Sing Me to Sleep

Usually, I can sleep anytime. I prefer naps to most other activities (save a few that won't be mentioned). Naps are wonderful. I think if more politicians took more naps, the world would be a better place.

As of late, my sleep has been disturbed. I attribute it to the amount of stress I have going on in my life. Usually, I'm a pretty laid back person. Lately, I've been bitchy, and I am certain my blood pressure is up.

I went to my doctor's a couple weeks ago to have him look at my foot. I made mention of my sleep disturbance.

Doc: Why?
Me: Too much stress.
Doc: Why?
Me: My family is going down the crapper and I don't know if I'm dating or not.
Doc: Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode about the mansierre?? The Bro?? (laughs maniacally about his own joke)
Me: (blank stare)

So, the doc writes out a script for Ambien. The company recommends not to take it for more than 10 days, and scripts should not exceed one month's duration. He gave me enough for 3 months. (He threw in a script for Darvocet (for my not-broken foot) because they are handy to have also.) What a guy!

And no, you can't have any!

I know other nurses who take Ambien. I've heard a lot of people who work nights have to take it to sleep. My coworkers and I were discussing Ambien the other night during a lull in the shift. One nurse told me the first time she took it, she might have had hallucinations. She apparently told her boyfriend that if he continued to dismantle his face, he would have to go home. Another nurse said that when she took it, she swore up and down that her dresser was flapping it's drawers at her in a threatening manner. I have not experienced such hallucinations, and my experience with Ambien has been quite boring. I take it, I get sleepy, I go to bed and all is right with the world.

Except for last night.

Wide awake and 10pm, I decide an Ambien is in order and take one (I don't take them everyday, just when I can't go to sleep.) I sit on my bed and work on Peanut's baby blanket (almost finished!) and wait for the feeling of sleep to come around. I think it does, so I turn out the lights and hunker down for the night.

I can't explain what happened for the next couple of hours, but I can say it wasn't sleeping. The best guess I can come up with is the mother of all anxiety attacks...and I am not prone to anxiety.

Good think Paul was working, because he would have been ahead of the line for a long procession of ass-chewings. Mom was going to be second, my brother third, my dog in there somewhere, finishing off with the lady who delivers my mail. Oh yeah, and the douchebag at the body shop.

While some people experience hallucinations, I get to have delusions and extreme paranoia. Oh joy!!

I think I would rather deal with the homicidal dresser.