“Hi, my name is … insomniac?

My eyes are as dry as my skin, from no deep sleep, no rejuvenation of the cells.I feel like a stale version of myself. I toss, turn, writhe with frustration as I watch half hours at a time pass on my alarm clock. My head is feels like its stuffed with cotton balls, my motor skills slow and I’m forgetting more and more.I cry, dry, absent tears, as I get ready for work. How is it possible to do a full shift on no hours, no minutes of sleep?

Not talkative and working with deliberate movements — at those moments, life is purgatory. That was me for 10 months in 2014 and I was not alone.

Last year the American Academy for Sleep Medicine reported:

• 30 to 35% have brief symptoms of insomnia

• 15 to 20% have a short-term insomnia disorder, which lasts less than three months• 10% have a chronic insomnia disorder, which occurs at least three times per week for at least three months

That was me, part of that 10% of America living like Ed Norton in “Fight Club. …”

Read more from the source, my blogpost on Bebee: Sleepless in the workforce