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Home > Hot Topics > Health > Up All Night

Up All Night This piece has been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.

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By “Allison,” Dell Rapids, SD
Here I am, motionless except for the occasional deep sigh. I’m staring at the clock, watching the minutes tick by. My mom told me to count sheep. By now I have counted so many sheep that I never
Photo credit: Michelle K., Vancouver, WA
want to see another in my life. My brother told me to listen to my iPod. I ended up strangling myself with my headphones. My sister told me to count backward from 100. All that did was get me confused.

So now I just sit here thinking. Thinking of how almost everyone else in town is asleep. It is 1:07 now. In five hours and 23 minutes I will be getting up and starting a new day.

My mind wanders to almost any topic. From band competitions to what I am going to wear tomorrow. I was always told to shut my mind down when I try to sleep, but my fear is that it will never start back up again.

3:26. Three hours and four minutes left, and all I can think about is how well-rested I would be after three hours of sleep. Now I think about my dogs and my cat and how stupid they are, but then I realize I am the stupid one. Right now my dogs and my cat are all asleep, and they will wake up well-rested and ready for the day. Why can’t I drift off for an hour or two? It doesn’t make sense. So many people fall asleep without even trying, like during class or on the bus. I have to work for sleep, which almost defeats the purpose because sleeping is supposed to be peaceful, not work.

5:49. Less than an hour now. I might as well get up instead of torturing myself. It is useless now. It shouldn’t be this hard.

6:07. I don’t remember the last time I had a full night’s sleep. I lie awake listening to the sounds of my silent house. The soft snores coming from my parents’ room, the soft drip, drip of the faucet.

6:29. One minute left. One more minute to attempt to sleep. BEEP BEEP BEEP. Hopefully I will have better luck tonight. But I know that tonight will be just like the rest.
This piece has been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.This piece has also been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.

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This article has 16 comments. Post your own!

redhead_aly said...
Mar. 5 at 9:43 pm:

thank you so much for all the compliments and advice!! i will be sure to try all of your tips. (:

 
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blue jay said...
Mar. 4 at 2:34 pm:

To help me go to sleep I have a pitch black room. being in the dark makes me tired. If you really want to go to sleep drink a warm glass of milk and give it time. Now have your mom sing you a lalla by.

 
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MilesLowdotCom said...
Mar. 4 at 1:40 pm:

If u really wanna go to sleep, go run alap or two around the block. GUARENTEE youll fall out

 
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B.R.Nack said...
Jan. 31 at 5:04 pm:

wow this is really great you are a very talented writer, but its unfortunate you have trouble getting to sleep though Mi dispiace

 
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Miss_Bliss said...
Nov. 15, 2009 at 8:10 am:

Ugh, this was almost too painful to read! I'm not actually an insomniac, but it still takes me forever to fall asleep...my mind will go at a mile a minute for hours before I actually drift off. You made your experience so vivid, it was incredibly easy to imagine. Nice job, and I hope you have better luck sleeping.

 
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Kwstar said...
Aug. 1, 2009 at 3:41 am:

Love it I hate insomina good luck

 
babigerl1194 replied...
Mar. 6 at 6:32 pm :

wats insomnia?

 
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Hay_Wire said...
Jul. 26, 2009 at 3:28 am:

yeah. i have insomnia also. its a pain. the thing is, people dont seem to get it. no matter how exhausted i get, its so...impossible. good luck.

 
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Swimming_Beyond_The_Horizon said...
Feb. 19, 2009 at 12:03 am:

I know exactly how this is. Every night I try to go to sleep but can't. I'm not an insomniac, but I suffer from anxiety. All I can do is worry about EVERYTHING.

I try to explain to my mom, but she doesn't get it. I fall asleep for a couple of hours, wake up and can't go back to sleep. So I talk to her and all she does is get mad because I woke her up. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone with my sleeping problems.

I now am on Melatonin and that ... (more »)

 
KitKat927 replied...
Nov. 14, 2009 at 2:49 pm :

I also suffer from anxiety. It helps me to go over what went right in the day. I know sometimes it's hard to see the bright side of things. For me there are days when I just can't, but as long as you keep trying it will come to you. I am sorry that you can't talk to your mom about it, but maybe in the morning try to talk to your friends about it. It helps me when something happens that's really upsetting me I talk it out with my friend as soon as I can.
I hope that help... (more »)

 
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz replied...
Jan. 9 at 11:53 am :

I also have anxiety, so I see a psychiatrist. It really helps, also I take Melatonin when i can't sleep.

 
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lola said...
Feb. 12, 2009 at 7:40 am:

I've heard that for some people with insomnia, doing yoga during the day can be really effective. Also sleeping pills, if your doctor approves of them, could help. But also, maybe you have problems with anxiety? I've been suffering from anxiety problems since middle school and back then I wasn't able to sleep a wink. Wish you all the best.

 
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violinneg said...
Jan. 31, 2009 at 3:16 am:

Insomnia is an odd concept to wrap your mind around. I, myself, have trouble explaining it even though I have it myself. Your mind can't rest. All you can think about is...well, anything, really. It is a struggle to fall asleep; sleeping is a task in itself.

 
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redhead_aly said...
Jan. 27, 2009 at 10:33 pm:

i wrote this and thank you! c: i cant sleep because i have something called insomnia. it prevents me from being able to rest. it is really hard to explian...

 
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aly.s said...
Jan. 27, 2009 at 3:34 am:

very well written but i kinda don`t get it , why can`t she sleep???

 
Hannahbear replied...
Nov. 13, 2009 at 4:45 pm :

Shes got insomnia...it makes it so it is really really hard/impossible to get to sleep at night.
I loved it, is was great :D

 
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