Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which an individual is unable to fall/stay asleep. Are you an insomniac? Or do you know someone who is? Well, then you should definitely checkout these struggles insomniacs face. Yes, this is the writer's story.
My Story
I have been an insomniac for about 5 years now. It started when I was too stressed at the age of 13 and stress do come and go till now but insomnia keeps haunting me like a demon, stress or not.
My disturbed sleep patterns never really caught my attention until it was too late. And here I am today with chronic insomnia.
My sleep pattern :
Night sleep which can be called morning sleep - 6 a.m to 9 a.m.
A nap from 1p.m to 3p.m in the afternoon.
And I am up all day long.
It was and is NEVER cool
The struggles I face as an insomniac are not at all cool.
• I get mood swings so easily. I become cranky, frustated, angry and all negative emotions flow through me in just seconds.
• I WANT TO DREAM BUT I CANT! I see dreams not everyday, but twice or thrice in a month. And I am not at all satisfied with it.
• It's scary. You're up for most of the night. It's depressing because you get drowned in your thoughts, mostly negative. And if you get scared easily, it's horrifying. Good thing the last one's not me.
• It messes your food schedule too. You tend to replace breakfast with brunch more often. Why? Coz you already ate 3-4 small meals during the night.
• Your homies curses you when you make noises while taking regular trips to bathroom and kitchen. This happens at a whole different level if you're brown and live with your parents. I am and I do live with my parents. I know.
• Last but not the least, get ready to say bye to good skin and hi to dark circles. I don't even use screens much but I still have dark circles for over 4-5 years now. Drinking water doesn't help in this case.
How I cope up with it
Coping with the insomnia is important because in majority of the cases, like mine, it never gets cured and you'll just have to live with it. Yes, it's horrible but that's the reality now.
• Limited screen time means more chances of getting quality or long sleep. Hence, I have reduced my screen time to 4-5 hours a day with inconsistency. It helps.
• Exercising or simply walking for an hour or so does not only make you feel refreshed or happy but helps you to maintain pimple-free and spot free skin too. No, dark circles are not included. It keeps depressed thoughts away from me too.
• For the maintaining my food track, I take breakfast, lunch and dinner along with only 1 meal at night, near 2 a.m. It helps me to spend the night well and be ready for breakfast too. Also, my parents have no problem now.
• I listen to a lot of upbeat/rap/party/pop music as therapy for keeping my mood swings in check. It also keeps me refreshed and energized. Helps in keeping away dark thoughts too.
• And here's the part where I fail : Dark circles! No matter what I apply, no matter how much my eyes rest, no matter how much water I drink and no matter how good I eat, they are always there. I have gave up hope now. It never meant too much to me and it never will.
Because of my ability to cope with it, many of my near ones don't even know I suffer from chronic insomnia. Hence, if you're an insomniac too, hang in there. You got this!
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