Caught Between Sleep & Musings #MundaneMonday

Posted on by Vinitha

Why is it that every time I look forward to having a peaceful sleep, sleep evades me?

Why is it that every time I shut my eyes, hoping for the sweet embrace of sleep, it decides to play games with me, leaving me wide awake?

Why is it that every time just as sleep starts to settle on my tired eyes, I hear the rustle of the musings?

Why is it that every time I try to silence those voices, it gets louder and louder?

Why is it that every time I invariably fall prey to the sound of the musings and end up listening to them, convinced I’ll capture them in my notebook the next morning?

Why is it that every time I fail to remember a trace of the musings the moment I wake up, despite their loud rumbles and bangs inside my head upon their arrival?

Why is it that every time my sleep has to play the role of the sacrificial lamb?

It was one of those nights last night where sleep eluded me mercilessly. My mind was racing with topics to write about. Actually, I was typing posts in my mind. However, I resisted the urge to sacrifice precious sleep to capture those musings in the moment. Those fragmented musings lingered, keeping me awake for what felt like an eternity.

This morning, my watch showed I only slept for 3 hours and 46 minutes. To add insult to injury, when morning arrived those musings turned to be elusive, leaving me flustered. 

Oh, well! 

I learned my lesson though—when the muse knocks, be ready to capture it, regardless of the hour.

© Vinitha Dileep

Check out my YouTube Channel here.

18 thoughts on “Caught Between Sleep & Musings #MundaneMonday”

  1. I so hear you, Vinitha! There was a time when this was a thing that used to bother me no end. I’d wake up through half-sleep and jot down stuff and sometimes, I’ve even stayed up late into the night to write a post and hold on to my ideas, lest they escape! I did that for a long time actually and it only worsened my migraine, because the more creative I became, the more challenging it was to get good sleep. Now, I don’t do that anymore. I actually meditate and actively discourage my mind from thinking of anything during that time as it gets in the way of sound sleep.

    However, if you do wish to optimally utilise your ideas at bed time, perhaps keeping a bedside notebook or a recording into the phone might just be the thing to do, Vinitha! Please do give these methods a try and share the experience in a post with us, so we might also learn a thing or two. 🙂

    Meanwhile, keep writing and keep sharing your posts and poems.

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    1. Staying up late every night to keep track of the ideas would lead to terrible sleeplessness. Also, the musings will get in the habit of always visiting late night.

      I hear you, Esha, it’s better to encourage a quiet mind when it’s bedtime. 🙂

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    1. Are you implying that our own writing will bore us to sleep? LOL

      You have no idea how many times I’ve dozed off while writing, only to dream the ending and never write it – because now, I know it, and I’m ready to move on (that’s not to say it doesn’t end well, it does – but then it feels like writing it would be reading the book twice).

      Ever heard of “shower thoughts”? Same with “driving thoughts” and “sleep thoughts.” I think they even make waterproof notebooks and audio recording apps just for such moments, but it doesn’t work for me.

      All this to say, you’re not alone.

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      1. I’m getting a bit tired of WordPress (actually, JetPack) comments, for myriad reasons this week.

        I am logged in, by the way. In several places on the same @#$% account. Don’t know why it keeps insisting I log in or it’ll call me “Anonymous” or eat my comments.

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        1. I don’t know what’s happening, Holly. This Anonymous thing had happened with me too. I couldn’t figure out how this is happening because I was logged in WordPress at that time. There was no question ‘if you want to post this anonymously’, it just went ahead and posted as Anonymous.

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      2. I hear you, Holly. Shower thoughts, driving thoughts, I have experienced them all. Thoughts and ideas visiting me at untimely hours is my forte. I even had ideas visiting me while conversing with someone. Now, it would be plain rude of me to stop the conversation and jot down my thoughts in that moment.

        Yes, I am not alone in this. 🙂

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    2. Normally, I jot down the musings right away on my phone’s note app. But this time I was tired and couldn’t wait to just doze off. But my mind conjured up so many stories stopping me from falling asleep. Yea, at least by writing down the thoughts, I will have something to post abput the next morning. 🙂

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  3. I know exactly how you feel! I’ve spent many a sleepless night because my brain was buzzing with plot points, none of which put in an appearance even I sit to write 🤣

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    1. Your message is showing up as Anonymous, but I think it’s you, Apeksha. I hear you loud and clear, having experienced that many times. Our mind is active when it’s time to rest and sleep! What can we do!

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  4. I hear you, Vinitha! It’s just when I lie down to sleep, I get all kinds of ideas for my artwork. Last year, it was for the April A to Z, and this year, it’s for art. My mind goes galloping after those arty ideas and brings them to me, nudging me awake and urging me to get out of my bed and sit at the desk to work on those designs. I don’t get out of bed at that unearthly hour, though. But, when I do sit down to work on my art, those same designs that my mind brought to me at night, vanish…poof! And I am left scratching my head. 😦

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  5. The pain of so many questions and not having the answers. Musings have an uncanny way of turning up and that ferociously (not a term to be used in this context but since they affected your sleep, let me show no leniency in adjectivying it). Do I have any satisfying answer to your problemo? No, I don’t think so. Maybe you can make up a short prayer of your own in the honour of your sleep and recite it every night 🙂

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  6. I guess we’re all the same. I do try to jot things down when I can but that doesn’t always work. And since I no longer bring my phone to the bedroom recording them is no good. I just tell myself that if they’re meant to be, they’ll come back! 😉

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