (Tentatively schedule for October 2027.)
World premier in October! Bet you are so excited.
ReplyDeleteWhat we eat so contributes to how well we sleep - and our overall health. My wife and I have cut way back on processed foods as that is one of the big culprits.
100%. We've been using the Yuka app too to help determine what IS safe-ish in the grocery stores.
DeleteLooks like it will be a big production. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteChamomile tea and a foot bath in my massager help me sleep well.
Nice! Foot bath... I should totally go there.
DeleteCongrats on having a tentative world premiere date. Yes, getting enough sleep is really important.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Sleep is important, and almost impossible sometimes.
DeleteWoo hoo on the musical trailer! Insomnia is so frustrating. I've heard of that word soup technique, as well as the "alphabet game"--pick a topic, then name something in the topic with each letter of the alphabet. For example, cats: abyssinian, bobcat, cheshire, etc. What kind of exercise do you like?
ReplyDeleteYikes! I think I would stay awake just from stressing over the next letter for the alphabet approach.
DeleteI run 2-3 times a week & do strength exercises & go walking with my hubby. If I could, I'd be doing tennis & hiking. Alas, time, eh?
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the sleeping. Totally going to try that Word Soup! :)
Wishing you success!
DeleteI have struggled with lack of sleep, too, and it definitely makes it hard to lose weight or function in general.
ReplyDeleteA year ago now, I started doing these things:
1. Getting sunlight within the first hour (or two) of waking up. This has been my big game changer.
If I somehow go without it right away, I get it as soon as I can. Ideally, it's the first half hour of waking.
Even if it's a super gray day in the Northwest, I still go outside. and it still helps.
2. I stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. This can be tough because my husband grew up in an eat as late as possible kind of family. If I have to, I eat dinner and keep his leftovers ready to be warmed up later.
3. Exercise helps quite a bit, and doing a combination of exercise. I walk, I do some mild strengthening and stretching, and I practice deep breathing. I try to do about 4-7 short cardio sessions (walking or dancing around the house) throughout the day because I don't do long, long sessions of exercises well, and finish those around 6:30pm. And then right before bed, I stretch and do deep breathing for about ten minutes. And when I lay in bed, I do ten deep breaths with a simple prayer like "I trust you, God." Or I think through the 23rd Psalm.
Those have all really helped. And I have started to lose weight - but it is super slow going - kind of on purpose. My nutritionist wants me to focus on losing 10-12 pounds a year.
Huh, I didn't even realize about the sunshine thing, but when I go running, it's first thing in the morning, so I guess that one comes naturally.
DeleteAnd, whoa, I forgot to say this earlier - but you are amazing - you wrote a musical! That is awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks. The writing was the easy part. Ish.
DeleteHope you find the way to beat insomnia! I am so tired after a days work and all the house chores that I fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow and I am thankful that I can at least sleep well. Getting a very comfortable mattress is very important at least a topper mattress. I bought one a year ago and have not had a bad back or problems sleeping ever since.
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I grew up on a hard bed and wondered why I would lay there for a couple hours before sleeping. A comfortable bed makes a HUGE difference.
DeleteWow! Just wow on the music. Wow! On the sleeping tricks, I once heard that is you lay perfectly still, relax your muscles, you will go to sleep. It works for me. If my brain won't shut off, I go to my 'happy place.' Like how would I bring world peace if I was Superman. LOL
ReplyDeleteAmazing. I wish relaxing worked for me. I think my struggle is the chemical aspects in the body more than the mental components.
DeleteSo much in this post! I'd love to read the bio of your brother. I've read a lot of those and always come away with a better understanding of the human condition.
ReplyDeleteRight? But again, will I get there? *shrugs*
DeleteI LOVE musicals. Last time in NYC, my critiques partners and I hit 5 (!) stage shows. My nighttime routine - get routines out of the way then get under the covers and READ. It's the only time I get to enjoy that favorite escape.
ReplyDeleteOh hey, maybe one day you'll pop into NYC & run across IMMORTAL -- at least, that's the goal.
DeleteReading is a great way to relax to brain.
Great post. Very helpful. Right there with ya on the allergies.
ReplyDeleteMany, many congrats on Immortal. What an accomplishment.
Well, it's not accomplished yet, but thank you. We're working on it. One day at a time.
DeleteCongrats on the big musical news. You've got some powerful voices.
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Beautiful post
ReplyDeletePlease read my post
ReplyDeleteThe staged reading looks/sounds amazing! You must be so excited! And thanks for the advice on sleep. I've been having trouble, too (what woman over 40 doesn't?) and I'm guilty of just accepting it instead of working it like a problem to solve. @samanthabwriter from
ReplyDeleteBalancing Act
I have found that not stressing about not sleeping helps a lot. I also read when I can't sleep. I think memoirs are difficult when there's real people involved, although I think there's probably a market for your book!
ReplyDeleteI am very happy for you, Crystal! Love ❤️ all the animated gifs, especially the first one and the squirrels. Great tips here. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great insomnia tip! I'm a big fan of HeadSpace.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the upcoming musical.
Good luck with your musical!
ReplyDeleteI have trouble falling asleep too. I think I should try your WORD SOUP technique and see if it works for me.
I think you've outdone us all in the "trying a new genre" stakes by writing a musical! Bravo. Word Soup sounds like a good idea. Sorry to hear about your troubles with sleeping.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah. Sleeplessness is a problem I have too. I was told to concentrate hard on counting backward from 20 to -20, really focusing on each number and what ti looks like, almost always, I fall asleep before I hit zero.
ReplyDeleteI had this problem and I started sleeping with my headphones on listening an audio book. So now as soon as the head phones go in, I go to sleep so fast!
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE the reel. How exciting. October is only a few months away.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of my remedies for insomnia: reading. Since I love reading so much and I feel like I don't get enough of it, if I'm tossing and turning wide awake, I turn on the light and read. It's either that or count wolves. I'm kidding about that latter one of course! Lol
ReplyDeleteYour musical sounds neat! I'll definitely check out the video!
Wow! What awesome, distinct voices! Looks like a hit!
ReplyDeleteRe: sleep... My late father's suggestion was to think about your body parts, starting with your toes, feet, legs, etc., and relax them, working your way up the body. He claimed that by the time he got near his head, he was usually asleep.
I really enjoyed the musical highlight reel, Crystal! How exciting for you! I've tried everything for insomnia that you mentioned, except the Word Soup, so I'm going to try that. The whole alphabet would be too much pressure! I like exposing myself to the morning light asap and staying well-hydrated. I get a better sleep when I go to bed earlier. 😂 Good luck! 🍀
ReplyDeleteI often don't get enough sleep. I think it had gotten worse since Covid. Thinking back, the longer the lockdown become the longer I found myself staying up until it's now mostly a habit. And when I should be sleeping, I'm reading and losing sleep. because I'm too busy reading to sleep. I'm trying to stop but it's so hard. I've tried listening to relaxing/sleep music before and it seemed to work. Maybe I should start doing that again. Maybe even try your word soup exercises.
ReplyDelete