Noon Mul

Welcome to another episode of “Can’t sleep?” with your host “I Forgot to Do Something.” It’s another great night for not sleeping.

Sleeplessness shares good company with hiccups and the appendix as leftover primal functions and medical mysteries.

Sleeplessness is commonly the work of an overstimulated mind. When it’s time to turn off, there’s just one last thing, a nagging worry, a memory from 14 years ago that needs your attention. By this time, you’ve wasted half the sleep you need to function tomorrow.

Try these:

1. Visualize: Watch yourself sleeping.
2. Make a list: A grocery list, a list of things in your house. Tell a friend any routine, going through it step by step.
3. Body check: Do a body check. “Toes, flexible. Organs, comfortable.” Describe the condition of your body parts in one adjective.
4. Explanation: Pretend you’re explaining to a child or pet what “blank” is in simple terms.
5. Remember: My best naps are on warm sand with the waves softly crashing. Remember how it feels to relax into a deep sleep…The layover in a bustling airport while on zombie mode. Writing an essay when you desperately wanted to sleep instead, 8 am class in a warm lecture hall, monotone ramblings…fighting to keep eyelids open…