... for sleep. Again. Why oh why does sleep evade me? It seems like every best practice I might add in to my evening routine makes no difference. "Sleep hygiene", they call it.
But to be honest, I have not done everything this time: it's easier to think about the restrictions and practices that will help than to implement them - right? Good hydration and exercise in the day, establish an evening routine including AT lie-down/shower, no screens/alcohol/caffeine/evening snacking, cool and dark bedroom, evening prayer/meditation. Take a painkiller, consider sleeping pills. What do you include in that list?
The night-time waiting can be agony, and a proper mental fight. Shall I stay in bed or get up? Have a drink, a midnight snack, read a book, write in my journal, do some stretches, have a bath? What will actually help? And how to survive tomorrow if I get only a few hours' sleep?
But again and again I remind myself that the quiet part of the day, the hidden part, the dark and lonely part, can be beautiful (see this (oddly misnamed) post from 2020 https://www.exploringheartandvoice.com/post/what-is-joy-i-also-call-it-hellebore). So I will be patient in this waiting, and open my heart to the possibility that there are gifts hidden in the mysterious folds of the night. I will.
Will you?