The cost of insomnia

I don’t usually believe in karma, probably because I just don’t want to experience the wrath of someone imposing a karma curse on me. Lately, though, I am beginning to feel my sister may be getting me back with some sleep karma. I’ve recently experienced insomnia, which is not something I’ve ever had.

Until recently, I was the best sleeper ever. My mother used to say that I could sleep anytime, anywhere, and on anything; a bed, floor, bed of nails, in a car, plane, tent, it didn’t matter. If I was tired, I slept, even sleeping standing up wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. When I was a teenager and did some babysitting in our neighborhood, my parents wouldn’t sleep, so they could call me continuously to make sure I was awake, and the kids were asleep, not vice versa (which was entirely possible).

When I was ousted from my condominium for three years because of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, I lived with my sister for the last year of the reconstruction. Most evenings, after dinner, we would sit in recliners to watch some TV. Usually, within five minutes, I was asleep! I would wake up, go to bed, and immediately fall back to sleep. My sister watched TV for hours, went to bed, tossed and turned, and eventually nodded off. I think it drove her a little crazy that sleep was so easy for me. Hence, the potential of my sister’s karma.

That has changed! I am now dealing with insomnia. Is it karma? Possibly, but there is another option, I think; it is the scourge of living so far North. This time of year, I’m not toiling in the sun, picking weeds, tiring myself, and getting sunstroke. The days are short, darkness comes early, so we eat and go to bed way too early. Now, I fall asleep early and wake up around 3 in the morning. Sometimes I read, other times I shop online. I’ve been sucked into a few “deals” because, at 3 a.m., things that wouldn’t have interested me during regular hours become more enticing, and somehow, easier to rationalize the need for that unnecessary item.

My one big splurge has been The Mirror. If you have not seen the TV commercials, it looks like a full-length mirror that you can hang on the wall. It is not just a mirror; it streams a variety of fun exercise classes. It seemed a bit silly since I belong to the Waitsburg gym and the Walla Walla Y, run and play tennis. However, all are now gone; I don’t like running in cold weather, and the pandemic closed down the rest. Like other retailers, Mirror has become very adept at sucking you in during this lock-down, shelter at home days, providing easy no interest payment plans and free delivery.

I think insomnia has also honed my rationalization skills: Without the local gym, when the Y reopens, it will mean driving into Walla Walla, potentially in the snow, fog, rain, dodging deer, and other animals wandering the highway. I have also rationalized some additional benefits to this new workout toy. When I take the classes, they register the calories burned. I see I burned 300 calories, great for me, another glass of wine. If I have two glasses, then I can do another class and burn that off as well. It’s become a vicious circle, workout; eat, drink, repeat. Even Mugsy has become bored watching me stare at The Mirror while sweating. Daniel is sure I’m going to do one jumping jack too many and crash through the floor and land downstairs.

My last insomniac shopping spree was bed pillows, set to arrive Monday. Hopefully, to sleep, dream, and not spend!