New Addition to my Sleep System
Jul. 12th, 2023 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
disappointed_lesbianIt seems that the solution to my bouts of low energy is to eat more fruit. How to afford more fruit, is the next question. I'd have more money if I could find a job, but it's difficult to work a job with low energy (let alone insufficient sleep and disabilities).
I thought about working as a farmhand to increase my access to fresh fruit, but even that sort of job requires too much.
Employers want their employees to handle too many different tasks, too many different kinds of tasks. This is something I've noticed across industries. I was excited about an online editing opportunity I found this evening until I found out that the online editor is also expected to be the company's WordPress tech, the Google Analytics tech, and the internet advertiser. Editing by itself is a full job.
Yesterday, I sent up my tent on my balcony, thinking I'd try sleeping there as a next-best-thing to sleeping outdoors. I slept better when I was homeless, so I thought I'd try to re-create that scenario.
I set up the tent maybe an hour before sunset, then went indoors. When I came back out onto the balcony to plan for the night, after sunset, I noticed that there was light shining down onto my tent. There's a light installed on the overhang of the apartment building one level above mine. I cannot sleep except in total darkness, no more than moderate moonlight. So I had to abandon the sleeping on the balcony plan. I tried covering the tent up with an old sleeping bag, but it wasn't big enough to block all the light, and a blanket I normally sleep under is the only thing I have that is big enough. I didn't and don't know whether I'de be able to go without this blanket, particularly since I'd be chillier than normal if I slept outdoors, so I gave up entirely.
I'll be trying out a new organic flannel sleeping bag liner tonight. I couldn't find a pre-made version, so I ordered the fabric and took it to the free sewing class at the local library. I used a sewing machine for the first time in my life this evening. The sewing wasn't difficult; I just needed to fold up the rectangle of fabric and sew two seams to create a pocket shape.
I chose flannel because I'm always cold, especially at bedtime (to the point of being awake all night if I don't heat up my bedclothes), and because the Internet told me that flannel is the warmest vegan fabric. Or maybe flannel is the most well-insulated vegan fabric, I don't quite remember. Anyways, a bonus is that I can use this liner in both winter and summer because it's lightweight. I've been sleeping in a heavy-weight cotton deal that is too thick for some summer nights yet is always cold to the touch if I get into it without heating it first.
Heating up my bedclothes has been a huge ordeal for years. I started off heating rocks on my camping stove and slipping them into my sleeping bag when I was homeless/sleeping in a van. I kept that up for a while after I got this apartment, then I finally sprung for a heated blanket, which costs over a third of my monthly income (I took out a loan for it).
The heated blanket stopped working several months ago, so I've been resting my cotton sleeping sack on one of the built-in heaters in the apartment. The heaters are long rectanguar deals that stick out from the wall just a couple of inches, so I have to roll up the sleeping sack to make sure the whole thing gets heated. The heavy thing does not stay rolled up, so I've been securing both ends and the middle with twist ties every night, then untying it when I'm ready to get into it. Huge pain in the ass, especially since my inability to fall asleep until hours after I start to get sleepy leaves me exhausted by the time I finally go to "bed" (actually I go to floor/sleeping bag; I don't own a bed).
The fast-dissolve meletonin I used to use (I took off a month or so because I couldn't afford it) doesn't seem to work well anymore. I used to take it to fall back asleep when I woke up too early. Today I took 1.5 times my old dose and did not even get drowsy.
The weight loss seems to be taking forever.
I thought about working as a farmhand to increase my access to fresh fruit, but even that sort of job requires too much.
Employers want their employees to handle too many different tasks, too many different kinds of tasks. This is something I've noticed across industries. I was excited about an online editing opportunity I found this evening until I found out that the online editor is also expected to be the company's WordPress tech, the Google Analytics tech, and the internet advertiser. Editing by itself is a full job.
Yesterday, I sent up my tent on my balcony, thinking I'd try sleeping there as a next-best-thing to sleeping outdoors. I slept better when I was homeless, so I thought I'd try to re-create that scenario.
I set up the tent maybe an hour before sunset, then went indoors. When I came back out onto the balcony to plan for the night, after sunset, I noticed that there was light shining down onto my tent. There's a light installed on the overhang of the apartment building one level above mine. I cannot sleep except in total darkness, no more than moderate moonlight. So I had to abandon the sleeping on the balcony plan. I tried covering the tent up with an old sleeping bag, but it wasn't big enough to block all the light, and a blanket I normally sleep under is the only thing I have that is big enough. I didn't and don't know whether I'de be able to go without this blanket, particularly since I'd be chillier than normal if I slept outdoors, so I gave up entirely.
I'll be trying out a new organic flannel sleeping bag liner tonight. I couldn't find a pre-made version, so I ordered the fabric and took it to the free sewing class at the local library. I used a sewing machine for the first time in my life this evening. The sewing wasn't difficult; I just needed to fold up the rectangle of fabric and sew two seams to create a pocket shape.
I chose flannel because I'm always cold, especially at bedtime (to the point of being awake all night if I don't heat up my bedclothes), and because the Internet told me that flannel is the warmest vegan fabric. Or maybe flannel is the most well-insulated vegan fabric, I don't quite remember. Anyways, a bonus is that I can use this liner in both winter and summer because it's lightweight. I've been sleeping in a heavy-weight cotton deal that is too thick for some summer nights yet is always cold to the touch if I get into it without heating it first.
Heating up my bedclothes has been a huge ordeal for years. I started off heating rocks on my camping stove and slipping them into my sleeping bag when I was homeless/sleeping in a van. I kept that up for a while after I got this apartment, then I finally sprung for a heated blanket, which costs over a third of my monthly income (I took out a loan for it).
The heated blanket stopped working several months ago, so I've been resting my cotton sleeping sack on one of the built-in heaters in the apartment. The heaters are long rectanguar deals that stick out from the wall just a couple of inches, so I have to roll up the sleeping sack to make sure the whole thing gets heated. The heavy thing does not stay rolled up, so I've been securing both ends and the middle with twist ties every night, then untying it when I'm ready to get into it. Huge pain in the ass, especially since my inability to fall asleep until hours after I start to get sleepy leaves me exhausted by the time I finally go to "bed" (actually I go to floor/sleeping bag; I don't own a bed).
The fast-dissolve meletonin I used to use (I took off a month or so because I couldn't afford it) doesn't seem to work well anymore. I used to take it to fall back asleep when I woke up too early. Today I took 1.5 times my old dose and did not even get drowsy.
The weight loss seems to be taking forever.
