Elevated sleep

As not demonstrated here by the Whippet:

I've had trouble sleeping deeply for years now. Especially in the summer. I have devised all sorts of cunning black-out blinds and curtains, but they just make the room stuffy. I was waking up at 5.30am and just not able to get back to sleep.

Then on holiday, I was sleeping like this:

Well, not literally like that, I had a bed not a manky old sun lounger cushion. I also had two pillows. What I mean is, I slept - actually slept - really deeply.

I always used to have two pillows, but my husband's family are "one pillow" people, so a few years ago I switched to one pillow, with a second one just to prop me up in bed to read, which then got chucked on the floor at lights-out.

Since getting back from holiday, I just haven't been able to get comfortable in bed. One pillow didn't feel right but two pillows gave me a crick in the neck. Finally, I swapped my pillows around so the softer one was on top - still slightly elevated, but not so much as to give me a crick.

Bingo. Sleeping like a baby, or a Whippet...and a lot of very strange, vivid dreams, just like I used to have. I can even get back to sleep after 5.30am.

Is this peculiar to me, or has anyone else found being slightly elevated helps them to sleep? After years of insomnia it feels like a bit of a breakthrough. And how do other people sleep through the dawn chorus?!

The three Ms

Yesterday I was pondering changes that I need to make to how I go about doing things. I was wondering what one change would have the biggest effect on my life.

Trouble is, I couldn't think of just one, as I want to include everything. Maybe this is why I feel so strung out: I try to do everything and fail at them all.

Anyhoo, I narrowed it down to three big changes, three things to do daily, and they all begin with M:

M for Meditate.

If I meditate, and practice mindfulness, then I'm sure a lot of other things will fall into place.

I won't eat when I'm not hungry.

I will go to bed when I'm tired.

I will let it go. Not pick a fight, bite my tongue.

I will appreciate the moment.

I will live in the moment, not the past or the future.

and so on.

M for Make.

I like making things, I want to draw more. Drawing is always on my to-do list, but is the thing that drops off the end and I go days weeks months without really having fun, drawing, painting, just letting go. I want to change this. I make things for work, for teaching, but not for me. Not for fun. If I actually made it a habit to make - for me - on a daily basis, I'm sure my life would change. All the things that rattle around in my head would find a place to be.

M for Move.

Let's face it, we all need to move. Sometimes I forget. I need to remember to move, to do some stretches, to jump, to push up, to stretch myself and exert myself.

I could add a fourth, go to bed earlier. But I'm hoping the M for Mindfulness will take care of that one.

Maybe everything can all be solved by M for Mindfulness? Thoughts?!