March 2026 SOLC–Day 25
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I’ve not been sleeping well lately. Usually, I fall asleep quite easily (book in hand), and then wake up a few hours later–wide awake with my mind swirling and spinning with thoughts and concerns. I have learned to try NOT to look at the clock, as it really only makes things worse. Sometimes I can fall back asleep again. Other times I become more and more awake, racing along an unpleasant trajectory of thoughts.
If I need distraction from the growing crescendo of concerns in my head, I usually turn to my book. Guaranteed distraction. I slip under the covers, turn on my book light and read. Finally, most nights, I’ll fall asleep that way again. But, it hasn’t been unusual lately for me to be up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night, filled with increasing dread at my inability to fall back to sleep. (Or at the direction my thoughts are taking.) Reading hasn’t always helped. Sometimes I wake at 1:30 or 2:00 am with my eyes set to wide open and my mind on overdrive. (I said I try not to look at the clock. I’m not always successful!) On those nights, or mornings really, I sometimes just give up and get up around 3:30 or 4:00 am. This makes for a long, long day.
When reading fails, my go-to for trying to get back to sleep (and escape my suctioning whirlpool of doom-and-gloom thoughts) is to write acrostic poems. I know I’ve written about this before, and probably during the challenge. Sadly, it remains a current topic. And as in those previous posts, my go-to word typically is….insomnia!
Here’s a recent night-time composition:
I lie awake
Night after night, hour after hour
Spinning my wheels, going nowhere fast
Overthinking everything
My well of worries
Never runs dry and
I dip into it, over and over
All night long
Here’s hoping you’re sleeping well! If not, what do you do to ward off or cope with insomnia?
Nix the comfort zone 
I dread when I wake up and realize that I have ___ (fill in the blank) hours until I am really supposed to wake up. When I notice that it seems to be becoming a habit, there is a few things I try, that seem to break the cycle. I will do yin yoga before bed, or do a brain dump of all my worries on a post-it note and put it aside, or listen the Beautiful Chorus playlist on Spotify.
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I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even mind the insomnia…unless I have to go to work the next day. Of course, that’s most days! lol PS I like your brain dump idea, and may try it.
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Hi Molly, these days there are more than usual worries going on in our world and are sometimes difficult to block. Now, that it’s been a little warmer here, I’m going to start walking again. I used to walk every day, until I had an injury between my backbone and my pelvis bone. I know that daily walking always let me sift through stressors so I wouldn’t think about them later. Plus, my body was more tired and fell asleep easier.
However, lately when I don’t do some form of exercise and my mind wanders, I breathe. There’s a breathing technique that I read about for stress. You need to count as you do this breathing. The counting in your head distracts your brain from wandering into worries.
I hope one or both of these works.
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Thanks, Gail. We actually teach this breathing technique to students at school 🙂 I’ve been fitting lots of after school walks in lately, but that hasn’t seemed to help. As you said, there are a lot of weights and worries in our world these days. I guess most of them are nocturnally active!
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Reading this after a weird night where I went to bed at 10:30, woke up at 11:30 to pee, and then woke up a few more times throughout the night. Lots of tossing and turning.
I think I need a more consistent bedtime routine. I rarely go to bed later than 10:30 though. But I do struggle with not looking at screens. 🫠
I’ve heard the best thing for insomnia is to get OUT of bed and do something in a different space until you feel yourself getting tired again.
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I’m sorry you also had a rough night’s sleep. I’m pretty sure if I got out of bed, I’d be sunk. I also was wondering about screen time. I’ve definitely been spending more time on the computer in the evening during this challenge. Perhaps that’s the culprit!
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Sorry that you have this same affliction. I sleep better than I did as a full-time teacher, but not as well as I imagined. when I retired. Sigh. I have tried the breathing pattern that Gail describes above. It is helpful. So is reading…usually. If it’s any consolation, I like the poem. I’ve tried helping kids see that acrostics can be so much more than a list of words. Some have moved in a more flowing direction. Many persist. Did you see Erika’s recent post on Insomnia. It’s going around. Maybe it’s March.
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It seems like it’s a commonly shared affliction. I’ll have to check out Erica’s post, as I missed it.
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you pulled me right in with that title! like you, i have no problem falling asleep. i often wake up to use the potty (lol) and, also, like you, i never look at the clock as it is the worst thing to do. sometimes i’ll fall back asleep, sometimes, it’s a restless sleep. i’ve tried eating a snack before bed, magnesium before bed and nothing works long term so i actually got a prescription from my doc (thankfully it’s the only script I have). i take something when I’ve had two consecutive shitty nights of sleep — that’s where I’m at. side note – if I didn’t get up at 4:44 to workout, i’d get another hour in bed, but isn’t exercise good for sleep? I don’t know??!! It’s just mid 50’s life lol
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Somewhere recently I read that you can use those sleepless times to think of the positive moments throughout your life. I haven’t tried that yet, but maybe next time…I’m sure there will be a next time!
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I’m learning that sleep problems are quite universal. I’ve resorted to medication. I hate that, but I feel healthier when I have slept. I love the line “going nowhere fast.” I usually get angry when I can’t sleep and that certainly doesn’t help. Maybe next time I need to write an acrostic.
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I’m glad you’ve figured out a way to deal with sleepless nights. I do recommend acrostics but find it a bit concerning that my own poetry lulls me back to sleep! lol
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I’m so sorry this has been happening! I have had insomnia before too, and it’s literally the worst thing. Sleep is the foundation for everything, and without it, we don’t function like we normally would. You’ve probably already done this, but could you see a doctor and get some sleeping pills, just for a bit? I had to do that once and it really helped. Be sure to ask for non-habit-forming ones. Your acrostic is lovely by the way!
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Thanks for the suggestion. I agree that everything is so much harder when you’re not well rested! I’m ridiculously anti-medication, though, and for now it’s a manageable problem. Luckily, I don’t seem to need too much sleep!
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We are sisters and brothers in waking in the night. My go to is reciting poetry or song lyrics. Lately I recite the Desiderata by Max Ehrmann which I learned 50 years ago.
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Oh! You reminded me that I was doing this for a while earlier this winter. I started trying to memorize poems and would revisit them during sleepless hours. Time to go back to that practice!
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I’m with you! Sleeping is rough. It’s hard. I’ve had a bunch of weird sleeping nights. The problem is that sometimes I am wide awake, but it’s 3:30 AM and getting up does not sound appealing. But sleep isn’t happening either, so then the thoughts appear… Once in a while, when I know I really need to function the next day, I take Zzzquill, which is basically benadryl, and I usually go back to sleep within the half hour. Exercising and fresh air during the day often help, but not always. Good luck!
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There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to it. Some nights I think a glass of wine helps and other nights I think it wakes me up! Same with exercise. I can’t quite figure out what the culprit is. Oh well. At least I can get some poetry out of it.
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I’m a sleeper…but maybe I should try some insomnia from time to time just to write some great acrostic poetry! Love “My well of worries never runs dry”
I do live with someone who struggles to sleep all night–and I do understand the misery. Wishing you sleep tonight!
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Thanks, Kim! I’m happy to ship that well of worries over your way if you like it that much. lol
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