A Night Routine for Sleep with Lunesta
There are many nights when I cannot sleep. Even though I know it keeps sleepiness at bay, I touch my smartphone and spend the time restless in the dark. I used to take Myslee. The unique feeling of intoxication when it started to take effect became my switch for sleep, and I couldn't fall asleep without feeling that. Eventually, I built up a tolerance, and even increasing the dose didn't help me sleep; only anxiety piled up.
My doctor, seeing this, changed my prescription to Lunesta. It is a type of medication that encourages natural sleepiness, without the feeling of being 'forced to sleep' like with Myslee. At first, I was skeptical and convinced it wouldn't work. I couldn't sleep on the first day. But after consulting with ChatGPT and trying to 'dedicate the 30 minutes after taking it to a sleep routine,' I strangely became able to fall asleep.
My Night Routine
• Dim the lights (around 9:00 PM)
Turn the lighting in the living room and bedroom to a minimum to signal to my body that it is night.
• Bathing and hydration
Prepare cold lemon water and drip my homemade bath additive, made by mixing Muji's 'Good Night Blend' aroma with milk, into the bath. On days when I am tired, just soaking is fine. Drinking the lemon water after the bath makes my body gradually calm down.
• Take Lunesta (10:30 PM - 11:00 PM)
Take it at this timing, and make the 30 minutes from then on my 'sleep preparation time'.
• 30-minute sleep ritual
Dry my hair. Fold the laundry. Do light stretches. Watch my pet. Play the TV at a low volume in a dark room. I don't have to wait for sleepiness. Just repeating it every day leads to peace of mind.
• Move to the futon
After 30 minutes, get into the futon. Take a puff of iQOS, plug my smartphone into the charger, pull up the covers, and close my eyes.
By finishing this series of steps, I can fall asleep even if I don't feel sleepy. Even if I am skeptical, for some reason, I end up falling asleep. I think this is the characteristic of a drug that encourages natural sleep.
Realizations and Next Goals
After continuing this for a month, the feeling of 'will I be able to sleep?' that was dominated by anxiety has gradually eased. By taking Lunesta and completing the 30-minute routine, the effect of the medication has come to be fully realized.
Now, I am also challenging myself to reduce the dose of Brotizolam that I was taking in combination. Eventually, I want to reduce the amount of Lunesta as well, and in the end, make the 'ritual' itself, rather than the 'medication,' the switch for sleep.
Of course, nights when I cannot sleep due to seasonal changes will come again. Even so, I have this routine now. Dreaming of the day when I am gradually freed from the anxiety of sleep, I repeat the same flow again today.