What I do when I have trouble falling asleep
With CAD, restorative sleep is essential but often elusive
I gave up with a sigh. Yet again, I’d spent over half an hour lying in bed, hoping to beckon Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. His absence was exasperating. Once again, I started my get-to-sleep method.
I can’t completely blame my insomnia spells on cold agglutinin disease (CAD). While not everything is caused by CAD, it seems that everything is affected by it. Of course, CAD could be partly responsible. A small study in 2020 found that 43.8% of participating CAD patients reported having sleep disturbances.
Problems caused by CAD
Cold agglutinin disease is an autoimmune hemolytic anemia. When exposed to low temperatures, our red blood cells clump together and then fall apart. This makes “CADdies,” as those of us with CAD call ourselves, susceptible to infections, weakened immune systems, and other maladies because our blood isn’t sufficiently oxygenated to support our organs and disease-fighting systems.
That makes the body repair that’s accomplished by sleep all that more important. An article on this website notes that a “good night’s sleep can help the body recover or boost energy levels, and help reduce fatigue. This underscores the importance of good sleep hygiene.” I’m working on it!
How I fall asleep
I’ve developed some techniques to help me fall asleep. While these don’t always work, at least I have a plan!
First, in the late afternoon, around 4:30 or 5 p.m., I stop reading emails. Too many emails require me to do something or think about a plan of action. Brain activity is a sleep killer for me. I can’t just flip a switch and sink into dreamland.
To that end, I also cease work projects. I need to relax and turn my attention to calm and tranquil thoughts.
Second, I try to follow a slow-down routine. About 9 p.m., I withdraw to the bedroom alone. Ending fellowship time allows me to process recent information and “tuck things away” to be considered during a new day. I mentally place ideas and plans into “boxes” within my head. Tomorrow is another day.
Third, I read a clean Regency romance novel for about 15 minutes. I was once told that these novels are boring because they follow the same general outline and always have the same outcome. “Precisely!” I replied. When reading a “happily ever after” book, my mind slows down as my body warms the covers. A cocoon envelopes me.
Putting the book away, I close my eyes. The trick is to avoid thinking, because my thoughts can be intrusive. However, I’ve learned to slowly and quietly describe to myself the visions I’m seeing within my mind’s eye and the inside of my eyelids.
Often the picture is vague and nondescriptive. Other times, I’m outside in a garden at the edge of the woods or at a tropical beach. The scene shifts frequently as I “look” from one side of the picture to the other. I just go with it, slowly describing what I see. I continue until I realize that it worked and it’s now morning.
That’s the hard part, because thoughts often intrude at this point. As soon as I realize that’s happened, I return to the imagery inside my eyelids.
Additional methods
The Sleep Foundation suggests eight techniques for falling asleep. Imagery is one of them, as is controlled breathing. I combine these two, which usually send me off to dreamland, where my body becomes refreshed for the morning.
Other techniques the foundation suggests include progressive muscle relaxation, body scan meditation, playing a word game, and self-hypnosis. I have tried most of these with varying degrees of success.
Recently, jet lag, grief over a colleague’s death, and an upper respiratory infection have caused me to take an extra three hours to drift away. Sometimes sleep is elusive. When that happens, I close my eyes, slow my breathing, and start describing the inside of my eyelids.
Note: Cold Agglutinin Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cold Agglutinin Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cold agglutinin disease.
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