Had not intended in writing for this blog this week, since I started my “family history” AND “spiritual Journey” blog and wrote in both of them this week. … But cannot sleep anyway, so might just as well write.

5am and another night without sleep; 0.00 minutes sleep. Actually I think that is still better than yesterday morning tho – due to exhausting “sleep”;

Suspect doubling my Aricept has been helpful for avoiding hallucinations and bizarre dreams but this night they slipped thru. Night of repeated icky horrid stuff and finally woke about 6am and stood in bedroom with my eyes open. To my surprise I was looking at two environments; one superimposed over the other. My horrid alternate reality was superimposed over the normal bedroom environment of husband, big dog, stuffed animals arranged on drawers of huge antique wardrobe, etc. (… or maybe normal was superimposed over alternate reality — don’t remember for sure.) It was my first experience of two realities at once. I walked about a bit, still in both realities, then got back in bed and cuddled up. Slept another 90 minutes and when I woke everything was normal — along with being late for my “normal” tasks.

Then last night and this morning, I just couldn’t sleep. It is not that I am worried about anything. I think, again, doubling the Aricept MAY be a factor in the intensification of insomnia this month, tho. My mind feels more active all the time … and there still is no “off” switch so it is more active at night along with more active during the day.

I am still doing all the “best practices” of:
routine before bedtime,
exercise no MORE than 3-4 hours from bedtime,
… and no CLOSER than 2-3 hours from bedtime (nothing like a schedule hmm?)
healthful eating patterns (when I remember)
drink plenty of fluids (I drink between half and three-quarters gallon because discovered few years ago I was drinking TOO much!)
less than 1cup (decaf) coffee,
but do not drink very much of anything in the later evening hours.
Checked again recently to make sure that some of the nutrients like potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc are in good balance. In fact, right now am taking extra powdered cal-mag to mix in drinks because I think Aricept consumes more and that seems to help the EXTRA cramps I get from the Aricept (but doesn’t seem to modify my “normal” amount of one to three nightly wake-ups with the horrid foot and leg cramps).

So I do all the right things … then I lay there for an hour or two (looking at antique wardrobe pictured).  Get up and do something relaxing (not looking at any kind of computer-type screen) for an hour or so, then go back to bed and try again. … and repeat. This morning, after 4hrs I went ahead and addressed a few issues on computer then tried again. Then just prayed, then meditated, then prayed some more, then got up to write this.

UPDATE: Lately if i wake with the horrid night hallucinations, i will
1: get up (actually move location);
2: Take three deep cleansing breaths;
3: breathing meditation for about 3-5 minutes;
4: Take three more deep cleansing breaths.
Then i might try going back to bed immediately afterward, or i might then go into some longer meditation,
again ending with three cleansing breaths, before i try sleeping again.

Nothing terrifically new and no real tips but it only took an hour and Who knows … it may HELP someone.

VIDEO i made for Dementia Mentors here >> https://vimeo.com/144269686

VIDEO i made of calming instrument here >> https://vimeo.com/192204556

Links:

My Meds (including those for sleep) at >> https://truthfulkindness.com/about/life-other/medications-4sx/

Partnership With Time at https://truthfulkindness.com/2016/03/15/partnership-time/ ;

Impact or Terrors & Dreams at https://truthfulkindness.com/2016/01/19/impact-terrors-dreams/ ;

3-3-1 Rule at https://www.inc.com/jeff-steen/how-3-3-1-rule-can-help-you-fall-asleep-quickly-reduce-anxiety.html ;

* Admin issues: SHARE dementia awareness thru buttons below. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of comments, but please filter your comments with truthful loving kindness to all concerned. If interested in receiving notice of future blog postings, subscriptions are available through a “follow” button in the upper left corner (MS Explorer) or lower right (Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Chrome). If there is an advertisement below, I have no control over what is shown. My own full legal name is Truthful Loving Kindness. My current diagnosis is Mild Cognitive Impairment, but my neurologist said I am in a unique position for helping because I have “one foot in each door”. Text for this page took 1 hrs. creating graphic plus Links additional. ; Copyright 2016-03/23.

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