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Even after all these years, the night before a return to work, I wake at 01:45 (lights out was 22:00) and cannot get back to sleep.
My head is full of lists, tasks, deadlines, preparations.
My Chimp is sat at the end of the bed, telling me about all the things I'm proposing to do that will end in failure.
I move to a spare bedroom and read for about half an hour to take my mind off work.
Lights out at 02:15 and then awake for another while before I eventually drift off into a dream-laden sleep of not being able to get to where I need to be.
Alarm at 05:45, feeling as if I've just landed from a transatlantic flight.
Here goes.........
Game face on.
Dear Chris, my sympathies. When I was suffering from insomnia after Steve died, I found listening to podcasts helped enormously. I set a timer for half an hour, chose podcasts where the topic was interesting enough but where the hosts never raised their voices and off I go usually within 10 minutes. I like Grace Dent's 'Comfort Eating', Jay Rayner's 'Out To Lunch', 'Diary Of A CEO' and 'Modern Wisdom'. Occasional Joe Rogan's like the ones with Graham Hancock et al. Finally, the more esoteric Darkhorse podcast with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying, and the 'Delingpod' with James Delingpole. You have to listen in a dark room and the timer is essential, or you end up waking up at 3…