10 Reasons Why I Didn’t Sleep Last Night

I didn't sleep well last night. Or the night before that. It's been nearly a week since I have gotten good sleep. And boy am I tired of it – literally and figuratively.

Here are the reasons I awoke this morning with puffy eyes instead of rosy cheeks:

1.Late night conversations. My hubby lives in a different city right now due to work, and the girls and I will soon join him. (No, we haven't sold the house yet, but we're making the move anyway, even if it squeezes the budget.) As such, we talked for almost 3 hours last night about the move. BORING! Anyway, we didn't get off the phone until after 11 o'clock. At that point, I was exhausted and amped at the same time. Tricky combo.

2.I need a little “me” time. I know that I got off the phone with my husband after 11 p.m., but I couldn't just lie down and go to sleep. I went from all day with the kids to put the kids to sleep to talk to my husband about moving for three hours. If I were to attempt sleep at that point, I would do it begrudgingly, as if sleep were just another thing on my to-do list. So, I read for a while before lying down to rest. And I did feel better. At least until my brain decided to process everything.

3.My mind needs some of its messages deleted. You know how your phone needs you to delete messages occasionally because its memory is full? Well, that's my brain. Only, my noggin doesn't like the concept of having to let go of all those thoughts until I've processed them. That takes a while, and therefore, sleep alludes me for many a-moment after bedtime.

4.I am not a heater. My husband is the heater in this marriage, and he's three hours away. So, I have to nightly shake my tootsies to get some circulation into those frozen popsicles, don my kerchief (also known as an old stocking cap), and roll over and over until I am warm and comfortable enough to fade into slumberdom.

5.Our mattress sucks! Speaking of rolling over and over, it's not just for heat, folks. We've needed to buy a new mattress since 2007. My husband is not a quick-to-spend kind of guy, though, so that puppy's been on the back burner for nearly a decade now. Oh, my aching back!

6.My cat is nocturnal. Not that other cats aren't; it's just that she chooses that moment right before I sink into sleep to get in my face and purr… LOUDLY. Then, when I push her away, she walks back and forth over my legs, pitter-pattering to find the best space to flop herself down to rest – for at least a half an hour before she shoots down the hallway again in pursuit of some imagined prey. The spot she picks to lay? Right in the crook of my legs. Ugh!

7.My daughter likes to keep me in the loop. At least once per evening, my 5-year-old daughter likes to update me on her potty breaks. Thanks, dear, I needed to know that.

8.I'm lonely. I admit it – I hate sleeping alone. It's hard for me to rest knowing my family is not safely under one roof. When my husband used to work late, I'd stay up until he got home because I just couldn't sleep until he was in the house with us. Lately, I've had to lie down for a little cuddle with my babies before bedtime, just to get my fix of human contact. The girls love the cuddles, too, though, so there's no complaint. Even still, I am very eager to be under the same roof as my husband again!

9.My weensy-teensy bladder. I am a pee-er. Constantly. And bedtime is no exception. If there is even a thimble-full of liquid in my bladder, I can't sleep. My body says, “Get up! Time to pee!” and I can't sleep. It's terribly annoying. (Now, imagine my life as a pregnant woman!)

10.Lastly, daughter #2 is an early riser. I, too, used to wake early as a child. I couldn't wait to get started on my day! And I was happy to be up. Now that I am in the back end of my thirties, early and I are not friends, especially when I don't drift off to sleep until after 1 a.m. So, the entry of my sweet baby, so excited to climb into bed with me, was not very endearing when Mommy had only five hours of sleep. Come back in the morning, dear. You know, the 9 a.m. morning, when Mommy's had some rest.

Written By: Lisa Liebling