Message From the Creator and Publisher of Sleep Like The Dead


Hi, my name is Nick Robinson.

I have what some people may regard as a strange passion: sleep.

 

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I like to sleep my life away. Rather, what I'm passionate about is being able to consistently get a great night's sleep. In other words, every night I want to... sleep like the dead.

I can truly appreciate a good night's sleep because I have not always been able to get one. I was an insomniac for over 10 years. I had bouts that lasted several weeks or months in which I did not get more than a couple of hours of sleep a night.


So Many Reasons
Why couldn't I sleep? The main reason was that I suffered from chronic insomnia. On top of this, I had a genuinely awful sleep environment that included a ridiculously uncomfortable bed and so much noise, light and temperature issues that it's amazing I got any sleep at all.

Sleeping so poorly for so long, as you might imagine, had negative impacts on my life. Here's a brief but painful summary.

Almost killed two people... really
During a time when I was sleeping very little because of insomnia, I was driving at night down a dark road. I could barely keep my eyes open because I was so exhausted, and my level of alertness was barely above that of a zombie. At the last second I saw two joggers in my headlights, a father and daughter. They leaped with near superhuman ability to get out of my way and ended up in a ditch. They turned out to be just fine, thankfully. But things could have easily turned out gravely different.

Couldn't hold down a job
I landed a job that was a terrific opportunity for me. However, because of my insomnia, I would get so tired and worn out during the day that I would try, emphasis on try, to get some brief sleep at work on by breaks. I tried sleeping in all kinds of places, such as a bathroom stall, storage room or under my desk. The main focus of my day was on trying to get some sleep somewhere, instead of the job. Needless to say, my job performance was not too hot, and I was let go before too long. Very low point in my life.

Joyless existence
My insomnia consumed my life. Instead of pursuing a career, relationships, hobbies, and the things that enrich life, I was focused almost entirely on my lack of sleep. I rarely wanted to go out anywhere because I thought I would feel or look tired and not enjoy myself. My insomnia prevented me from growing as a person and trying new things. If this sounds like a depressing life, you are right on.


I Had Enough
I never sought professional help for my problem largely because I was embarrassed. I didn't know of other people who had the kind of sleeping problems that I had, and, as a result, I thought there was something really weird about me. (Little did I know at the time that insomnia is common.) I also didn't think help was even available. I did bring up my insomnia once to my doctor, and he suggested sleeping pills. This I thought could cause new problems, such as dependency, so I did not go in that direction. Sleeping pills also seemed to me to merely treat the symptoms as opposed to the causes.

Instead, I began to overcome my insomnia on my own. I started reading every book on the subject that I could find. (Most books at the time several years ago, unfortunately, only offered insights of limited value. The good news is there are several good insomnia books out now.)

I also began identifying the causes of my problem the best I could and worked on ways to deal with them. In other words, I started to view my insomnia scientifically. I gathered data on everything related to my problem, and then I tried and tested different ways to improve things. This was a slow and tortuous process that I would not wish on my worst enemy, but it eventually paid off big time.

Today, my insomnia is no longer the destructive force that it once was in my life. I do, indeed, sleep like the dead most nights, and I no longer worry much, if any, about sleep. Instead, I now spend my time and energy focusing on things that enrich my life.


Sleep Like The Dead (SleepLiketheDead.com) Is For You
I created this website because I wanted to have an outlet for my passion and interest in sleeping better. And I think that it can make a difference for some people. However, I do not consider myself to be a sleep expert, nor should you consider me one. And nothing on this site is intended to be medical advice. If you are, indeed, having trouble sleeping and your quality of life is suffering because of it, you should seek professional help.

In addition to the main areas that we currently have on the website — mattress reviews, mattress topper reviews, pillow reviews, sleeping pill ratings/ reviews, as well as information on dealing with sleep-robbing noise, light and temperature problems — we will be adding much more in the future so check back often. My goal for nearly every page of this website is to provide you with genuinely unique, quality content that can greatly improve your chances of... sleeping like the dead!


Nick Robinson
Creator and Publisher
Sleep Like The Dead
www.SleepLikeTheDead.com