Thinking in the nearer future

a recent goal of mine has been to cash in on my innate need for sleep. for the last year or so, i've actually been thinking about sleep, not just doing it when i have to, but really, seriously thinking about it. and, reasonably speaking, i try to get as much of it as possible.

i know that it is my body's primary response to the vigorous training i've been putting it through (the running, the boxing), but a fine byproduct of always being well rested is a sort of calm about the future that i've never really had before. i feel less stressed out. i feel more grounded in reality.

this is not to say i don't have the usual anxieties anymore (i do) but it is to say that with the extra rest comes what seems like an extra dose of chill-out-edness.

and that's fucking cool, man.

(image via skull swap)

Melatonin side effects

for the last month, i've been tryin' to cut back on my old sleeping aids (steve green, wine, benadryl) in favor of something more healthy; so, naturally, melatonin answered the bell again.

after some extended, exclusive use of melatonin, i am experiencing the following side effects:

1. an extended tolerance for religious delusionoids

(i recently spent an entire weekend surrounded by them and didn't open my mouth in defiance ONCE. i was being a polite guest, of course, but still)

2. an enlightened, invigorated spark first thing in the morning

(sleeping so well for so long has taken my morning-person persona and kicked it up a notch. this is a good thing)

3. an abundance of vivid, detailed, EXTREMELY realistic dreams revolving around my ex-girlfriend

(the other day i woke up in the middle of the night clutching a pillow i believed to be her; when i realized it wasn't her i picked up my phone and almost called her to ask "where are you?"... i can't believe how real it was. so, so real)

4. an increase in mid-day erections

(this speaks for itself i believe)

5. an overall increase in perceived health

so, yeah, if i were a doctor i'd recommend it to all my patients. though, a good mix of steve green every once in a while wouldn't hurt either.

;-)