Thursday, April 6, 2017
Insomnia--Connor
The yellow street lamp disturbed my eyes through the blinds. Awake again. I turned away
from it and checked my phone. Two-Thirty. I thought that left plenty of time to sleep before
getting up, so I didn’t worry much. I sat up listening for a moment. What felt like ten minutes
passed. Sleep still hadn’t found me, so I decided to go find something in the kitchen. Getting up,
my plans for the week went through my head: Classwork. Project, nothing big. Lift. Something
on Saturday. My mind got going with my feet, which moved along toward the fridge. It’s lights
and creaking door irritated me before glancing over my options. The only one that might help at
the moment, I decided, was the milk. A few moments later I found myself hunched over a glass
of it staring at the oven clock. A quarter of an hour had passed since I last checked. Still not
anymore tired, though. Being up at this time wouldn't normally bother me, even on a school
night, but on this one I needed the rest. Writing essays after a quiz and a night spent online never
ended well for my grade. I’d worried plenty about that all day, and doing so any further only
made me frustrated and more conscious. I chose to think about something else, in the effort of
distracting myself. Something on Saturday. What is it? I couldn’t remember anything else other
than it was taking up my weekend. Something more to worry about, then. On to something else
in my mind, I looked outside. The silhouettes of palms and a few stars stood out to me. I thought
of idling around out there for a few moments, to clear my head. That wouldn’t solve anything. I
should be asleep, not sitting here; the thought nagged at me. It repeated as I quickly returned
what I had taken from the fridge and stepped through the hall. I checked my phone again before
settling on my sheets. I’d managed to spend an hour and a half about and got nothing but a
headache. I shut my eyes, fatigued in what seemed like every other possible way except that
which induced sleep. The possibility of another sleepless day passed into my thinking. I turned in
response. My head couldn’t find a comfortable position. I felt hot. Something on Saturday. All of
it throbbed in my ears. I looked up toward the ceiling and took a few breaths. There wasn’t much
use in forcing myself to rest. I turned again. The yellow street lamp disturbed my eyes through
the blinds.
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I really enjoyed this piece, because I can relate to it, in the way that I have also had some sleepless nights. Great job!! -Lauren J.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty relatable story. Pretty much everything mentioned that kept the person awake kept me awake. In fact, I can't sleep since I feel like I have to finish the blog comments now since I think I'll forget to do it later xD. I liked this piece :)
ReplyDeleteVery well written my friend. This piece is filled with intricate detail on sleep which I greatly enjoy. I know all of us have at one time or another experienced this so it is easy to relate to. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteOh yikes Connor...I wish there was an way to help you sleep. I don't get enough sleep either and I basically go through my day on autopilot, but sometimes I just end up crashing.
ReplyDeleteI fall asleep easily so reading this gave me a glimpse of what its like for others who have trouble falling asleep. -Rachel Smith
ReplyDeleteThis is me every night lol. I get up and go down stairs to get a glass of Coke and watch tv until I fall asleep or get ready for school
ReplyDeleteI liked this piece cause it was very relevant to my sleep schedule. Especially the part of going to the fridge because I always do that at odd hours of the night too.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this piece because it was simple yet incredibly descriptive and relatable. I love the way you contrasted the quiet of the middle of the night with the stream of thoughts. Great job.
ReplyDeleteReading the title caught my eye because I knew in some way, maybe I could relate to this. I could relate with the amount of time of sleep you get but its not due bc I have insomnia or anything. If anything, I'm begging for sleep with a job, extracurricular and school itself. But besides that, I enjoyed reading this and seeing it in a different perspective of people who don't get as much sleep too. Good job on this!
ReplyDeleteThis piece gives me a different point of view on sleep... I sleep like a rock... anywhere anytime... knock on wood lol
ReplyDeleteVery well written piece. Such a vivd description, I also liked the touch of an obsessive mind, repeating certain aspects. Very nice
ReplyDeleteThis actually hit pretty close to home. You really did a great job giving an example of how random our minds can go late at night. It was cool seeing it from a different perspective other than mine.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for writing this piece with such intense detail, like everyone said above we all can relate to this blog because we all struggle with stress and sleepless nights. Personally I have days where I am so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities that I have and the feeling of constant worrying drives me insane. Sometimes I fear the fact that at any moment I might die from the level of stress that I have on a daily basis, especially with the load that I have on me. At times I come to the conclusion that life is so short, that I need to enjoy it before it's over. Well done this is certainly an important piece because it shows us all the reality that we are living in and that we need to start making a change before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteThis piece opened my eyes to the concept of sleep and how people indulge so much in it. Good piece!!
ReplyDeletethis is so relatable because i learned this in AP psych and i understand the feeling, so interesting great job! -Lyndsey Ortega
ReplyDeleteThis story was a great representation of the many people who just can't go to sleep at night. I myself have experienced insomnia some nights and would get terrible headaches and my body would feel weak because of it, but trying to force myself to go to sleep gives me an even worse headache. But enough about me. This story was very good. Great job!
ReplyDelete- Aliyah Dumas
This piece was very descriptive & well written. The imagery and listless details really lets the reader know the feelings of insomnia. I can't really relate to this piece because I knock out all the time, but I get a feel for how insomnia is like!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written piece! It's funny because I know that we have all be through this and can each strongly relate. Especially when you think you are getting a ton of sleep and it turns out you only got a few minutes! Overall, great piece!
ReplyDelete-Gabbie B.
I really enjoyed your details in this piece, they created a very clear image of the situation. I feel that I could really relate to their random thoughts in the middle of the night. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty relatable. It is hard to do homework, study, and occasionally squeeze in a game and get enough sleep.
ReplyDeleteThere have been numerous amounts of times where this has happened to me and it just makes me frustrated to know that I can't fall asleep even when I want to. I think you did a really good job with this piece! -Sophia Cordura
ReplyDeleteIn using such a relatable topic, you depicted it through your writing so well. Your vivid descriptions and details truly added to this piece and made it a very enjoyable read!
ReplyDeleteI really like this piece because to me it really shows that it's true if you worry about needing to get to sleep it prevents you from doing that. It really is difficult to sleep when you have a million thoughts happening all the time. And sleep, which seems like the easiest thing to do, can be really hard to get sometimes. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteyou really captured how the constant worrying and stress affects ones sleep schedule. I can definitely relate. I liked how you used repetition, it was really effective. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great writing mainly cause this happens to me constantly and recently just happened to me, this often happens to me due to stress and sometimes I just have bad dreams that cause me to wake up at 4 am and I end up getting no sleep for the rest of the night this piece is relatable in so many was and I really enjoyed it good job Connor!! -Dominic Fierro
ReplyDeleteIt's great how you managed to capture your experience in writing while relating to to so many people. You did well I expressing what goes through your mind when you can't sleep and I was able to feel your growing frustration throughout the story. I'm glad you chose to write about this. Great job!!!
ReplyDeleteYup, this is me. I love how descriptive you were because it is always really interesting reading something that you can relate to almost exactly. The details made me laugh because they've all happened to me before as well.
ReplyDeleteI like how I felt as if these thoughts were running through my own head. Great details and style. -Vanessa Lai
ReplyDeleteNights like those are tough. Your piece was very relatable and well detailed. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAnything that has to do with sleep always has me intrigue! Sleep is just one of those things that you cannot escape the concept of! And this piece has really made me more open minded about it!
ReplyDeleteI love how detailed the story is, especially because it's very relatable. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI love the imagery you used because it made it feel so real. This piece is also very relatable because I used to have horrible insomnia and I would always walk outside and look at the moon. You wrote a very nice piece Connor good job!
ReplyDeleteThis piece gave me so much more insight into insomnia, and a new perspective on sleep in general. Very well written, great job!
ReplyDelete-Jordan Lee
Oh man i can totally relate, insomnia is the worst, i can already feel myself being the main character of this story
ReplyDeleteI like the way you took us through his thought process, with imagery and diction. I could tell that this was tiering for him (ironically)and something that happened often. It's also relatable because I often go through the same thing through the week.
ReplyDelete-sereenah soare
Its funny how this relates to many people including me. I really enjoyed this piece
ReplyDelete-Benjamin Chong
I thought you did a great job providing description for the events that took place that night. I think a lot of us can relate to the frustration that comes with not being able to fall asleep, I know that I can. Great writing!
ReplyDeleteVery well written piece, this reminds me of those sleepless nights I used to have? This brings up an important topic of sleep deprivation and how vital it is to the cognitive function of our brain. This is also a part of self care and getting a good nights sleep so we can function throughout the day properly.
ReplyDelete-Ruben Becerra
This is too relatable! I felt like I was reading out my own thoughts, crazy to see it actually written out, great work!
ReplyDeleteI feel that as high school ap students we all have at least one of these nights. You captured those feeling s and thoughts so well. I only wish that I could know what was happening on Saturday !
ReplyDeleteThe truth of how we experience stress and loss sleep from it is understandable. The vivid descriptions in this story really allowed me to picture every scene. Very well written Connor:)
ReplyDeleteThis is how I usually am when I cannot sleep, but there are times were I make myself worry about not being to sleep and being very sleepy during class which makes me even less tired. -Martina Panganiban
ReplyDeleteThis piece is very relatable. I've gone through this many times as well. The sleepless night and never ending days that can only be solved with a nap but only if you're lucky enough to get one.
ReplyDeletewow i don't have insomnia but this is so relatable, i feel this way all the time. the use of detail really made me feel for you. I also like the repetition in the beginning and the end. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAs I read the title I can see how alot of people have a myriad of reasons that keep them awake in the night. I can relate to all these reasons and I dont waant to diagnose myself as an insomniac but to a degree I suffer from long nights, especially those filled with hours of homework that I don't do. Pieces like this are relatable and its nice to see a more in depth approach to a daily issue.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your piece because it was so relatable I have trouble sleeping and I definitely make circles with my thoughts so the way you described it was pretty accurate. I really enjoyed your style of writing and liked how you began and ended the story with the same description as to say that the process begins again. Amazing job!
ReplyDelete-Bryanna Torres
Many of us have this trouble falling asleep, and I know that sleep can be very hard for us to get, so good job on making this piece relatable to us.
ReplyDeleteLOLOL RIGHT WHEN I READ THE FIRST SENTENCE I WAS LIKE LITERALLY ME. The way you described it was really nice. You took it step by step, which is really nice and easy to follow.
ReplyDelete-Vivian Chiang
You really captured the frustration of not being able to fall asleep through your repeating thoughts, especially towards the end when everything seemed to be bothering you at once. Great job Connor!
ReplyDelete***(tip: try the Olly sleep gummies at Target, they're great for nights when I can't fall asleep!)
sleep is for the weak...lol. I myself find sleep very annoying, we can only resist for so long but unfortunately, it will come. I really like those random examples of where our mind takes us night.
ReplyDelete-Tristan Perez
This piece has very good imagery and I liked how you were able to descibe the setting and emotion, like the blinding bright lights and the lack of sleep. I can feel the restlessness of the character and you did a great job of displaying the annoyed tone. Good job!
ReplyDeleteDang!!I'm sure everyone can relate at least one to this... I like how you ended it by rephrasing the beginning, made it seem more interesting and real. Great Job!! :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this I really felt connected to it because of the thoughts that linger in my head of all the things I have to do when I have to go to sleep. very well written :-)
ReplyDeleteI loved the intensity of this piece. The imagery and detail really got to me. The continuation of thoughts were very interesting to read. GOod job(:
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't have first hand experience dealing with insomnia, I feel like this piece comes from a first hand perspective. This piece was written with great detail and I appreciate it all. Very well written!!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to this piece! I love how you talked about something simple in a very descriptive and intriguing way! Good Job!
ReplyDeleteVery relatable due to the fact that I think we all have these sleepless nights. Great work! -Christina Cheng
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this piece so much because I hardly have time to sleep. I like the opening when you talk about checking your phone at 2:30 am as if someone would actually be up haha. But from the comments it looks like a majority of us have experience this type of insomnia. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe use of detail in this work is incredibly vivid to the point that reading this makes me feel really tired and restless as if I'm the one suffering from insomnia and constantly checking the time while too many thoughts run through my head. That is pretty fantastic if the words are that immersive, so I definitely commend you on your description skills. Well done and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete-Christopher Kerwin
Oh my goodness!!! I go through this very night! It's nice to read something so relatable. The worst part is that I lay there worrying about what I have yet to do, and then move on to worrying about not sleeping despite the fact that I know I cant do anything to change it.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is beyond relatable. I cannot even count the amount of sleepless nights I've had all due to me overthinking every single situation that could arise in my life or simply just having too much on my mind. Well written and structured piece, great job!
ReplyDeleteI can really connect with this piece which made it even more enjoyable to read, great job on the diction and imagery!
ReplyDeleteThe way you wrote the speakers thoughts really made me sympathize for them. The on-going loop of "school.. homework ... quiz... test... school" really hit home for most of us. The unnecessary pressure school weighs onto students is very unhealthy and causes many of us to develop mental problems and habits. I do hope that my fellow students take care of themselves just as much as they take care of their school work!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this piece and how descriptive it was. I feel like many of us have experienced some sort of inability to sleep, at least I have and I know how frustrating it can be. Nice Job.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was surprisingly very relatable, and reminded me of how terrible it feels when you want nothing more than to sleep, but your wondering mind won't allow you to do so. I loved your piece, Great work!!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written piece and very descriptive , I had never thought of sleep in this point of view so thank you for a new perspective:-)
ReplyDelete-Narelle Stewart
This is literally me. I honestly have developed insomnia recently and this makes me feel like im not alone, great work.
ReplyDeleteThe piece is written in a first person narrative. Yet, the unaffected tone of the speaker makes him seem like an observer which reminds me of the unchanging diary we interpreted in class. On the same hand, the piece is also easy to appeal as students and realistic.
ReplyDeleteThis was really well written with your use of detail and giving examples of the random things we could do late at night. Glad to know im not the only one who goes to the fridge that late at night
ReplyDeleteVery vivid, detailed descriptions of what you've written, reminds me of how I feel whenever I lucid dream.
ReplyDelete- Francis Talla
i could totally relate to this piece and i feel like as i was reading it, i could feel your frustration and irritation surging through me. i hate not being able to sleep at night and your descriptive words really protrayed that struggle
ReplyDeleteLegend has it that Bach wrote his Goldberg variations for a Count of Saxony who suffered from insomnia, and wanted a tune or two to lull him to sleep, or at to least keep him entertained during his sleepless nights. For it, Bach was awarded a golden goblet full of 100 golden coins.
ReplyDeleteIt's 3:44 in the morning, and I'm listening to these variations, played on a fine harpsichord. I'm still not falling asleep; I imagine that the Count must have also given up with these musical trifles as soporifics and turned to some eighteenth-century version of sleeping pills. I'm just in the uncanny valley where I'm not awake enough to appreciate the music, but far from falling asleep in any way. Rating: 3/10.
However, your piece here makes a great diversion in sleepless nights otherwise filled with dread, existential crises, and procrastination, and reproduces my current plight in exact detail (including the orange street light), except for the fact that I'm usually too lazy to go downstairs to get food in these ungodly hours.
Rating: 8/10. (2 stars struck off, just because it was so entertaining that it's not helping me fall sleep!)
this was a very great and relateable piece! especially in high school and more so in college i'm sure students and scholars can relate to the idea of "insomnia" ! well written piece! great job
ReplyDeleteThis piece is a great representation on how some people spend their nights, showing that all of the things from school running through their minds.
ReplyDeleteWow this piece was very well written. The stream of consciousness is muddled and relatable; we can all relate to dreamily trying to think about the future things we have going on. --Joey Barron
ReplyDeletei loved reading this because i can really relate to it. it is difficult going on without any sleep, but eventually you get used to it, although i do not think that it is a good thing that you are only getting a little amount of sleep. the speaker went on throughout the night as if the lack of sleep was not affecting him at all, doing all of the random things instead of just going back to bed. but overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a relatable piece! It was well written, good job.
ReplyDeleteGood job! I could definitely relate especially in the summer, when we can't sleep it makes us appreciate the times we could easily sleep even more. -karina l.
ReplyDeleteMy mom also struggles with insomnia, and I've seen the frustrations first hand. But honestly you description of everyone's sleepless nights is great.
ReplyDelete- Ashley Morrison