sleep, Sleep, SLEEP!!!
I suffer from a little condition known as insomnia. It seems like the older I get, the worse it keeps getting. I’m lucky if I get to bed by 3AM these days. I have tried every pill, concoction, or suggestion in the book. If it has cured somebody’s insomnia, I have tried what worked for them with little success. There was one magical pill that seemed to make me very sleepy, but the side effects were so crazy I don’t think I could ever take it regularly. That magical pill is called Ambien.
My insomnia started shortly after high school graduation. Looks like I’m creeping up on my 15th anniversary with insomnia. I have literally tried everything you can think of. I have tried sleep masks, earplugs, blackout curtains, sleep machines, sleepy time tea, valerian root, melatonin, Lunesta and finally we come to Ambien. My doctor was hesitant to prescribe Ambien because of the possible odd side effects. Also, it is known to be somewhat habit forming. However, since I had been struggling with this condition for so long, he thought it might be worth exploring.
I took Ambien for a total of two nights, it was really all I could handle. I happened to be visiting my parents that weekend, so it was the perfect time to try out this new drug…you know, just in case something wacky happened. The first night I climbed into bed and took my trusty sleeping pill. I was completely fine one moment and the next I was having insane hallucinations. I had a Neko Case poster on the wall of her album “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” and when I looked at it, it looked the there were shadows of animals dancing about on the wall. Very trippy, indeed.
I must have thought the hallucinations from night one were a fluke because I took an Ambien the second night as well. I once again crawled into bed and took my sleeping pill. Apparently I climbed out of bed sometime around 2AM and went into my parent’s bedroom. I woke them up and started asking very loudly, “Where is my gross rent multiplier?!?!?!” At the time I was working on my real estate appraiser apprenticeship, so that’s where the odd terminology comes into play. However, that’s not a tangible item you can lose, it’s a way of calculating figures in commercial real estate appraisal.
Looking back on my personal experience with Ambien, I, like so many others, can tell you it doesn’t agree with everybody's body. There has to be a better solution. Right now I can either be extremely tired or take a pill that makes me feel like I’ve dropped LSD and has me sleepwalking. Currently, I take Valerian root and drink a cup of Chrysanthemum tea before I go to bed. It doesn’t really help that well, but it’s better than the alternative I suppose. If nothing else, it gave my parents a fun story to tell their friends.
My insomnia started shortly after high school graduation. Looks like I’m creeping up on my 15th anniversary with insomnia. I have literally tried everything you can think of. I have tried sleep masks, earplugs, blackout curtains, sleep machines, sleepy time tea, valerian root, melatonin, Lunesta and finally we come to Ambien. My doctor was hesitant to prescribe Ambien because of the possible odd side effects. Also, it is known to be somewhat habit forming. However, since I had been struggling with this condition for so long, he thought it might be worth exploring.
I took Ambien for a total of two nights, it was really all I could handle. I happened to be visiting my parents that weekend, so it was the perfect time to try out this new drug…you know, just in case something wacky happened. The first night I climbed into bed and took my trusty sleeping pill. I was completely fine one moment and the next I was having insane hallucinations. I had a Neko Case poster on the wall of her album “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” and when I looked at it, it looked the there were shadows of animals dancing about on the wall. Very trippy, indeed.
I must have thought the hallucinations from night one were a fluke because I took an Ambien the second night as well. I once again crawled into bed and took my sleeping pill. Apparently I climbed out of bed sometime around 2AM and went into my parent’s bedroom. I woke them up and started asking very loudly, “Where is my gross rent multiplier?!?!?!” At the time I was working on my real estate appraiser apprenticeship, so that’s where the odd terminology comes into play. However, that’s not a tangible item you can lose, it’s a way of calculating figures in commercial real estate appraisal.
Looking back on my personal experience with Ambien, I, like so many others, can tell you it doesn’t agree with everybody's body. There has to be a better solution. Right now I can either be extremely tired or take a pill that makes me feel like I’ve dropped LSD and has me sleepwalking. Currently, I take Valerian root and drink a cup of Chrysanthemum tea before I go to bed. It doesn’t really help that well, but it’s better than the alternative I suppose. If nothing else, it gave my parents a fun story to tell their friends.
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