Overcoming insomnia

As far back as I can recall, I have struggled with falling asleep at night.

When I was young, I envied my mother for being able to fall asleep so quickly after going to bed. Learning about sleeping pills made me wish I could take them, too, questioning why they weren't easily accessible to me when even the residents in nursing homes could get them.

Each night, as bedtime approached, I knew it would take me no less than an hour to drift off to dreamland finally, the place I yearned for. This was the constant reality of my life, a pattern that continued into my adult years.

It was partly my fault; I was aware that my teenage soda addiction played a role. Despite this, I continued to consume the fizzy drink until late at night, even though I knew it wasn't meant to help me sleep. Recently, I have found that I can now fall asleep shortly after lying down, which I do not attribute to my overcoming my soda addiction and switching to mineral water.

No, the reason I can now fall asleep at night, even before midnight, is because I have realized that worry and anxiety are simply thoughts and unproductive ones at that. Previously, I used to spend my nights lying awake in bed, consumed by endless thoughts.

I was unaware at the time, but I have since come to understand that there is no need to allow one's thoughts to wander freely in the mind without restraint. It is possible to manage them if we choose to do so. Meditation and mindfulness involve recognizing that we are separate from our thoughts; we are not the inner voice that produces them―we are the awareness that observes our thoughts.

Focusing on negative thoughts, especially at night when trying to sleep without distractions, hinders our ability to calm our minds and achieve peaceful sleep. Worrying is often futile, as the things we worry about rarely materialize. Even if they do, worrying does not prepare us for the anticipated outcome. Instead, shifting our focus to positive thoughts or maintaining optimism might help prevent insomnia.