Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite

From as far back as I can remember I’ve always had an easily susceptible imagination. I could drift away in any kind of music (anything with a bridge and a key change especially), be emotionally affected by any kind of movie or TV show (for the longest time I was a hopeless romantic), and for a while I actually thought I was Wiccan while reading every “Charmed” book I bought from Barnes and Nobel. But the area that my imagination was the most overactive was in the realm of fear.

When I was old enough (around 8 or 9) my parents took my sister and I to the haunted house in Abrams. Word on the street was that it wasn’t very scary and I was excited (surprisingly) for the opportunity to go and face my ongoing fear of…..werewolves. (I was quite scared of dogs when I was little [a few bad experiences] so I believe that was the link with my irrational fear because they look similar). Once we arrived there was a man dressed in a werewolf costume “terrorizing” the guests waiting in line…of course. I was scared, but I knew deep down it wasn’t real (the costume wasn’t very life-like and he was wearing a plaid shirt) and I think I ended up making friends with him (even gave him a high five!). I was doing GREAT!

Just as we were nearing the end of the house we walked into a room with very low light. There was a girl about my age that was laying in a bed in the middle of the room wearing a white nightgown. Next to her at the bedside kneeling was a man wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Through a speaker a voice of a little girl said “Daddy I’m afraid to go to bed, what about the boogeyman?” and then a man’s voice replied “You’ll be fine sweetie, I’ll protect you, he isn’t going to get you”…All the lights went out except for one black light that shined directly on the little girls face…which was now glowing. Her face was the only thing we could see in the room for a few seconds. The black light went out, a strobe came on, and the wall that was behind the bed had moved directly in front of us and the man in the jeans and the t-shirt was now revealed as the boogeyman. He was in a mask with white hair and he was moving in and out of the holes in the wall in our faces. It was enough to scare me silly (and remember it in detail 20 years later…) but on the way out of the room I swear to you….someone….or someTHING….grabbed the back of my ankles. I screamed, I almost tripped, and then I ran so fast through the last few rooms my parents had to chase after me. That was the first night of many nights that I would not be able to fall asleep/sleep for months.

I was scared to turn out the lights because I was afraid I’d see the little girls glowing face in the dark. I could not put my feet down on the side of my bed in fear that something would grab my ankles. I was afraid that the man in the jeans and the t-shirt would come out of my closet and taunt me around my room while the lights were out.

After a long while I did grow out of that fear and incident. It helped that my parents installed a light by my bed I could turn on when I got scared (which was pretty much every night) and they would check my closet every night when they tucked me in. I also shoved SO MUCH STUFF under my bed that there was no way anything could be under there to grab my ankles. Take that, fear!!

Although this was 20 years ago, I still find myself occasionally having a hard time falling asleep at night. There are a whole array of reasons that come into play with why I struggle sometimes, but the few most common things for me are too much in my brain to think about, eating something shortly before bed, and the room being too warm so I can’t get comfortable. We all know that sleep is important for your health, and in my journey of trying to overall feel better I started incorporating these tips to help me sleep better.

Eating no later than 2 hours before bed

If I eat within 2 hours before I go to bed (and it doesn’t matter what I eat) I will get nightmares. Vivid nightmares, ones where I know I’m dreaming but I can’t wake up. NOT WORTH IT, so I stop eating well before 2 hours before I go to bed. I also feel lighter in the morning because of it!

Keep bedroom cooler

I love my bedroom at 68 or less. I’m able to keep my blankets on without getting sticky!

Write thoughts and worries in my journal before bed

I do this with no rhyme or reason. I just dump what’s in my mind on paper and it feels like it frees up space in my brain and sorts my thoughts. I can also come back to them the next day!

Sleep with a fan/white noise machine

I used to sleep with earplugs, but due to a massive earwax problem, I can no longer wear them. When there is silence my hearing plays tricks on me. With a fan I don’t hear every creak and crack of the house.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time

Sleep rhythm is important. Your body likes it!

This week I will also be experimenting and taking Epsom Salt baths to see if it helps decrease my stress levels and improve my sleep cycles. It’s been fun for me to try different things to see what helps make me feel better. And when I feel better, I’m happier! Even though I may not be losing sleep to the boogeyman anymore, I’ve noticed a positive difference in my sleep quality since I’ve started incorporating these tips into my nightly routine. Maybe they might help you too!

What are some things you do to help you fall asleep?