The Sleep Machine

                                                     

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When  my Husband and I first got married I was working and taking classes and smack in the middle of internships. One internship in particular was especially hard. I worked with the Elderly that were mentally ill or suffering from dementia.This internship was emotionally draining. I have a very soft spot for the elderly and I couldn't stand seeing them in any pain either physically or emotionally. Every day I would come home in tears. The pressure from the time there also gave me the worst bout of insomnia that I have ever had. Every night after a long day there I would  come home to make dinner and then write reports. I would look forward to a good night's sleep....but it would elude me at every turn!

 Every single cotton pickin' night I would toss and turn. My stomach would be in knots and heart would race thinking of the next day.  Sometimes my husband would rub my back to try and lull me to sleep, but no luck. He'd fall asleep and I would lay there waiting for the sun. I was going CRAZY!

SLEEP! I NEEDED SLEEP!

                                          

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Then in came the sleep machine. you know the one its that machine that creates sounds of nature. It had quite a number of choices to chose from.

                                                   

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I just knew that it would work.

It had to work.

If it didn't work then I would have to resort to hitting myself in the head with a frying pan until I saw little birdies ...yep ( hey it works in all those cartoons)

The first night I set it to sounds of gentle rain.

                                                             

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              Hubby and  I must have gotten up twelve times to go to the bathroom!  Getting in and out of bed did nothing to keep me asleep.

OK, I had to change the setting

Next night....Forest sounds

                                             

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 Nope no good. I turned it off because I kept hearing the sounds of forest insects too. and then I thought of creepy crawlies then the word "fear" then "school" then internships then STRESS and all that and more kept me up.

Finally on the third night I set it to ocean waves at the beach. Ahhh the gentle sound of the ocean breeze and waves..... It worked! for the first time in forever I had  a full night's sleep                     . 

                                                         

                                                   

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Next night the same

          next night the same

                       next night the same. This sleep sounds machine was a miracle!

But as my dark circles faded I noticed my husband was looking awfully tired.

"Whats up Hun?" I asked "Are you feeling OK?"

"Yea, I'm alright...It's....just..."

"What is it?" I asked again

"Its that damn machine Its driving me nuts!"

The next night I put the machine on the timer setting so that the sound would  last just enough for me to fall into a deep sleep......ahhhhhh...

*sounds of the ocean waves*

                                                                

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*Joanne sleeping peacefully*

                                                         

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*Hubster wide awake waiting for the torture to end*

                                                        

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He waits

             

                  and waits

                         

                                       and waits

The soothing sounds gently fade away and all is quiet again...

"THANK GOD!!!" Hubster exclaims, turns in bed and snores are heard shortly after

*Joanne Wide Awake again* looks at hubby and fantasizes how he might look wearing sleep machine