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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
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.
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 I 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 I currently have on the
website — mattress
reviews, pillow reviews,
sleeping pill ratings/
reviews, as well as information on dealing with sleep-robbing
noise, light
and temperature problems —
I 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
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