Cure for insomnia?

In my work as a driving examiner, I am given opportunities to work at many different test centres. Driving test waiting lists fluctuate constantly from test centre to test centre, and we are frequently offered work at places beyond commuting distance, in order to bring waiting lists down. This would then involve staying at expenses paid hotels or bed and breakfasts, with fuel and food allowance. When we work at test centres other than our home centre, we call it detached duty. In January 2009, only a few months before my brain haemorrhage, I was detached to Kidderminster test centre about 90 miles from my home. My first day (a Monday) was set aside for route-learning. We don’t make up routes at a whim. Instead we have specially designed routes that we need to adhere to. My job was to get the details of two routes, take a map, and work them out. Overnight it had snowed. Therefore no tests were conducted on that day, but the roads were clear enough for me to drive around route-learning. After I’ve driven a route three times I’d normally take a test from one of my colleagues to consolidate it, an offer that would invariably be gratefully received. I then do the same for the second route, and take a test from someone in the afternoon. This consolidation is vital in order to remember it for the next day otherwise all the driving around seems to merge into one.

As I was unable to do a test that day because of the snow, when I went to bed in my hotel room I tried to drive around one of the routes in my head. First road on the left – end of the road left – follow the bend to the right – left at the roundabout – straight on at the next one... the next thing I knew I was waking up to my alarm clock at 6.30am!

The following night, having still been unable to conduct a test because of the snow, as I lay in bed I began to mentally drive around a different route. First road on the left – end of the road left – follow the bend to the right – right at the roundabout – next road on the left... and again I knew nothing more until my early morning alarm call. I soon came to realise that this was actually a very effective way of getting off to sleep. Having worked at many test centres, with at least a handful of routes at each, I had many different routes to negotiate in my mind as a way of inducing sleep. Abergavenny route three, Cardiff route nine, Newport route eight... the list goes on and on. I could go anywhere I wanted with the same ultimate destination - dreamland. By focussing on and visualising the journey, all other thoughts that would usually force their way into your mind and disrupt your sleep plans are unable to enter. It’s like a force-field of thought, defending your own mind from unwanted thoughts. A number of my colleagues have since tried this method of getting off to sleep and found that it works. When Sarah first tried it soon after my stint at Kidderminster she tried a journey from home. Left out of the driveway - right at the end of the road - left at the top of the hill and into a narrow country lane. Driving up a steep hill she found that she was flying through the air in no time. However, she then started falling back to the ground and woke up with a start on impact. “I’m not doing it again,” she complained, “I was traumatised!” But she has used my method on many occasions and found that it works. I’m proud to have discovered a potential cure for insomnia. I use it frequently. I have another method that works on the same principal. I virtually never have trouble sleeping.

This only solves the problem of getting off to sleep, but does not solve the problem that many insomniacs have of staying asleep. That, of course, is another issue to which I have no answers. Nonetheless, if you try my method and find that it works, let me know.