It’s the middle of the night.  I’ve given up on sleep and have come to my desk for an hour or so of doom-scrolling on Facebook in the hope that I would get so bored with the frequent drivel on there that I would be able to return to my slumber, when I noticed that a friend – who is becoming well known around the world for her work with educating hypnotherapists how best to work with people who have Aphantasia – had made a very interesting and relevant post.
She has Aphantasia and ADHD – both things I relate to – and she was on a work trip,  desperately needing some good-quality sleep but finding it very elusive.
She asked, on her Facebook group, “Are you a good or bad sleeper?”  She asked several more questions about what issues people may have and, just as an added bonus, are you ADHD?

2.18am.  I read this, and my mind kicked into overdrive.

I know that there are several factors that need to come together for me to fall asleep and stay there, but I’ve never listed them.  At least, not all at once and in the same place. You are very vulnerable when you are asleep, and opening up and sharing your quirks could make you feel more so, but for me, when I listed and read all the quirks I have about sleeping, it became kind of hilarious,  like a slap-stick comedy where the pies keep flying across the room!   Hmmm…   but, at this time of the night, it sounds like a good and relevant, middle-of-the-night-can’t-sleep distraction.
So I responded with a short version of what I need for a good night’s sleep.  You, dear reader, get the full version!

EVERYTHING has to be just right. 
I am ADHD and Autistic…. so I do mean everything has to be just right.   You’ll see what I mean as you read on…

The room has to be at the right temperature.
There are so many variables hidden in that sentence.  I like the room to be at 27C.  If it’s 28C I’ll consider putting the air conditioner on, but I need to take into consideration that the temperature may drop overnight so the remote needs to be next to my bed.  If it’s lower than 27C, I need to consider the availability of extra bIankets.  It’s not just a specific temperature degree that matters, it’s also the air flow.  I hate the ceiling fan – the air movement is too constant so I prefer open windows with a naturally variable breeze blowing in, except I live next door to a small supermarket and their air conditioner is on the roof right next to my bedroom.  It’s noisy and it cuts out every 30 seconds, for about 10 seconds, and then starts up again.  It is absolutely designed to be annoying.  Beyond annoying.  Especially for someone who can hear the fridge two rooms away!  If I thought it would make a difference, especially at 2 o’clock in the morning, I’d throw something at it!

The covers have to be at the right weight
This is why the temperature needs to be 27C.  At 27C I can sleep with just a sheet over me.  Any hotter and I have cover issues because it is essential that something covers my shoulders.  My feet can poke out, but the shoulders have to be protected.  Colder is easier..   I love a heavy blanket.  It feels safe, secure, protected.  But I live in the Wet Tropics where anything below 20C is friggin’ freezing and winter?  That lasts about two weeks if we are lucky. 
And, just to complicate things, the sheets have to have the right texture.  Flannelette – not a chance!  Microfibre – the only thing that is suitable for is ripping up and weaving into rugs!  The only sheets I like are the really good quality cotton ones that cost a fortune!

Pillows
This is a subject I should probably leave well alone other than to say I have about 20 pillows of various thickness, shape, filling, firmness or squishyness, and which ones are used, and how many of them it takes to make the perfect nest, depends on even more variables! 

Then we get to the important stuff.
I have about six different eye masks.  I’ll have a favourite one for a while, and then it doesn’t feel right for whatever reason.  Why do I need them?  Well….  you know the little green light on the smoke alarm?  And the little red one that flashes to let you know it’s working if you hadn’t already worked it out from the green light?  And the same kind of light on the air conditioner and the dayglow luminescence of the bedside clock? And the outside light that filters around the curtains? Every single one of these feels like a spotlight aimed at my hypothalamus telling me it’s time to wake up. 

And then there is the door.  All the doors.  They need to be closed.  And the door into the bedroom MUST NOT be visible from where I lie in my bed.  I tell you, I have all kinds of issues arranging furniture in my bedroom.  The head of my bed needs to be pointing to the East, but not against a wall which may have water pipes in it, and, of course, that entrance door into my bedroom must not, ever, be in my field of vision.

Then, there is the absolute essential ingredient to a good night’s sleep….  my plushie elephant to cuddle.

And finally, the reason I am awake, right now in these early hours, is because of the moon.  As I write this, she’ll be full in three days’ time.  And every month, for a few days before full moon, my body reminds me of my connection with this beautiful Goddess of the night sky by waking me up!!

Thank you for reading my work. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  It’s always fun laughing at your own idiosyncrasies!
Comment if you have anything that must be just right for a good night’s sleep.
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Every Breath In brings Peace and calmness
Every Breath Out, releases pain and anxiety

Every breath in, every breath out