The Insomnia report

I will pause substack payments for June

Me on the couch, collapsed with Clyde, my nap buddy. Photo: Barry McWilliams

Most people rejoice when the long northern-hemisphere June days arrive, but I buckle down and count my way through it. I’ve struggled with sleep at various points since I was about 16, so thirty years as of 2023.

The combination of bat hearing (I sleep with ear plugs every night, no matter what) and an overactive imagination makes me highly sensitive to any noise, really good at cooking up scenarios for fiction, and garbage at winding down to visit dreamland.

Last night, I struggled to fall asleep and woke hours earlier than planned once again. This despite blackout curtains, going to a darkened bedroom earlier, pleasant temperature, taking magnesium and all the excellent tips sleep experts provide. There are no internet devices in my room, nor a TV. And yet…

Every year we’ve lived in Germany, the summer has been a period of lower productivity. It’s light by 4:30 in the morning and until after 10 at night. There is very little time for the darkness, which is where productivity lives for me. I have SO many ideas I want to write about here, while feeling like I’m moving in slow motion.

People often ask how I read so many books each year. When my husband is present for this question, we both answer simultaneously: “Insomnia!” Be careful what you wish for, if you dream of reading over 100 books a year and sleep well.

I will do my best to keep posting this month as I stabilize my sleep, but just to take it off the list of things that’s running through my mind late at night, I’m pausing payments for the month to help me get back up to speed.

As a thank you for those who have annual memberships, you’ll receive a gift subscription for a month to compensate for this one.

Thank you in advance for your understanding. I’ll see you here as soon as I’ve gotten this back under control.