How To Beat The Wide-Eyed Monster

“I hate it when I can’t fall asleep but everyone else can.” –Author Unknown.
Ah, the best part of the day after long hours at your job, travel for work, and a grueling merry-go-round lifestyle: your bed and pillow finally await you. You crawl into your bed, shut off the light, fluff the pillows, and with a deep sigh, you look forward to a night of soothing restful sleep.
WRONG!
You lie in bed exhausted, but wide-eyed, staying awake long into the night, tossing and turning in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sweet slumber to engulf you. It’s the same routine, night after night. Every sound throughout the house seems to be magnified by the prevailing silence. Even the soft sound of your nasal congestion irritates you. You hear how often your neighbors go to the bathroom or raid the refrigerator as they move about, to and fro, across the squeaking wood floors. The clock inches away from you, continues to mock you with its blinking red digital numbers:
12:00… 1:00… 2:00… 3:00 a.m.
You’re overwhelmed with feelings of frustration as you brace yourself for another round with the wide-eyed monster.
You reach for the remote to see what’s going on with the news. Nothing worthwhile, just the same old, talking heads predicting either snow, rain, sleet or a sweltering humid day. You put on your robe and head for the kitchen, just like your neighbor upstairs.