Knitting up the ravelled sleeve of care

Star Trek Voyager's Borg crewperson, 7 of 9, regenerates in her alcove —getting her rest so she can go kick Dwayne Johnson's butt. (See link below)

Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,

The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,

Chief nourisher in life's feast . . .

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene 2

 

It's not often you find Shakespeare's “Macbeth” and “Star Trek: Voyager” referenced in the same breath, but that's where I am right now. The importance of sleep. Sleep as a tool for regeneration, restoration, and undercover muscle-building.

As a toddler I was notoriously anti-sleep, but for decades now I have been a world-class sleeper. I am good at sleeping. I LOVE SLEEP. 

Enter steroids. Whoa. Overnight I have become an insomniac night owl early riser. The steroids, Prednisone (60 mg), to be exact, tend to keep me in a constant state of vigilance, ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice (Something about the way it interacts with the adrenal glands, I think), making it difficult  to get all systems to stand down.

So sleep is HARD — yet still so very necessary. 

Here’s what I’m learning helps.

Falling asleep:

• Melatonin (5 mg), about 90 minutes before bed  
• On occasion. its less natural backup, ibuprofen PM or acetaminophine PM
• No caffeine after 2 p.m.
• Stretch before bed
• Breathing exercises (The 4-7-8 technique is great!)

Staying asleep: 

• When I do wake up, keep eyes closed, stay relaxed, pretend I’m still asleep. (Sounds silly, but it has worked for me!)
• If I have to go to the bathroom, I try to keep the lights out so that I don’t fully wake up 
• Sleeping on a pillow wedge keeps my head from clogging up 

A scene from Star Trek Voyager, where 7 of 9 finds herself in a fighting match with a Pendari fighter played by the Rock.

Macbeth talking about sleep after having just killed the king.