The Hidden Benefits of Insomnia.

As I type this latest blog entry I should be sleeping.  I along with many others occasionally suffer from insomnia.  From time to time with no warning or any apparent rhyme or reason my good friend insomnia will show up.  Sometimes it would appear as a demanding boss, stalking around waking me up every few minutes ensuring that I knew who was in charge.  Other times it would come as a thief, stealing away at the clock, never quite able to fully fall asleep, I would lay there in limbo while the clock would steadily push forward toward the next day.  Mainly it would come as a great and powerful general, ordering his vast and powerful army of thoughts to steadily march through my mind, once again overwhelming me with a torrent of confusion, never able to finish one thought process before the next wave would attack with the next.

When sleep eluded me in the past I used to have a whole host of emotions that would take over.  I would worry about not getting enough sleep and what that would mean for the next day.  I would dwell on all of the possible medical causes and what they were doing to my body and mind.  I would get angry and would tell myself how extremely unfair it all was.  Usually in a day or two things would return to normal and I would again find comfort in my bed, waking up the next morning feeling normal again.  It's quite amazing how easily one forgets the true extent of discomfort once it has passed, at least until it returns.

I have looked into many options in my attempt to "cure" my insomnia.  I have looked at numerous books, Amazon.com is a wonderful resource for this, and have found no help.  With titles that I hoped held promise like The Insomnia Solution: The Natural, Drug-Free Way to a Good Night's Sleep and Say Good Night to Insomnia, how could the problem last.  I also found some weird but fun items that promised to help, LifeSign SleepKey Handheld Insomnia Treatment Computer, yeah right.  

Now I view my nocturnal lifestyle from a different perspective.  After years of practice, I now try and enjoy my extended periods of consciousness. There is a truly unlimited potential in the ability to stay awake for days on end.  The vast amount of processing time available for pondering problems can be a great benefit.  Need to catch up on hours of unwatched shows on your DVR, no problem with no sleep.  Yet another blessing comes in the hours of available time you have to catch up on your paperwork, homework, bills, etc.

Of course there is a price to pay as well, the longer sleep refuses to cooperate the less ability you have to complete any task efficiently.  A few days here and there are easy to get used to, prolonged periods of time with out sleep should not be taken lightly though, see your doctor.