Sleep
In the East, the common question is, "Did you eat?" Here we ask each other, "Did you sleep?" Most common answer? Some version of, "Meh!"
It’s beautiful when Eric Whitacre and Voces 8 interpret the poetry.
It seems like a mythical place when it’s the middle of another nuit blanche.
When I woke up this morning my girlfriend asked me, ‘Did you sleep good?’ I said ‘No, I made a few mistakes.’
I often reference Steven Wright in this regard, as it’s not unusual for me to get under six hours’ sleep in a night, broken up twice or more.
Sleep remedies
When one has a bad night, it’s not uncommon for people to chime in with homespun sleep remedies, like warm milk or chamomile tea before bed, getting more exercise (but not right before bed), melatonin, keeping cool, and improving the darkness.
Others will speak of maintaining proper sleep hygiene.
Seasonal changes
Perhaps you’re like me and find it harder to sleep in late Spring and throughout the summer. So much happening, the mind and energies are busy, and there’s lots of light. As the Autumn settles in properly and even more throughout the winter and early Spring, energies subside, even getting near hibernation mode at times, and sleep isn’t such a rare commodity.
I’ve been enjoying getting more sleep than I have in months, but I also miss the bonus hours of 1 am to 5 am when it feels like I can get so many things done!
Not chasing it
In Buddhism there are apparently three overall categories of suffering or dukkha : ‘physical and mental pain from … old age, sickness, and death. The second is the distress we feel as a result… of failing to get what we want and of losing what we hold dear. The third kind of dukkha is a kind of existential suffering…’ Sadly, those suffering from sleeplessness are often experiencing all three at the same time. Physical and mental suffering is frequently more present and loud at night without the distractions and busyness of the day to buffer them. And the existential suffering of the wheel of samsara, the feeling that one cannot be free from the difficulties of life, can be all too easily dealt on during a white night.
Personally, I have found that suffering from the second category, the suffering of being distressed because I cannot sleep and because of struggling with loss, is much less of a reality now. It was for years, especially when I was in my 40s and early 50s and the number of sleep hours I could count on gradually declined. Incidentally, the other kinds of suffering were often quite present as well at night.
Partly because of some gains in maturity and perspective, partly as a result of strengthening my meditation consistency and depth of practice, and partly as a general improvement in physical health in terms of walking 7 days a night, eating a healthier diet, etc, I don’t usually spend a lot of time at night feeling like I am suffering. Sure, it’s a time for rumination, and sometimes there are feelings that are not pleasant, But there is a gradual increasing equanimity, and if I realize I am really wide awake without immediate remedy, instead of just endlessly tossing and turning, I will get up, meditate, and if that doesn’t make me ready to sleep (sometimes it really does!), blog and/or get a few quick and easy to dos crossed off my calendar. That or get into a conversation with a friend in another time zone.
What about you?
Do you have trouble sleeping?
What helps you?
What makes it more difficult?
How do you feel about not sleeping?
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