Sleepaway Gone Wrong

Since venturing down the road that is insomnia, I have experimented with several different bedtime routines in the hopes of alleviating my sleep stress. Nothing has cured my insomnia, but a few things have made settling into bed less of a struggle. I recently learned how very important my weird little routine has become for me. When sleeping a couple of nights away from home, I was faced with the lack of all my creature comforts and smacked right in the face with 2 very long sleepless nights. And, I was without my necessities for insomnia when traveling.

My necessities for insomnia when traveling

I am not sure why it didn’t dawn on me to pack all the necessities. It’s not normal for me to be forgetful when it comes to preparing for a vacation. That being said, nighttime arrived and I was pretty quickly hit with the realization that I would see every second of the night and greet the morning ill, bleary-eyed, and exhausted.

The list of things I needed and forgot is a sad one.

Packing my sleep necessities for a sleepaway

Pillows

Contour pillow?

No. Left that at home thinking I might be able to do without it just this once. That was a hard-learned lesson. When I made my way out of bed the first morning of my trip, my neck was sore and my jaw achy. I sleep exclusively on my sides. Without the contour pillow, I tried rolling onto my stomach a few times. Not a smooth move.

Pillows – lots of them. I have learned that stabilizing my body between pillows is crucial to invite sleep. I sleep with no less than 4. The cabin – well, it had exactly 2. That was it.

I knew the minute I looked at the bed that I was in for a very long night of feeling lost in that bed. One of the most difficult things about not having enough pillows was trying to position my legs so my knees didn’t touch. I missed my “knee” pillow more than all the other comforts I had left behind.

Weighted blanket

I walked out of my house and my weighted blanket remained on the foot of my bed in its place of honor. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I must have thought I could improvise with extra blankets and pile on a little added weight to get that same feeling of comfort.

Eh. I was wrong. First of all, the cabin I was in didn’t have extra blankets, and the ones there were thin and weightless compared to the 15-pound blanket to which I have grown accustomed. I tossed and turned all night wishing I was trapped beneath my bundle of fabric and sand.

Sleepaway gone wrong

Needless to say, the drive home after 2 full nights of lying wide awake watching the sun come up was a long and difficult one. I won’t make the same mistake twice. The first things I pack next time will be my sleep necessities.

I can forget my shoes, shampoo, or sunglasses, but I will be darned if I am going anywhere without my sleep paraphernalia.

What are your necessities for insomnia when traveling? Please share a comment.