Is that a question along the lines of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

For those of you who tend to worry about my sleeping habits, let me start by assuring you all - I have been sleeping quite well lately.  Honestly.  I've probably gotten more sleep in the last four months than I have in the last five years.  I don't fall asleep instantly, but I am almost always alseep by 2 a.m. (believe me, this is good).  I usually wake up before the alarm goes off.  Sometimes I get up.  Sometimes (ok, quite often) I let myself sleep until after Sweetie leaves for work. It's been fairly nice.

I've had a few bumpy nights the last couple of weeks.  Some bad dreams.  Some extra tossing.  It's always a given that I lie in bed awake longer than Sweetie.  He is amazing.  He can fall sleep faster than my male cousins watching football on a couch during family get-togethers.  Which means I sometimes toss quietly as I try and get my brain to shut down (when am I going to find that off switch??).  Or I sometimes toss as I poke him onto his side during the loudest of snoring.  Or I sometimes fall asleep only to wake with a bad dream.  Or, worst of all, a bad bout of sleep paralysis.  That happened last night.  Perhaps explaining why I'm still sitting in front of a computer tonight. 

Last night, I knew I would have a hard time falling asleep since Sweetie is out of town.  Much as his snoring can keep me awake, I prefer his steady calming presence.  I'll take the risk of being sleep punched in the face* for the company. 

So, what do I do when I know I will have trouble falling asleep?  Do I go to bed early to make up for the hours spent not sleeping?  Do I go to bed at any decent hour of the night just to relax and try and get some brain benefits of not staring at my computer?  No.  Of course not.  I avoid the bed and waste time until the wee hours of the night when I am sure to panic about the fact that I am not asleep yet.   This is a bad habit.  This is a habit I started when my insomnia was more chronic and I would spend nights on end tracking back and forth between bed and couch and bed and couch. 

And you know what?  I don't think I am the only one with this bad habit.  I think a lot of insomniacs try and distract themselves away from the whole ordeal of bedtime when they can't sleep.  Why bother? I guess.  It doesn't really make sense.  But we do it.  Counter-intuitive and  counterproductive?  Yes.  Somehow instinctive and unconscious?  Yes again.  I don't know why I do it.  I just do. 

I would advise people who have trouble sleeping to get to bed early to give yourself time to relax and fall asleep comfortably.  But what do I know?  What do you do when you can't fall asleep?

*Speaking of being sleep punched in the face, this has to be one of my favorite Dane Cook bits.  Sweetie showed this to me after he sleep punched me, and we laughed so hard we cried.  We still laugh about it.  If you ever hear one of us randomly shout out "JOHN!" - this is where it comes from.

P.S. - No joke.  Have I mentioned that, - over here in Maui, the roosters start crowing at 2:00 a.m.?  Uuugggggg!! There are roosters and chickens all over the island.  And they are dumb as rocks apparently.  As if my brain, Sweetie's snoring, and wind storms aren't bad enough.  I have to try and sleep through crowing roosters in the middle of the night!