Why Don't I Sleep Better? or, My Misadventures with Sleep

Ahhh, sleep. That thing we're supposed to do about one third of our lives. I say "supposed" to do, because it's seems like it's always been a struggle for me to get a good nights rest. There are times when I just absolutely can not fall to sleep at night, and then there are times where during the majority of the day that's all I want to DO is sleep! I'm often left wondering what is wrong with me, and why I can't get better sleep.

When I was young I had a friend that would sleep for what seemed like 12 hours every night. He never watched Saturday morning cartoons, because he was still sleeping. I, on the other hand, would only get a few hours of sleep, and be up early and then just veg out in front of the tv. It's not that I really wanted to watch all the those cartoons (hey, I was young, I wanted to watch SOME of them) but it was really just the by product of being awake too early, and there was nothing else going on.

As I got older, my sleep patterns changed a bit, but there was always a reoccurring theme: I just didn't get a good night's sleep on a regular schedule. Sure there where times where I DID get good sleep, but it wasn't regular. I didn't think much of it till later in life when speaking with friends and girlfriends that they never really much had problems with sleeping.

Now, don't get me wrong, It's not like I have horrible sleep, or a medical problem. (yes I saw a couple of doctors and they did tests and said there's nothing wrong with me) It's just that I can not seem to consistently get a good 8 hours of sleep, on a regular schedule. Sometimes I'll be awake for 20 to 24+ hours, just because I can not fall asleep. I'll lay in bed, with a fan on for some white noise, totally dark, and just LAY there, never sleeping. I'll eventually get bored with just laying there and get up to do something. Hours later, I'll get tired, and then only sleep for about 6 hours! It just doesn't make sense!

I've searched high and low for sleep tips on how to get better sleep. Some have worked pretty good for me, some haven't. I decided to write this blog just to talk about them, share them, discuss them with others, and to just talk about my weird sleep patterns in general. I know I can't be the only one out there like this!