My Search History According to Insomnia

The search box is a funny thing. I always get a little laugh out of the random assortment of things auto-filling Google's address bar as I begin to type.

Teaching third grade leads me to research a wide variety of topics, videos, and books. My Amazon and eBay results are no different.

A glimpse into a specific story about my life

From looking for worms to feed my classroom's leopard gecko to looking for a book called Most Marshmallows, my searches are quite a thing to behold. The items that pop up related to sleep, however, tell a very specific story about my life.

Over the last several years, I have spent a great deal of time trying to make my nights move faster and more smoothly – it has not been an easy road. I have relied almost solely on the internet for advice, products, and support for my insomnia.

A glance at my search history yields some interesting results:

What brand of melatonin works best?

Interestingly enough, my searches show that melatonin in gummy form comes highly recommended. Over the years, I have tried both tablets and gummies. Fortunately, the cheaper tablets seem to give me just as much relief as the gummies.

I have learned, though, that either used too frequently tends to lose some effectiveness. It's always a guessing game as to how many nights I can use them before I am back to square one. I now ration melatonin and save it for those nights when I can tell my hyper-alert state will last into the wee hours.

Do contour pillows help tinnitus?

I fell down this rabbit hole after developing tinnitus in my left ear in 2019. Wondering if the tinnitus was related to TMJ, I started looking for a pillow that might help relieve both.

Last summer, I ordered a contour pillow from Amazon. After an adjustment period of a few weeks, I noticed an improvement in my TMJ symptoms, but my tinnitus is still keeping me wide-eyed at night.

What is pink noise?

This search followed a long afternoon of trying to decide which sounds would best lull me to sleep. For years, I had heard the term "white noise," but "pink noise" was a new one to me.

As it turns out, pink noise encompasses a group of sounds with less intense high frequencies than white noise. Pink noise includes sounds like the gentle drumming of rainfall or the crash of waves on the shore.¹

Who knew? I certainly didn't.

What is the best mattress for insomnia?

I am afraid this search may be a lengthy one. I have seen everything from Memory Foam mattresses toppers which I currently have to some incredible mattresses with wonderful features and rave views. Those incredible mattresses also come with incredible price tags. I hate having insomnia, but I am not sure I am ready to splurge on that big of a change yet.

No magical answers...yet

Of all the magical answers we get when we begin typing a single character in a search engine, how awesome would it be to stumble on the solution to our insomnia? I certainly haven't found a combination that works consistently, but I am trying. After all, that's why the search bar exists, right?