Insomnia Sleeping Out Kit

When sleeping at home with you all your creature comforts is already a struggle, trying to sleep at a friend's really does level up the challenge.

Over the years, I have turned down many sleepovers. I feel that my insomnia is an inconvenience to other people and I know that this might be silly but this is how I feel. I do not want to get up and move around and make my hosts uncomfortable. So for the longest time, I simply turned them down. 

Not so long ago, I was invited to a friend's and I really did not want to miss out, so I went in with a plan. What a difference this made. So going forward, I have an insomnia go-bag for when these events come up again.

Communication is key

How many times in your life have you heard that communication is key? A hundred times, if I have heard it once I tell you, and it could not be more true. 

I just braved up and spoke to my host about it, explaining that I would have loved to stay over, but I suffer from insomnia and do not sleep very well. Not wanting to make them uncomfortable should they hear me shuffling around. She said that I was being silly and it was not a lifetime commitment and only one night. Fair enough. At least now they knew.

Packing my go-bag

Determined to make this a success, I decided to pack a go-bag, things to keep me busy in the middle of the night. When I think about it logically, the fears were totally irrational and I am not sure why they were such a big deal for me.

Into my go-bag went a fully charged tablet (with favorite Netflix shows downloaded), a phone charger, headphones, a full water bottle, some tissues, and a good book to read. 

Importantly, I added some lavender sleepy spray and we were set to go. We had a wonderful evening and later that night I assured them to please not worry if they saw my light on or heard me walking around. In turn, they assured me that it would be no problem.

A successful break from my norm

We had the best time. I slept a little and when I could not, I watched my series and just chilled out. If I were in my own house, there would be no noise restriction. This was a large part of what made me anxious, feeling worried the night would be too long and I would not be able to do what I normally do.

When I can't sleep, anything from baking biscuits to watching movies and cleaning my house is possibly going down. I chose to look at this scenario as a break from the norm and it was a success.

Sleeping away from home in the future?

While I will not suddenly start sleeping out a lot, one of my closest friends also has terrible insomnia so that is a very comfortable stay over. We can stay up and wake each other up with no concerns about being a hindrance to each other.

As I have spoken to people, they have told me that it is silly. Most people won't mind. For me though, it was very real. I know that we all have things like this that are big for us and not so much for others.

Do you often sleep over at a friend's? Is this something that has bothered you at all? If so, I would love to hear how you work around it. The key for me was remembering that it is really only for one night and not a lifetime commitment.