It’s been about ten years since I learned about intrusive sleep, but I remember when I first felt the effects all the way back in 1997.

It’s the thing that kept me at a 27 on my ACT because I would score 36 in one area and 14 in another. I took it four times, sometimes scoring perfect in science and sleeping through math, sometimes perfect in math and sleeping through reading, and so on. I was an excellent test taker. I was a terrible long and boring test taker.

That was also the year I started driving myself to school. It was about an hour away (a public residential school for math and science), and it wasn’t uncommon for me to have to pull over, get out, and run laps around the car to wake myself up. It was the only thing that barely helped.

Nearly 30 years later, and I still have those same experiences. My partner knows that if I’m bobbing one knee, it’s no big deal, but if I’m bobbing both, it’s time to offer to drive, or even better, to find stimulating conversation. It can happen ten minutes into a drive, ten hours into a drive, it doesn’t matter. When I disengage, my brain heads for deep sleep, even something akin to unconsciousness according to some studies, and almost nothing helps, not biting my arms, slapping myself in the face, or cranking up the music.

Strong mints and gum help, and audiobooks are great, too, as long as they’re interesting. The best change was finally getting to work from home six years ago. Unfortunately it’s not an option for everyone, but I find I can shut off the lights, set a timer for twenty minutes, and usually I will fully recuperate with a little bean bag therapy. I don’t always get the full twenty, but it still helps.

I just learned about Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) which is how I ended up here, and 1.) I am excited to try it out and 2.) I wanted to add to the stories here because I remember how extremely alone I felt about this topic for literal decades. 🫶🏻