Every aspect of the chronically ill life is vastly different from the healthy life. And with those differences comes a feeling that we are not “normal”. And we’re not! And that’s ok. It’s what we do with the minutes of our abnormal life that counts.

Every night, every person on the planet lays down, closes their eyes and drifts off to sleep, completely confident that when the sun rises, their eyes will open and a new day will begin.

Our bodies are designed to breathe automatically, even when our minds are shut down for a long slumber. Our blood flows and organs function – all without input from our conscious brains.

When we sleep, restoration occurs all throughout our body and most people lay down knowing they will feel revived come morning.

People who are chronically sick often close their eyes at night not certain they will wake in the morning. For many, symptoms in the morning are much worse than at night, so they go to sleep knowing when they wake up, pain will be higher, digestive problems will be worse, they will feel the weight of sickness instead of the rejuvenation our bodies are supposed to feel.

There are lots of reasons we sickies don’t sleep well. Sickness messes with our sleep patterns and sometimes insomnia is just part of the package. Sometimes we lay awake because we are afraid we won’t wake up, and sometimes we lay awake just soaking in the moments of life, and sometimes we lay awake because we fear the pain of the morning.

Sometimes I lay awake stressing over the fact that I’m not sleeping – and that’s not good for the body either.

If you are one of those people who lays awake at night frustrated and annoyed that you’re not sleeping, give yourself a break and just let yourself exist in the moment. It’s ok to not be normal right now.

But while you’re laying there not being normal, don’t let fear and negative emotions overcome you. Find peace, find joy, even in the wee hours of the night when the rest of the world is sleeping.