Sounds Like Sleep; or, How to Soothe the Savage Insomniac

Insomnia is my nemesis. We wage war every night for possession of the nighttime hours. So far, it usually retreats sometime around 3 or 4 in the morning.

I've tried nearly all the advice I've found for cracking through insomnia, and none of them have worked. And at 3am, when I've spent the past couple of hours counting seconds and trying to predict the moment the number on the clock will change, even the weird stuff starts to look promising. Because the Tylenol PM I took at 9pm certainly didn't work for long.

So here are a few things I've found that help me sleep. I live in Texas, so you won't find bud in this list. Check with your doctor before taking any of the substances below. Especially #4.

1. Valerian - This herbal doesn't knock me out, but it helps to slow my spinning mind a bit, enough for the Tylenol PM or Z-Quil to take a better hold. It's also in Celestial Seasons Sleepytime Extra tea.
   
2. ASMR videos - ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and it's a sensation of tingles that some people get from certain sounds or stimuli. There is a whole "whispering community" of artists on YouTube that make videos containing trigger sounds like whispering and tapping to give viewers tingles. The videos are also very soothing, so many people like to listen to them even if they don't receive ASMR sensations (like me). My favorite ASMRtist is Gentlewhispering. She has a lovely voice and warm persona.
   
3. White noise and sleep sound generator apps - Some are definitely better than others. I found Relax Melodies in the app store, and while there aren't as many sounds as White Noise Pro (what I have on the iPad), the sounds on Relax Melodies are more suited to mixing. The pro version lets you make your own mixes and you can play your iTunes through the app as well (if you have a sleep track you like). And it has binaural beats for various effects (concentration, sleep, etc.) You can set an alarm as well, with different sounds, including Zombies. (Yup, that would wake me up quick...)
   
4. Melatonin - I can't take Melatonin because of medication interactions, but my husband swears by it. CHECK FOR INTERACTIONS WITH ANY MEDICATIONS YOU TAKE BEFORE USING MELATONIN! I take Cymbalta and didn't check interactions before taking Melatonin for a few nights. It induced some of the worst depression I've ever experienced.
   
   The drink Neuro Sleep has Melatonin as an ingredient. I found that out the hard way...
   
   But, if you aren't on any medications (antidepressants in particular), Melatonin might be worth checking out.

I'd like to check out Sleep Phones as well. They are flat headphone pads in a soft headband to make side sleeping while listening to sleep sounds less painful than with ear buds.Otherwise, ow.

On that note, it's time to get ready for another night. Sleep sweet!

STROKING CLAUDE THE OWL AS HE FALLS SLEEP

Owls are one of my favorite creatures, second only to cats. The fact that they can be so brutal in hunting, but can also be incredibly loving to each other and to humans makes their affection when offered a great honor.

My Favorite Beneficial iPhone Apps

My Christmas gift this year was an iPhone. I usually get one of the free upgrade phones when it's time, but I found they are too limiting in what I can accomplish, and I didn't like moving back and forth from my computer to the iPad all the time, so I treated myself to a phone that isn't just a phone. And then I went slightly app crazy.

I like apps. They can make life a little more convenient. Granted, they can also suck time away if one is not careful. I tried to ensure that any apps I downloaded contribute to my resolutions in some way. But there was one app that I have wanted for a while: Charity Miles.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Charity Miles, the concept is pretty simple. You choose a charity before your workout begins. The app tracks your distance based on GPS, and companies donate to the charity you chose based on your distance traveled. After the walk/run is over, the app tells you what impact your workout had. For instance, I walked a little over a mile this morning, and Humana donated money for 2.5 puppy or kitten vaccinations to the ASPCA. I got a decent little workout and a couple of kittens will be healthier because of it.

When I got home, I posted about it on Facebook. One of my many cousins downloaded the app and told me that we could form a team. My husband and I walk with a neighbor several nights a week, so if all of us made a team, we could make bigger contributions. I'd walk more often and farther knowing it made a significant difference. It encourages me to be healthier, too. Win/win.

Another charity app I found looking for Free Rice (which isn't there), is HungerCrunch. It's a Super Mario Bros. style game where companies contribute according to how many points you make and how many hunger thugs you smash. Makes waiting a little more tolerable.

TwoGrand is a meal and activity tracking app that lets you use all those photos you took of your meals. You don't have to track calories (a nasty trigger for me), and it includes goals that you can check each day. I will admit, knowing I will have to log a meal encourages me to eat healthier and snack less (do I really want to take a picture of these chocolates?). And the goal checks help.

As for spiritual improvement, I found the FaithLife Bible study app. It comes with the Lexham English translation, which I'm not familiar with, but you can purchase other translations in-app if you choose. There are daily reading plans based on subject, which is nice, and a daily verse graphic. And explanatory notes to help understand context. You can join groups as well, should you choose.

As for daily planning apps, I found Paperless. It's a very simple planning app that allows you to make various lists under different files. I made a file for every day as well as for my resolutions and my daily goals. I can check things off (which is deeply gratifying) and move tasks from day to day pretty easily. It doesn't track anything or make graphs of your efficiency (I don't need an app to tell me I'm not exactly efficient), but it does include little graphics that you can add to the file names. Another oddly gratifying detail. And the background images are nice, too.

Google Inbox. It organizes your emails into different categories, and you can swipe individual emails or a whole day's category "Done" with another gratifying flick of the finger. You can also mark something with a reminder, and pin emails that you don't want to discard. And you can add categories.

And one more fun app I found was Lumosity. I've been using Rosetta Stone's Fit Brain for a few weeks on the iPad, but I wanted something different. The tasks are fun and challenging, and the three games per day on the free app are worth it. I will admit, though, that Fit Brain tracks my progress better and I like the way it compares my progress to others. For some reason, this is where I get competitive.

Oh, and Words with Friends. Competitive there, too. I've discovered the Solo Play option.

And of course Netflix and Pandora. So happy Netflix added more Poirot!

Since most of these apps help me focus on my resolutions and goals, I don't easily forget and it's easier to keep them.

I will need all the help I can get!

Resolutions 2015

What brings you joy? What fills you with inspiration and passion, and motivates you to keep your head up? What’s the best of your life? Where’s the silver lining in the storm cloud?

I will admit, I sometimes have a hard time staying positive. I spend so much energy and time thinking about the negative that I forget about the simple treasures in life. So this blog is here to help me remember and share the everyday joys.

Since I created the blog at the end of 2014, I thought I would start with my resolutions. I’m usually leery of resolutions because I’m so bad at keeping them. But I make them every year, because I’m *certain* that this year will be different.

Each of my resolutions addresses an aspect of overall wellness. Aside from the usual eating better and exercising more, I’ve added some areas like finances and emotional wellness that sometimes get pushed aside. And I have one major goal that I want to achieve by 2016. So, to encourage me, I plan to make an inspiration board about all of these goals to look at and add to as the year passes.

Resolutions for 2015

1. Finances - Keep a financial binder, or at least keep my checkbook up to date. I would greatly prefer the former, but I recognize that my desire to keep detailed notes is sorely lacking. Even keeping a planner for more than a couple of months manages to thwart my best of intentions. So while I will – once again – attempt to keep a planner this year (talk to me again in March), I’m making my finances a focus to prevent unnecessary anxiety.
   
2. Health – Exercise at least once a week, preferably 3x a week. Spine issues have caused my activity level to plummet as I adjust to my new and ever-changing limits. It can be frustrating. But I’ve decided that my bike has a date at the repair shop very soon.
   
3. Emotional – Write in my journal or blog every day. I’ve learned that I have a hard time understanding what I feel and think until I put my thoughts into words. 2014 was full of turmoil, but I rarely wrote about it, especially after this summer. So this year I’m going to write, get everything out, so I might be able to understand how I’m handling things (or not, as the case may sometimes be). Some events might make it to the blog, some might not. But at least I’m examining my thoughts and feelings instead of bottling them up.
   
4. Spiritual – The past several years have been tumultuous regarding my spiritual path. I’ve been exploring paths, trying to see what “fits.” A about 7 years ago I looked into Buddhism, and it became a major foundation for my life. I looked at other paths, and they influenced me to various extents. I’ve decided, though, that after leaving it behind for so long and gaining some circumspection, I needed to return to Christianity. Some of my friends may be disappointed, but I realized that what I resented most about Christianity wasn’t what Christ taught, but what churches preach. This return is a work in progress, but I want to try.
   
5. Intellectual – I’ve downloaded a brain training app designed by Rosetta Stone to improve my smarts. Brain Fog from the Fibromyalgia, my ability to concentrate and think has suffered. It makes me feel dumb, though I know I’m not.
   
6. The BIG GOAL – Finish my novel. I’ve been working on it for over a year. It’s been my project for 2 National Novel Writing Months, and three Camp NaNoWriMos. It’s essentially three novels’ worth of material. I want to finish the full rough draft and start the editing process.

So those are my resolutions for 2015. They might be a bit ambitious, but I’ve decided that I’ve allowed my life to slip through my fingers for far too long. “Ambitious” is exactly what I need to break free.

I hope by sharing things that bring me joy, I can return to these posts when I need them and remind myself that things are better than I might think they are. And maybe someone else will be inspired as well.

Many Blessings