This is one of a few remedies to be tried after my consultation today with Dr. Nancy Ferrel at Centro Médico Quirurgico Boliviano Belga, a clinic located in the city center, a short walk from the convent.
Most of what I need to do I already knew, but now it is time to do these things more intentionally. Some of these are already given: avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, which is no problem for me because I do not drink caffeinated beverages habitually, I don’t drink alcohol at all, and I have never smoked. Geez, think of the sleeping problems I’d have if I did any of these things!
Other things simply bear constant mindfulness. Maintain a regular sleep schedule: this I have been doing despite my troubles, because I go to bed between 10 and 10:30 p.m. and rise at 5:30 to 5:45 a.m. Don’t eat or drink too much near the hour you go to bed: this has been a problem because the friars here eat the evening meal at 8 p.m., immediately after Mass. Well, I can’t do this anymore. I spoke to the brothers who lead the household, and I spoke to Diana the cook, and we have made accommodations. From now on I will eat at 5:30 p.m. and finish by 6 p.m., as I would do normally at Good Shepherd Friary. (I’ll still sit with the brothers during their evening meal, probably with a cup of chamomile mate in my hands.) I ate at 5:30 last evening, and with the other adjustment of going to bed by 9:30 last night, I gained two hours of sleep over the previous three nights—six, instead of four. Still I woke up during the night, at about 3:30 a.m., and I didn’t rest much more after that. Maintain an environment conducive to rest: I am fortunate to have an environment ideal for sleeping, because the convent is quiet at night, removed from the sounds of the city, though I wear earplugs as a precaution; it is dark and the temperature is right; and the bed is comfortable.
Even though my sleep is wrong, so many conditions are right! Now I just need to do a little more of the right things. For instance, I must discipline myself not to use my laptop up until the moment I go to sleep. I have underestimated the effect of exposure to the bright lights of electronics on my fidgety neurons! My apologies, dear readers, if this causes delays in responding to your e-mails. Also, Dr. Ferrel recommends more exercise to improve my ability to stay asleep and have dreams that restore the body. Last night I learned from Brother Leo that there is an exercise room one floor above the laundry room. There is a stationary bicycle and a treadmill. I wish knew that a month ago when my insomnia began to worsen! Well, it’s never too late to get cycling and jogging again. I used to do these things more frequently during my first two years of formation as a Capuchin friar. Finally, Dr. Ferrel says I have low blood pressure and should drink more fluids so I have more energy in the daytime.
Simple remedies, all of them. Time to put them into practice. Thank you, doctor, and thank you, Kitty Schmidt and Myrna Arébalo, for the help you bring me to give me rest and renewal of the body.
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