Middle of the Night Silence

I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but sometimes I like the silence in the middle of the night. Don't get me wrong - I would much rather be sound asleep, watching the insides of my eyelids and oblivious to the world around me, skipping the middle of the night hours in general.

But since I'm not usually that lucky, I try to look at the bright side. Being awake during this time usually means that I am the only one in my house that is conscious, moving or making noise. Nobody needs anything from me, I am free to do what I want, when I want to, and sometimes I'm even able to find some peace, which in turn helps me return to sleep.

Solace over dread

For me, I have noticed that time changes things. I used to hate the middle of the night - constantly fearsome of waking up multiple times between going to bed and waking up in the morning. Now, it somehow brings me more solace than dread.

I mean to be honest, I have lived with insomnia most of my life, and while there have been several different changes in how I mentally approach the obstacles that come with living with a sleep disorder, there have also been some changes in perspective that I have become grateful for.

Reclaiming my time and emotions

Being awake in the middle of the night, getting out of bed to read or craft or even watch television does not fill me with angst anymore. It is just part of my routine. It is what my body needs sometimes in order to be reset, in order to fall back asleep in a way that is sustainable for at least a few hours.

I'll be truthful here - this gigantic sleep interruption if you will, separating the first part of the sleeping night from the second part in the early morning - it does seem to leave me more tired during the day, but that is a trade-off I'm currently willing to make.

By reaching this agreement with my body, it makes the night and sleep less painful and, critically, less frustrating overall.

Finding comfort in the middle of the night

One last thing I wanted to share is some tips on how I have come to cope and find comfort in the middle of the night. I know these vary so much person to person, but here is what has worked for me:

1. Looking at and treating my body as my ally, and part of me, rather than getting frustrating and angry about how little control I have over my sleep disorder has been a big part of this foundation.
2. Finding small middle of the night rituals that feel like comfort when I'm out of bed and wide awake at 3am. Personally, this usually involves drinking water and eating a small snack, using one of my favorite essential oils, curling up on the couch with a blanket and a good book, or turning the television on dimly to listen rather to watch.
3. Assess your own feelings. Do you dread the middle of the night because it means that you are not sleeping? Or is it because you're lonely at that time? Or you know what this will mean for the day ahead? By letting go of those expectations and beliefs, I have found it's much easier to make solace with and find peace in the middle of the night.

I am very interested to see if you, our community members, agree or disagree with this notion of comfort in silence in the middle of the night? Is this something you experience often, like me, or less frequently?