February 2, 2011

I Miss Sleeping.

Source: Tastes Orangey on Etsy
When I was a freshman in college I wrote a poem that started off with a line like, "I'm not any good at sleeping." Ten years later, I still suck at it.

I wish that I could sleep like my husband Nekos. He falls deeply asleep within 30 seconds of turning off the light on his bedside table, he wakes only after Tessa has already been crying for a few minutes -- and he wakes cheerfully -- and then after we've soothed her, he climbs back into our bed and falls back to sleep within a minute. And, then, he manages to wake up on time for work every morning without using an alarm clock. AND he doesn't need that eight to ten hours of recommended sleep. He's totally fine with six or seven. AND when he's mad or sad, he will lie down and anesthetize himself by falling deeply asleep, quickly.

I am the opposite of all of these things. To make matters worse, I suffer anxiety and panic attacks and my body's reaction to any stressor is to toss and turn and lie ridiculously awake until the wee hours. Having a baby, of course, has certainly made things worse. We had gotten her on a miraculous sleep schedule for the last six months -- 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. without so much as a whimper. But now she's cutting more teeth and she's waking up several times a night screaming her head off. It's horrendous, and it makes me want to cry myself. Sometimes I do.

I've been trying out a natural sleep supplement called Deep Sleep. I think it helps, but I've still had some sleepless nights on its watch.  What about you guys? Have you struggled with insomnia and if so what has helped you?

Here are some pretty sleep things:

I really, really like these prints by Clare Elsaesser of Tastes Orangey on Etsy.

Source: Tastes Orangey
Source: Tastes Orangey
Source: Tastes Orangey

Source: Tastes Orangey

True dat.
Source: AshleyG on Etsy

These pretty lingerie and sleepwear garments are from Dessous by Sophie Simmons. Sophie is a Nashville transplant by way of New York, and we hit it off in our prenatal yoga class last year. She's a smart, wry blonde whose mothering seems akin to my own. Her collections are beautiful, vintage-y, and inspired by the worldclass style of her mother and grandmother. Too bad I sleep in Nekos' oversized Phish tee-shirts instead.

Source: Dessous by Sophie Simmons
Source: Dessous by Sophie Simmons
Source: Dessous by Sophie Simmons

Some bedrooms I love, each from Hidden in France.




Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....