Sasha Stephens

pitiful loneliness of lying awake at night

Wouldn’t it be awful if I couldn’t sleep well tonight,

what if I didn’t sleep at all tonight?

This idea turned to fear

At that moment I noticed for the first time that worrying about not sleeping could keep me awake!

the beginning of my first long bout of insomnia ...

It was as if my body was automatically rejecting anything that was supposed to help me sleep.

I was no longer alone! There were insomniacs like me all over the world, millions of them, all suffering just like me, just like you

Their stories terrified me! All I could think was that my future had exactly the same in store. Their fears soon became my fears, and before long, their problems became mine too.

My life had now altered beyond all recognition. My obsession had grown to unhealthy levels and every moment of my life was now ruled by thoughts about sleep. From the time I got up, what I ate, what I drank, whether and when I exercised, whether and when I drank coffee, or cola, all these simple decisions could not be made without taking into account their possible effect on my sleep.