Let’s Talk: Not Sleeping Well

I wasn’t sure I wanted to write this post. I really debated it. Then I remembered that this article is at the very heart of the reason I started this site and walked away from A Petite Princess.

Can I be honest with you? Being a Royal Blogger or a Royal Correspondent of any sort is hell on your sleep patterns.

For the past seven years my alarms have been set for times that seem more appropriate for a Vampire than a human.  Quite often I would be awake by 2:30 or 3:00 AM and then I’d be finishing work for the day ( or more likely waiting on  hi-res photos from my favorite photographer to come through so that I could make my final selections) just as the sun started peeking in the window… before spending one last hour promoting my article on social media. If the event started at 8 or 9am in London, my Dad’s alarm was usually my quitting time signal…a few more hours rest and I’d be up at noon for time with family or friends or the occasional important appointment.

I loved the excitement as the Royals started to arrive and would do a snoopy-like happy dance in my bed or at my desk on the rare but increasing occasions that I was able to ID a coat, bag, or pair of earrings on my own…and if I could ID a pair of shoes…that called for a hollarin’ like only a church caught up in the spirit has seen.

But at least once a year there was a massive price to be paid for this early morning, not-quite-full-time, schedule.  That price was the Overseas Tour.  Some years it is to Canada, which I love because I get to work on a timeframe my family understands.  Other years it’s to Singapore or Australia which meant that I was completely and 100% totally flipped from the rest of the people I know that don’t do the same thing I do.  My sweet niece Olive never sees me during a tour like Singapore or Australia unless she sneaks in to give me a kiss and mess with my hair while I’m asleep.

Jet Lag…it sounds crazy I know, but in my time as a royal blogger I have suffered jet lag 4 times.  Three of those I didn’t even leave my house.  When jet lag hit I couldn’t focus or do anything for about another two weeks.  The first time it happened I didn’t even know what was “wrong” with me until I told a friend who just laughed and said “Trisha, it’s jet lag”

But my issues with sleep have been going on for more than 12 years.  I’m not sure if I just have a really rough sleep cycle or if my Cerebral Palsy has something to do with it….or if there is even more behind it.  No matter what the cause or causes, I’ve not had more than 4 straight hours of sleep at a time unless I am ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTED.

That doesn’t mean that I won’t stay in bed all day, it just means that I’m awake every couple of hours tossing and turning to get in that perfect position.

I’ve thought about getting a weighted blanket, but I’m not sure if I should get one just yet.  I have gotten this pair of blue blocking sunglasses that I wore on my flight for mhy trip to England and I can say that they really do help my eyes relax.

 One particular friend of mine calls them my “Irish Rocker Glasses” because they make me look a bit like the frontman for U2.

About 5 weeks ago I finally got myself some Melatonin and have taken it most nights.  6mg seems to help.  I’ve done a lot of reading on various topics over the last few months and everything I’ve read says people with Cerebral Palsy can sometimes need higher doses of meds…but I have my own theories as  to why that is.  This post, though, is not the place for those theories.

In my search for things to help me sleep I came across this black cat satin eye mask that feels like it just belongs in my bedside table. I’m not sure how an eyemask would go with my balance and depth perception issues.   It’s adorable if a little pricey.  I’ll be saving up and finding the  perfect purr-fect time to treat myself.