10. I am exhausted all day, and wide awake all night. (I know this one is obvious, but it must be stated anyway.)
9. I find myself counting my dogs’ snores, and being jealous.
8. I cannot decide whether to get up because I might not go back to sleep, or to stay in bed because I might be asleep again in just a minute.
7. I fight with myself as to whether to look at the clock or not. I hate knowing how many minutes I have left to try to sleep, but I hate thinking I might have hours and not know it.
6. I think of all the things I have to do for the next 3 weeks at least. I can do none of these things at 3:00 a.m.
5. I try relaxation techniques, counting (stupid for someone who hates math…just makes me mad), and banishing all thoughts. Then I resort to writing the most creative stories in my head that seem to be award-winning novels, but instead turn out to be ridiculous in the light of day.
4. I wonder if the above stories are dreams and I am really sleeping and don’t know it.
3. I fret, knowing that listening to hundreds of children reading the same passages for 5 days will not go well if I have not slept in a week. ( Falling asleep sitting up while they are reading to you isn’t a good way to assess children’s reading ability.)
2. I recite scriptures about not fearing, resting in God, sweet sleep, plans not to harm, etc…
1. They don’t work.