But [Pooh] couldn’t sleep. The more he tried to sleep the more he couldn’t. He tried counting Sheep, which is sometimes a good way of getting to sleep, and, as that was no good, he tried counting Heffalumps. And that was worse. Because every Heffalump that he counted was making straight for a pot of Pooh’s honey, and eating it all. –A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Sometimes, when the world is too much with me, my sleep suffers. Last night was one of those times. I yawned repeatedly as I read, so I closed my book, turned off the lights and immediately fell asleep. But barely an hour or so later, I was awake. A vicious cycle began. I couldn’t get comfortable, tossed the duvet aside, pulled it back on, lay on one side, then the other. I tried to meditate, a slow, deep inhale, a long exhale, but my mind was having none of it, and a relentless parade of “to-dos” began clamoring for attention. I checked the clock: 1:10, 1:20, 1:40, 2 a.m. I sighed, tossed back the covers, grabbed my novel and glasses, and tip toed out of the bedroom, making my way to the kitchen. A cup of warm milk and three chapters later, I returned to bed, finally drifting off to a sound sleep for a few hours, but awakening, as I do habitually, at 6 a.m., saw my nearly illegible list on the night table, scrawled during my wakefulness in an effort to quiet my mind.
Busy brain, an important event happening the next day, or minor aches and pains aren’t the only culprits that keep us awake at night. Life hands us challenges from time to time–difficult or traumatic events job loss, death of a loved one, worries about a child, a parent or spouse, illness. In the days before my husband’s surgery to remove a cancerous kidney, neither he nor I slept well, and I know that before his next scan, his worry will keep him tossing and turning until it’s over. In times like these, one’s sleep may be disrupted for weeks.
He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it is probably only insomnia. Many must have it.― Ernest Hemingway, A Clean, Well Lighted Place
Sleepless nights are no trivial matter. Sleep disruption does more than irritate or make us drowsy the following afternoon. It alters the hormonal balance in our bodies. An inability to fall asleep and stay asleep can result in anxiety, depression, breathing problems, fatigue, or headaches—to name a few. It is well known that lack of deep, restorative sleep negatively affects mental performance and in particular, memory. There is even some newer evidence that individuals who showed signs of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease had poorer sleep efficiency than those without Alzheimer’s markers.
Sleep disorders are also a common and sometimes chronic problem for patients with cancer as well as cancer survivors. They can be caused by anxiety or depression, or the side effects of various treatments. Chemotherapy drugs, for example, can cause nausea, vomiting, night sweats or fatigue. The medications that may be prescribed to help combat the side effects of chemotherapy can also create sleep problems, causing drowsiness, or, in some cases, leave a patient feeling energized. A common remedy is to try to sleep during the day. But daytime naps can aggravate one’s ability to fall or stay asleep during the night.
It is 5 a.m. All the worse things come stalking in
and stand icily about the bed looking worse and worse and worse.
― Fleur Adcock, poet
According to a 2007 study published in The Oncologist, researchers discovered that the cancer itself, its related symptoms, and treatments may also create sleep problems. Even years after treatment, chronic sleep disturbances are common among many cancer survivors. In fact, there is some evidence that disruption of our circadian rhythm may also affect an individual’s cancer prognosis.
According to Dr. David Spiegel and his Stanford University colleagues, a good night’s sleep is an important weapon for fighting cancer. When the hormonal cortisol cycle is thrown off by troubled sleep, the cancer-fighting branches of our immune systems are suppressed. The Stanford team’s findings also suggested that breast cancer patients who suffered disrupted sleep cycles may die earlier from the disease.
The bottom line? A good night’s sleep is not only an important weapon in the arsenal for fighting cancer but for overall health. What can you do if you’re having trouble sleeping? A good first step is to talk to your health care team about your sleep difficulties, but there are some basic steps, recommended by organizations like the American and Canadian Cancer Societies, that might help you get a little more shut-eye.
- Try to keep a normal bedtime routine. Go to sleep in a quiet setting.
- Exercise a little each day.
- If you nap, keep your naps short and do it at least 2 to 3 hours before your bedtime.
- Avoid caffeine for 6 to 8 hours before bedtime.
- Drink warm, non-caffeinated drinks like warm milk or herbal tea before going to sleep.
- Try relaxation exercises, listening to soothing music, darkening the room or massage before bed.
- Keep sheets clean and tucked in, and have extra covers handy in case you get cold.
- It may also be helpful to talk to someone you trust about any fears and concerns you have.
A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.- Irish Proverb
Sleep. We all need it. From time to time, many of us sometimes have trouble getting enough of it. Work, worries, fears, upsetting events, illness–these very human experiences can disrupt us of our sleep. The vast majority of us will experience sleep difficulties at some time on our lives, and those will be like the one I experienced last night, when the hours tick by slowly, you toss and turn and feel as if sleep will never come. As for me, I’m taking a long walk in the sunshine rather than succumbing to the desire for an afternoon nap, closing my computer screen at dinnertime, and maybe even put the disturbing novel I’m reading aside and opt for something with less tension and suspense in the plot. Add a cup of herbal tea or glass of warm milk, the cool feel of sheets and warming cocoon of my duvet, and I just may succumb to darkness’s embrace and restorative power of sleep. As the great poet William Blake advised, “”Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.”
Writing Suggestions:
Did you fear the darkness as a child? What helped you go to sleep?
Write about sleep–or the lack of it. What impact does it have on you the following day? What helps you get to sleep now?
Write, in as much detail as you can, about a time when your worries or fears overtook you and kept you restless and unable to sleep. Try to re-capture the feelings and thoughts you had.
