It’s after 3:00am and I’m wide awake. I have insomnia. I’ve often heard the saying, “Sleep is overrated.” Try going three days without it, or averaging 4-5 hours of sleep per night for 40+ years, and let me know if it’s still underrated. Millions of people suffer from insomnia, and it’s more common with age. I’ve had it since I was a teenager.

On the plus side, I can get a lot done at night. It’s quiet, no distractions or social obligations. As a creative person, and an introvert who needs plenty of alone time to recharge, my energy surges around midnight, and continues until the next morning. Late at night, creative ideas appear from nowhere, and I find that I can focus and direct my thoughts more easily. The downside is that the rest of society operates on a one size fits all schedule.

Circadian rhythms, or Chronotypes, vary from person to person. Perhaps there is an hereditary component since my father and grandmother were often up late at night, too. Dad doing a crossword. Gramma sitting in front of the tube eating cornmeal mush to soothe her stomach ulcers. My mom’s side of the family were all early risers. If you weren’t up by 6:00am you were considered lazy. What’s the difference if you work 8 hours at night or during the day?

Having CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) can greatly affect sleep patterns, too. Caused by chronic, long-term trauma, CPTSD shares most of the same symptoms as PTSD plus a few more. One of them is chronic insomnia. For people with CPTSD, the vulnerability that comes with lying down to sleep instinctually heightens wariness or even fear - for the same reason our dog always sleeps with his head facing the door from inside our bedroom or from within his crate.

Whether it’s my circadian rhythm or CPTSD, I try to make the most out of the cards I’ve been dealt, so making hay while the moon shines is what I’m doing