It’s never good when rum seems like the only solution. Picture this scene five years ago: it was 1 AM, and I couldn’t sleep—again. Back then I didn’t realize how common my sleep problem was. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that 15 to 20% of adults struggle with insomnia in the short term, …
When You Have to Mother Your Own Body
For a long time, my approach to insomnia was to fight it. Oddly, engaging in battle while trying to sleep did not help things. I concocted careful rituals: Earplugs, of course, and also a face mask. A fan to drown out any remaining ambient noise. Breathing and counting. Shifting positions once, twice, ten times. A …