One of the things I dread most at the start of my day is the annoying sound of the alarm clock going off.  It awakens you abruptly, steals you away from the beautiful dreams you were having, and means that you have to leave your warm, cozy bed.  For most of us, this is just part of life.  We have to get up, and go to work, so that we can have food, shelter, and clothing. 

     I have never been one to sleep peacefully.  I have been an insomniac for as long as I can remember.  It takes me at least an hour or two to fall asleep at night, and then if there is even the slightest noise, I wake up.  Then, it takes a long time for me to be able to fall back asleep again.

     I have tried all the usual remedies – warm milk, herbal tea, not eating close to bedtime … and nothing seems to work.  It seems that my mind is just always far too active, and I can’t stop thinking about all the things I want to do , need to do, and should be doing.  I try to imagine how I can fit them into the next day or the day after, and when I realize I will never have enough time to possibly do all the things I feel I should, I still keep trying to figure out a way.

     On the rare occasion that I am actually able to get an uninterrupted, o.k. sleep – ( 7 hours or more would be heavenly ) it doesn’t seem to matter what the day brings – I can handle it.  Sleep deprivation always makes everything seem much worse than it is.  I find if I am constantly tired, emotionally and physically, my view of life is not so pretty, and it’s easy to be negative. ( and I don’t like negativity )

     Back in November, we started a regular exercise routine again, after several months of not doing much in that area.  Now that we’ve been into it for a while, not only is it starting to become a regular part of the day, but I’m finding that when I work it really hard, I am actually tired at night, and don’t lay there thinking for hours any more.  Yes, it’s a lot of hard work, especially after not having done much for a while, but finally being able to get a good sleep more regularly is worth it.  I also find I have more energy during the day, I’m in a better mood, and all the breathing associated with using the weights etc. really helps in terms of the power in my singing voice.

     I’ve learned  that a good night’s sleep is vital to one’s well-being, on so many levels.  On that note, it’s time for bed.