Last night I was in bed before 10 o'clock. I read a chapter of my book just to help wind down, but I was abnormally exhausted and I'd been fighting off a bad headache since the afternoon, so I was really looking forward to sleeping. At about 10 after 10, I turned off the light, rolled over and closed my eyes, prepared to drift off into dreamland.
I proceeded to toss and turn for the next two hours, and then woke up five or six times during the night before my alarm went off at 8 o'clock. I wish that this wasn't the norm, but unfortunately, this is just how sleeping is and always has been for me. It's part of the reason I typically wait until around midnight to finally begin the falling asleep process, hoping that I'll be so tired that maybe I'll drift off quickly and naturally. I used to take my precious 3 mg melatonin about 30 minutes before going to bed, but I've read some research that has shown it can be detrimental to conception, so I no longer have even that crutch. It's just me, the bed, and the stupid clock.
To add insult to injury, I happen to be married to a man who could easily compete in falling asleep races. His head touches the pillow and he is instantaneously unconscious. If he happens to stay awake for five or ten minutes, he flops around like a dying fish, cursing the heavens for the tragedy of beng unable to asleep. So, on the few nights that he is home, sleeping beside me, not only do I have the frustration of insomnia, but I'm also fuming over the snoring emanating from the other side of the bed.
I have a theory that the kind of sleeper we are as a baby is indicative of the kind of sleeper we will be our whole lives. When I was an infant, evidently the one drawback to my perfect baby self was my complete lack of interest in sleeping. This continued into my childhood, when I would sneak under my comforter with a flashlight and some books, or play with my stuffed animals, or sit by the door of my bedroom, listening to whatever it was my parents were watching on tv. I couldn't fall asleep easily, even then. I remember, laying in bed, counting the cycles of the ceiling fan, attempting to hypnotize myself into sleep.
On the other hand, a part of the lore pertaining to my little sister's perfection is that she was an amazing sleeper. To this day, it's shocking to me how quickly she falls asleep and how hard she sleeps. When we travel together or are home together, we usually sleep in the same bed or bedroom, and I'm constantly waking up to her cellphone buzzing or her alarm going off while she sleeps tranquilly through the cacophony of noise.
So, mothers, take heart, maybe your anti-sleeping baby isn't an asshole, maybe they're just an insomniac in the making! I recommend a little bit of melatonin crumbled up into their pre-bedtime meal. Nothing about that could possibly go wrong.
Sounds like you are fully prepared for the sleep cycle with a newborn! Ick, not fun! Jon is totally the same way with falling asleep instantaneously like Colby... SOOOO annoying. No wonder they are so damn chipper in the morning! I feel like the more tired I am, the harder it is to sleep, for some reason. And add getting up to go to the bathroom 90 times per night, I feel your pain. Luckily, I think Noah got Jon's sleeping genes. I always felt like the more than I look at the clock, the more it stresses me out when I can't sleep, and the more that I stay awake because I am more stressed out. Maybe ditch the clock if you think that is a problem for you, too! And I'm sure you've tried a calming tea before bed? A warm bath? Warm milk? A glass of wine? Hope you get some rest! I have a lot of sympathy for the sleep deprived!
Posted by: Kaela | July 22, 2011 at 03:13 PM
Sounds like you and Colby are the exact opposite of Scott and I. I, like Colby, fall asleep within seconds and sleep through anything, while Scott's has to work at it every single night...sounds just like you. He eats a Calimyrna fig every night right before bed and swears by it. Tryptophan is a miracle, apparently. And figs are a super food! Give it a try. (and FWIW...I have always been a good sleeper - my mom says that I used to just put myself to sleep as a toddler - they would look up, notice I was gone, and find me sacked out in bed, or that I would just announce, "I'm going to sleep, and go get in bed, or pass out on the floor. Always an easy 'sleep' baby, still a great sleeper now, so I think your theory has some weight to it.)
Posted by: Julie | July 22, 2011 at 04:34 PM
Insomnia is the worst. I used to get it a lot when I was a kid and it's such a terrible feeling. But these days, I'm too tired from working and chasing my kids around, I have no trouble sleeping! This might be a dumb question, but have you tried like Tylenol PM or something that is safe while trying to get pregnant? I know my sister in law had to take Unisom when she was pregnant and it was fine.
Posted by: Kristina | July 22, 2011 at 04:52 PM
Ugh, that really sucks. Sometimes it takes me hours to fall asleep and when I finally do I wake up throughout the night to use the bathroom (not currently pregnant just something that I've dealt with as long as I can remember) and my alarm clock goes off at 6:30 calling "mama!!!" I don't know what I was like as a baby but I remember always taking a long time to fall asleep as a child and teenager too. I think your theory may be right on! At least you'll be ready for the newborn "schedule" when you have a baby. :)
Sometimes warm milk actually does make me tired enough and makes the falling asleep process faster. Good luck!
Posted by: Solange | July 22, 2011 at 06:30 PM
Um, ditto. I used to heavily depend on taking two Benadyl every night, but I figured that probably wasn't so good for Sir Fetus, so now... I just suffer. And Joel falls asleep within 30 seconds of going to bed, which makes me so jealous and angry. I even feel like the cat is mocking me on bad nights. They're all just SHOWING OFF, ooooh look at me, I'm asleep! (I have a serious problem with Night Anger.)
Posted by: Operation Pink Herring | July 22, 2011 at 11:54 PM
i hate when i get bouts of insomnia, it is seriously ridiculous. ugh. i hope it goes away for you soon and you can get some decent sleep!
Posted by: katelin | July 23, 2011 at 12:29 AM
Colicky baby here--know where I fall asleep best? In the car, with someone driving at high speeds. I'm not kidding. Doesn't work on the train or the plane.
I'm still a fairly light sleeper nowadays, and I suffered from insomnia from puberty well into my 20s, until I cleared up my food allergies. Fixing that resolved a lot of it, but I still employ routines and music (my "sleep CD" is classical pianist Christopher O'Riley's interpretation of Radiohead) on a regular basis.
Even though I shared a bed with my sister when we were little, I don't understand how couples can sleep in the same bed successfully.
Posted by: Kate P | July 23, 2011 at 05:11 AM
I'm only a good sleeper to spite you. Kinda like once you moved out of the house, I became really messy... I mean, I'm only PRACTICALLY perfect in every way.
Posted by: Brittany | July 23, 2011 at 06:35 PM
HA. I like it. Melatonin in P's bedtime bottles from now on.
Actually, she changed from a jerk of a sleeper to a contender in one of those sleep races, so who knows? Maybe she was just cold and hungry. Because I'm that kind of mom.
Posted by: Lynn | July 25, 2011 at 07:11 PM
Haha, my husband is EXACTLY the same way and I'm jealous he can just fall asleep easily. For example, last night he was out cold as soon as we went to bed at midnight and it took me until around 2AM to finally fall asleep. :(
Posted by: steph anne | July 25, 2011 at 11:38 PM