Sleepless in South Africa

I have a rather fixed routine before I turn off the light and go to sleep. I usually indulge in a good book in order to clear my head and immerse myself in a realm of fantasy. Let's face it, everyone loves a good story! The fact that I know a few people who never read anything except food labels and the occasional Facebook post sort of horrifies me! But I digress. After reading a few chapters (and if it's a really good book, quite a few chapters, after which I am angry with myself) I usually turn the light off and think about what I've read. But there are times when the following is true....

It's like my brain has decided to go into overdrive and play back the day's events, or think about upcoming events, or tries to solve world hunger, or contemplates why Justin Bieber is so popular, or relives an awesome birthday cake I had when I was 4. It really was an awesome cake, by the way! But the point is that my body is begging me to go to sleep, but my brain is defiant. That got me wondering (with the lights out, while trying to fall asleep) why this is. Why, when we are exhausted and need our 8 hours of beauty sleep (or in my case, just sleep), do our brains decide that, "No, there are more important things to do right now. Sleep is very low on the priority list!" I have a friend who suffers from chronic insomnia for this very reason. His brain is way too active! So I decided to look into techniques to make you fall asleep. Counting sheep is out. My brain is like "1-2-3-4....hang on, what kind of sheep are they supposed to be? How high can a sheep jump? Am I making the fence too high? And what kind of fence is it supposed to be? If it's a picket fence, will they impale themselves? And when do sheep jump over fences? In winter, or summer? Should it be day or night?" And so on. Oddly enough, reading has been put forth as a way to gear your brain down and prepare for sleep. So I am on the right track. A glass of warm milk before bedtime has also been suggested, but if you're lactose intolerant, then you are screwed. All I know is that reading works for me, every time. So if you are suffering from overactive brain, curl up with a good read....