giveaway & insomnia

Hey ladies, first of all go check out sweet ellie of the ellie life's blog where she is hosting a giveaway in honor of her sixteenth birthday with lovely prizes, including one from yours truly! :) 

 enter here:

 ellie's birthday giveaway

*winner announced sunday/ april fool's day-and that ain't no joke! (for reals)

Also, in case you didn't know, ellie is the creator behind speak now , an organization to encourage empowerment primarily to young women, but honestly, the ideas/goals apply to me as well and im in my late 20's! The organization is supported by a team of wonderful adult & teen representatives and YOU, because you can join in on the mission by pledging, supporting & following speak now on facebook, twitter or gfc for those of you with blogger blogs :)

Secondly, i just woke up from a nap not too long ago. I needed it & i feel refreshed to finish this post! I literally started writing it 3 hours ago and between being sidetracked with reading/emailing/tweeting/commenting on blogs with 16 tabs open, I became overwhelmingly sleepy that i fell asleep sitting in my wheelchair at my computer! 

One thing I don't think I've mentioned is that I am an insomniac. I haven't slept consistently well in over 6 years (and i credit it this to my breathing problems). I take a sleeping pill {rozerem} every night but not 100% sure if it REALLY helps. I am going to look into a natural sleeping aid. Along with my insomnia I have mild anxiety too. My anxiety used to be WAYYYY worse, but I am thankful it has calmed down. I could go more in depth about that issue and how it relates to my sleeping problems, but i'll save it for a rainy day! lol. So last night, I woke up at 3:30 am. That was the third night in the row that I woke up around that time. I wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something? What or who do i need to be made aware of? I dont know about you, but i often realize important matters and get creative thoughts in the wee hours of the morning. After trying to fall back asleep for an hour, I texted paco about my inability to sleep-complaining [though i didn't get a quick response, i pretty much think he was sleeping and that's good, but he did text me later in the morning]. After sending that text, I decided to talk with God and pray for all my cherished people who need prayers. As i was praying, i fell asleep around 5:30 I assume and managed to sleep straight through til 7:30. It used to bother me that I fell asleep praying without finishing my prayers. My mom said that that was a good thing and I was comforted, imagining an angel's wing soothing me back to slumber. My attitude changed because of her comment and i am so glad. 

{a view outside my window. I have a thing for birds} 

Because of this constant battle I deal with, I am So not a morning person. i often wake up groggy & not talkative AT ALL! I woke up with negative nellie thoughts and told myself, "you know what Brittany, be thankful God woke you up this sunny day. He still needs you for an important reason" and with that I started telling myself things I was thankful for...thankful I had a comfy bed to lay down to at night, caregivers who always show up for work to get me out of bed!, thankful for my morning cup of coffee, thanking God for keeping my family & friends safe. It's the little things and I have [SO] much to be thankful for.

So my friends, do any of you have trouble sleeping? What sleeping aids do you take (prescription or natural, if any at all?) I've read many articles and tips on how to get a better night's rest (preferably 9-10 hours for women, whereas I estimate I get between 5-7 hrs of broken sleep), but they just aren't cutting it, though I am totally guilty of not turning off the tele one hour before bedtime! Busted!