Sleep May Not Be a Necessity, But It Sure Is Nice

Scientists say that on average a person my age needs about 8 or more hours of sleep a night in order to function well. The past couple of months I have been having the hardest time sleeping a full night through. I just can't seem to do it... ever. And yet it doesn't seem like I suffer as much as I should during the day. I like to take my lunch break to read, but I usually read for about 10 minutes and then fall asleep for the rest of my break, which gets me right back into the thick of things again.

However, at night it seems I can only sleep restlessly and without the kind of long periods of sleep that I used to get. I will wake up many times (sometimes 8 or 9 times during the night) and then also wake up probably a half hour before my alarm (set for 6AM). When I do fall asleep it is hard and fast, but not long. I don't know if this is common for some people while others sleep hard the full night through. I'm not falling asleep on my feet at work. I just can't figure it out. But that doesn't bother me half as much as being so restless just invigorates my already overwrought brain all the more. Sleep is the one time that I have always been able to escape my incessant thinking about everything and anything. I used to take naps in college not because I was sleepy, but because I needed to shut off for a little while or I might break down. It sometimes feels like my brain won't let me sleep. I guess if I can function physically it must mean that I'm doing OK, but it sure would be nice to switch off for even one night.