Recently, I’ve done a bit of content regarding sleep and how it affects you as a freelance writer and blogger. And although I base everything on personal experience, lately, it’s been incredibly difficult to find a bit of shut-eye.

Right now, I’m coasting on four hours of sleep and not doing very well at all. Part of today’s issue is driven by the five hours I had the night before.

It took me twice as long to get my client work done today, and I’ve only started writing a few of my own blog posts.

Needless to say, I’m probably not going to get a lot done today for my own projects.

Why the Severe Lack of Sleep?

I’ve been tired for a very long time. Hence why I have a long list of things that I’ve done to help me sleep at night. But lately, it’s been exceptionally more difficult.

And as much as I would love to take a nap, there’s a reason why I don’t. First of all, after napping, I get incredibly grumpy and groggy. It puts me into a fog and I’m no good at all afterward.

For me, napping just makes matters far worse.

A Very Crappy Bed

The biggest issue I have right now is my bed. I slept great when staying at the hotel for over a month. Unfortunately, my bed is incredibly hard. Even with one of those covers you use to make the bed softer, it still feels like sleeping on a sheet-covered brick.

The bed I want is $3800. Of course, that’s the entire bedroom set. And I don’t want to spend money on something mediocre now if I’m just saving up for something I want in the next year or so.

There are times, though, that I seriously consider renting out a hotel room if just for one night so I can sleep soundly for a change.

High Levels of Stress

Over the past month or so, I’ve undergone an incredible amount of stress. This was from both my professional and personal lifestyles. This has lead to poor sleeping patterns and overeating.

Luckily, I’ve been getting a handle on things lately. So, stress is a bit less of a problem. However, it’s still present to a lesser degree.

Recent events in Washington really didn’t help matters much, either.

Caring for Others First

I’ve always been the type of person to sacrifice for the well-being of those around him. Instead of heading off to bed to get some sleep last night, I helped a fan of the YouTube channel vent.

She was in a bad place and I wanted to help. After an hour or two, she felt much better and was joking towards the end.

That’s how I roll.

If I’m capable of helping someone, I will. No matter what it does to me in the short-term, I’ll set aside my own needs to make sure someone else doesn’t suffer.

In this instance, she felt as though she didn’t have anybody to talk to. And that’s one thing I am very good at; listening.

Stress Eating

Remember what I said about overeating? Yeah, stress eating is a terrible problem to have.

When you binge from stress, it can cause a myriad of problems when it comes time to go to bed. For example, indigestion, heartburn, and diarrhea are just a few things you could face at night.

For me, it’s the heartburn that will keep me up tossing and turning.

And when I’m as exhausted as I am now, the stress eating often gets worse. Then, I wind up staying up all night because I overate.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Luckily, I’ve been able to curtail the binge eating over the last few nights, so it hasn’t been too bad of a problem. But, it certainly was an issue last week.

I Need to Remember Why I Set My Alarm!

One of the things I want to do at night is drink my Sleepytime Tea. It’s very effective to keep me down throughout the night. Theoretically, I’m supposed to drink a glass of it at 8:45 pm.

Unfortunately, I’ve gotten into the habit of just swiping the alarm and continue doing what I was doing. I am completely oblivious to why I set those alarms in the first place.

Tonight, though, I don’t think I’ll have too much of a problem remembering. Perhaps I’ll wind down with a cup of tea while reading my book in bed.

Now that I write that, it sounds like an incredible idea. Providing Max lets me read without trying to paw the pages.

I really want to read Stephen King’s Night Shift again. It’s been a day since I read that book.

Needless to say, I have got to find a way to get more sleep. It’s starting to really affect my work for both clients and myself. Can’t really build up a great blog if I am too tired to write or can’t keep focused well enough to make sense.

I’ve had to delete several sentences of this post already.

Crossing My Fingers for Sleep

Here I sit, it’s 3:16 pm, and all I can think about now is cuddling up with a book, my cup of tea, and my cat. Tonight, I shall sleep like the dead. I just hope I can get more than just a single night of rest this week.

I’m no good to anyone if I am half-asleep throughout the day. Besides, I have videos to make!

What do you find works best for you to sleep?