Here I Go Again...

Hey, Kids.

So I've been having really weird sleep patterns for the past couple of weeks, hence I'm writing this at 5am.  I have usually had trouble falling asleep initially but now that isn't an issue.  My problem now is that I fall asleep almost right away but wake up about 3 to 4 hours later and then I'm unable to fall back asleep.  Or if I do fall back asleep it's around 5am and when my alarm goes off at 6:15am, I'm dead tired and snooze till at least 7am (lately) but once as late as 7:30.

I'm not sure what's causing it.  I haven't changed anything in my diet.  I mean, I've been trying to eat a bit better and to diversify my light snacks.  I've been buying apples and fat free cherry Yoplait but I can't imagine either of those causing it, nor do I eat them everyday.  I can't say that I'm stressing about work because things have been pretty steady there and I don't take it home with me.  The one thing that has somewhat corresponded with this quasi-insomnia has been the fact that I've started going on hour-long walks at night; usually around 7-7:30pm.  It's not like it's particularly taxing, nor is it that energizing (if it were you'd think I'd have trouble falling asleep initially).

There was one night where I had a weird dream that woke me up but most dreams aren't any weirder than dreams normally are.  But it does seem like I wake in the middle of dreaming.  It's not like I jolt upright in a cold sweat or anything.  It's like I'm dreaming away, REMming it up, and my brain gently says to itself, "Well that's enough of that" and I gently wake up to see 2:45am staring at me in harsh red alarm clock writing.  And as soon as I'm up, my brain starts firing off on all sorts of shit; seemingly things I had thought about prior to going to bed.  And also weirdly, I usually have some song from the day stuck on repeat in my head.

On weekends, it seems like my body makes up for it and cashes in this sleep-debt and I seem to sleep upwards of 10-11 hours.  Since I stay up later on weekends than weekdays, this means I might end up in bed till 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  Well, generally more like 1ish.  While I generally have my weekends free, or have evening activities planned, it still kind of kills the day (the daylight more specifically) so it's hard to imagine getting out to the beach or taking a road trip as I always fancy doing but never seem to.

So tonight (this morning?) I've just decided to go with it and do what my body, or more likely my brain, wants.  I'm awake, brain.  Ya happy?!

Anyone have any ideas, similar experiences, thoughts?  Keep in mind I'm not having trouble falling asleep initially and when I wake up in the wee hours, it's too late to take anything, e.g. melatonin, sleeping pill, etc.  I'd rather not take sleep aids though I usually need melatonin to drop this rhino on Sunday nights [after sleeping in as I do].

Anyway, here's hoping today my workday doesn't suck.

:-/  Pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbthzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...