Insomnia

[jyoutz]

Thank you for an informative reply, Mac. You have a great farming lifestyle, one I can relate to. Wine and good food go together. I could easily finish off a bottle of wine with a stranger at the bar while waiting to be seated at my table at a restaurant. Cooking a proper meal every night and eating the way you do is very European. My only concern about wine-drinking is the sulfites in wine. What is your opinion on this?

As I mentioned elsewhere, a nightcap is recommended for a good night's sleep. I occasionally have a bourbon (American whiskey, that is) while I read before I sleep. The Queen of England has a glass of champagne, I hear. I will try a Glenmorangie. Although Scotch has a smokiness that is absent in bourbon, it can be incredibly smooth.

Irish whiskey is also very smooth.

 

[Jstpssng]

You can occasionally hear the train on a quiet night. But barely, unless your outside

Probably now you find it rather enjoyable.
When I'm at my mother's house you know that it's going to rain when you can hear the train off in the distance. Otherwise you'll never hear it.

 

[Jchonline]

What was the last audiobook that put you to sleep? I want to try it.

Oh I’m a fiction junky (Sci Fi, Fantasy) so I just listen to the normal genres of books I enjoy. If you need some Sci Fi/Fantasy recommendations let me know!

 

[Jstpssng]

I used to put a song on Youtube, and try to get to sleep before it ended. That's also become useless though because when the song ends they have to have some stupid commercial... if I hear one more Liberty Mutual commercial it will be one too many.
I did bring up the entire "Rush 2112" album last night, and barely remember any of it before falling asleep.

 

[MossRoad]

Limu Emu and Doug just doesn't do it for you, eh?

 

[RSR]

I was staying in a motel down in Canton NY.

Not words you hear very often ... Most people have never heard of Canton. That's my neck of the woods (I live about 10 miles away).

 

[Jstpssng]

Not words you hear very often ... Most people have never heard of Canton. That's my neck of the woods (I live about 10 miles away).

I thought that I got a pretty good start in the AM, yet it wasn't uncommon to hear the Amish horses clip clopping past the motel before I left. I was there on Sept 11, 2001, cruising timber in some nearby township. I didn't have a clue anything was going on until I got out at 5:00 that afternoon. I'd gotten a late start and was listening to the radio trying to decide if I wanted to work a couple more hours or go back to the motel; that's when I heard what had happened. As I had driven through time that AM I saw where a Budweiser tractor trailer had T-boned a school bus; I've always wondered if one of the drivers had been listening to the radio, and had blown through the light because they were too engrossed in hearing what was going on.

 

[Molalla1]

I'm always interested in the customs of the area...

My time in Austria it was beer the number one choice for just about anything unless you distilled or had a close friend distilling schnapps.

That said California wine was always welcome...

The first time I hosted a group from Austria in California was an experience... Over the course of a weekend I was able to clear the liquor cabinet even from half full bottles sitting around decades... maybe even from grandparents era...

I just don't know anyone that drinks anymore other than an occasional beer/wine with dinner...

Very unlike when I was growing up and cocktails were the big thing... neighbors always inviting each other over for a highball, snort, upper lifter, vodka martini, screwdriver and always lots of 7up on hand... wine and beer very seldom in the offerings...

"Snort" ? . . . .

 

[OldMcDonald]

Likewise, Mac. I could chat with you forever on wine and food. Perhaps, on another thread.

This thread is about insomnia. The reason why I can't fall asleep is when there are things on my mind. You mentioned that you borrowed heavily all those years running farms on a shoestring. This is not an unusual situation. Most people, including farmers, live from hand to mouth. Such a way of life is one of anxiety and fear. You must have worried about your crop of grapes making it to market every of those 30 years. And a farmer needs to be fit and healthy every day. Anxiety about illnesses could also keep one awake all night long.

You made it after a good life of farming. I am happy for you. There must have been hard times keeping you awake at night along the way.

I agree that I took it a bit off thread - but really no more than others posting about being woken/kept awake by extraneous noises. That is not insomnia either.

I did not sell grapes. Just had enough to make my own wine. I am not particularly good at it, and did not have enough to warrant employing a proper winemaker. No point in worrying about lack of money or health issues, that is likely to give you insomnia. I had a heart valve replaced in August 2019. I believe I have had that problem all my life after a cardiologist told me how it affects your daily routine - lack of blood supply to muscles causes fatigue to the point of having to sit down (several times from my teens onwards) and when it gets bad enough it also means not enough to the brain and that causes unconsciousness and collapse for a very short time. After the 3rd time that happened in 2019 I decided I had better see somebody about it. Result a new valve and not problems since. Still on no medication or supplements.

A bonus - which appers to have been related to the problem is that having had leg cramps on frequent occasions since I was at school, I have not had a single episode since.

 

[sree251]

I agree that I took it a bit off thread - but really no more than others posting about being woken/kept awake by extraneous noises. That is not insomnia either.

You are quite right about the other posts not related to insomnia which is an inability to fall and stay asleep. Extraneous noise nuisance is not an inherent inability to sleep.

You have a sharp mind for someone who has been farming all his life. I am not saying that farmers are dullards. They are pretty good at what they do on the land. Your grasp of things, however, is astute across a wide range of subjects. Perhaps, the farmer of your British cultural heritage is not quite the same as those in other lands where people toil for a living off the earth. I have the same impression of the Afrikaner whose bearing is that of a landowner, not a peasant farmer.