RED WINE

After my brother, Victor, passed on six years ago, sleep eluded me. I would stay awake most of the night without blinking. I could doze off early hours of the morning but before you know it, my eyes are open. I would wake up tired, exhausted and still sleepy every morning, but if I lay down to sleep, my eyes would not close.

I tried all I knew to do: hot baths, warm milk while ignoring the after effect ( a bloated stomach and plenty of gas looking for escape) just so I could sleep, but...
Night after night, week after week, sleep was far. My mind would be awake, thinking, wondering "why us" again. My heart was badly bruised. The pain was too much for me, us, my parents especially... It was just too much.

I would wonder why some have no idea what it feels like to lose a loved one, while others kept experiencing it over and over again.
These ponderings, I guess, kept my mind awake, thereby keeping my body awake.
I don't sleep if my mind is busy, no matter how tired I am. My eyes would remain open.

It was beginning to affect my health. Always waking up tired and exhausted.
I couldn't cry openly because I had to be "strong for everyone" as I was constantly told. The lack of sleep and un-shed tears were wearing me out.

I didn't want to get involved with sleeping pills, so I told my friend, JJ.

You see this my friend JJ? Hmmm! We met through my mum, became friends, then I got to meet his wife, his siblings and his mum. He also knows everyone in my family. He is my brother!

If I need to reach him and he's not reachable, I call his wife whom I address as my in-law.

"My inlaw, how you dey? Can't reach my brother,"  and she would pass over whatever information I had. We are tight like that.

"Guy, I no dey fit sleep, no matter how much I try. I just don't sleep." I said in Nigerian pidgin language.
"Wow! Okay.  Hope say you no dey take sleeping pills?" He asked.
"No, I don't."
"Good! I know what you need. I'll get you something that will help you sleep. A sip just before bedtime and you will be good," he added.
Wow! I was excited. You mean I would get to sleep like normal people? Oh boy, was I excited!

The next day he comes with two bottles of red wine, tells me to take half a glass daily before bed and see how it goes.

I hid them in my wardrobe where no one would find them. That night, after retiring, I closed my door, opened a bottle and poured a little into a cup. Not even up to the prescribed "half a glass".
That first night, I started feeling my body calming down. I felt relaxed for the first time in over a month. So I quickly finished the content of the cup, returned the bottle back to my wardrobe, climbed back into bed and before I knew it, I was very sleepy. I closed my eyes and had the soundest sleep I'd had in a long while. I slept long and deep. Woke up feeling very refreshed and healthy.

The importance of Sleep!

The next day I didn't need a glass. I just took a gulp and quickly returned the bottle and, voila! Sleep!
I began to sleep very well.
Some nights I would even sleep without taking any gulp.
That's how red wine became my sleeping pill.😂😁

I didn't consume so much though, because one bottle of Red Wine would last me a month or more.
At some point, I had to do a study on the benefits of Red Wine to assuage the guilty feeling of "sinning"😂😅😁

After a while, I didn't have to take gulps of Wine to sleep. My body began to relax on its own accord. Sleep became very easy. I never took more than what was prescribed at a time and I would always take it after I'd retired for the night.

In all these, I learnt:

i) When your heart is troubled, your mind will have difficulty calming down thereby depriving you of sleep.
Find a way to let go of the worries!

ii) Seek help when necessary. Don't hold it in. Help may just be around the corner.

iii) The abuse of a substance is where the issue is. Never exceed limits!

Someone is wondering,  "does she still .....?" Ask me when we see😉😘

Have a great week😊😊