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Face warming
Jan. 13th, 2011 10:54 amI'm still having a lot of trouble with insomnia. For several weeks, I've been lying in bed awake for hours after I go to bed.
Initially, it's a matter of physical discomfort; it takes the pain medication a while to kick in. But after an hour or so in bed, that's pretty much gone. After that, I just can't seem to settle my mind.
Loneliness is part of it. I'm a bit more mobile than I was before; the swimming is helping. But I'm still fretting about my lack of contact with people. My stamina for sitting upright is still poor, so my on-line interactions are limited, and I'm low-energy, which limits how much time I can spend socializing, especially with large groups. The insomnia feeds the energy drain, of course... but I really need more quiet face-to-face time. Could use more careful hugs and quiet cuddling with trusted friends, too.
Then there's the temperature thing. My thermostat is set to let the house temperature drop a few degrees at night. With the foam mattress topper, the pillows, and the blankets, I'm comfortably warm in bed — except for the exposed part of my face. My nose gets cold, which would be fine if I were a dog, but I'm not. Depending on how I'm lying, at least one cheek also gets chilly. And I can't think of any way of fixing that short of raising the temperature in the entire room (if not the entire house) and adjusting the amount of blankets. Given that a lot of the "insulation" is stuff I can't take away (mattress and topper, pillows), I'm not sure if that could give me a comfortable temperature balance.
It seems to me that what I really need is a small infrared heater, aimed at my pillow from above. The electric nose warmer is not an option.
Initially, it's a matter of physical discomfort; it takes the pain medication a while to kick in. But after an hour or so in bed, that's pretty much gone. After that, I just can't seem to settle my mind.
Loneliness is part of it. I'm a bit more mobile than I was before; the swimming is helping. But I'm still fretting about my lack of contact with people. My stamina for sitting upright is still poor, so my on-line interactions are limited, and I'm low-energy, which limits how much time I can spend socializing, especially with large groups. The insomnia feeds the energy drain, of course... but I really need more quiet face-to-face time. Could use more careful hugs and quiet cuddling with trusted friends, too.
Then there's the temperature thing. My thermostat is set to let the house temperature drop a few degrees at night. With the foam mattress topper, the pillows, and the blankets, I'm comfortably warm in bed — except for the exposed part of my face. My nose gets cold, which would be fine if I were a dog, but I'm not. Depending on how I'm lying, at least one cheek also gets chilly. And I can't think of any way of fixing that short of raising the temperature in the entire room (if not the entire house) and adjusting the amount of blankets. Given that a lot of the "insulation" is stuff I can't take away (mattress and topper, pillows), I'm not sure if that could give me a comfortable temperature balance.
It seems to me that what I really need is a small infrared heater, aimed at my pillow from above. The electric nose warmer is not an option.
