Friday, April 4, 2008

The Cure for the UnCommon Insomniac

Sleep is an elusive thing for me. I'm going to skip the whys and hows and whozits, but my brain avoids sleep quite adeptly. As a last resort, I have developed a sleep aid that does work for me on a pretty consistent basis. In the hopes that it might help someone else, I'd like to share it here.

Apparently every component of this method is important and cannot be altered. So here goes:
  • No caffine, chocolate or anything else that tends to speed you up after 12:00 noon. (for me, this includes most otc medication)
  • This must be the very last thing you do before bed. The kids are sleeping. The kitchen has been tucked away. Every last task is done save the actual falling in bed part. The reasoning for this will become obvious later.
  • Fill your tub as full as you can without risking overflow. The water should be about 2 degrees shy of a lobster boil.
  • Add 50 drops of lavendar essential oil as the tub fills (you might want to cut that back for smaller tubs, but only a little). The idea is to aromatherapy yourself into a coma.
  • Do not do anything or use any products that will confuse your brain. Dim the lights. Any candles used should be lavendar (real, not fake) or unscented. Don't use "happy" or "awake" smelling facial cleansers or soaps. Brush your teeth beforehand and rinse out as much of the mint as possible.
  • Relax in aforementioned tub. If you are fortunate enough to have a whirlpool tub, use the jets.
  • You will know you are finished when either you have lost control of motor function in your legs or the fog is so thick you can't see the bathroom door. At this point your brain should also be a quivering gelatinous mass, incapable of keeping you awake with random bits of songs, memories, ideas, images or other nonsense.
  • Go to bed. If you did it right, you should have no other choice.

This method shouldn't be used without careful consideration of your tolerances, or when you are alone, or if you're pregnant, or....

You get the picture. Be careful and if you have any doubts, don't do it unless you consult with your doctor.

2 comments:

  1. Ooooooh ... yeah!! I could go for that!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ah, lavender. we started making soap several years ago and discovered lavender essential oil, there was no going back.... :)

    ReplyDelete

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