”I’ve developed insomnia since the start of the pandemic. I used to be able to fall asleep almost immediately, but now I lay awake in bed for hours. It’s so frustrating. There’s not even anything in particular I am stressing about late at night. I just can’t seem to quiet my mind enough to sleep. I usually get up after a while to get some additional work done so that I can at least use the time productively. But then I am groggy the next morning and find it difficult to get going. This only compounds the problem, because then I start to rely on late-night hours to get work done, and the cycle continues. When I do eventually get to sleep, I keep having vivid, stressful dreams and waking up in a panic. For example, I had a dream recently that my parents’ cat was sick, but everyone in my family kept telling me she was fine and there was nothing to worry about. I tried calling the vet myself since no one else was doing so, but no one answered the phone. The dream devolved into an infinite loop of calling the vet over and over again without reaching anyone who could help. I think this dream and others I’m having speak to a sense of powerlessness in the face of so much global chaos. I haven’t found a good solution yet. I’ve been trying to reduce my caffeine intake and to drink a glass of warm milk at night before going to bed. But even then, my insomnia persists.”
