Midlife Sleepless Nights

Last night, like clockwork, I woke up at exactly 2:22 AM. Not 2:21. Not 2:23. 2:22. I swear, if the universe is trying to tell me something, it needs to be a little less cryptic and a lot less inconvenient.

Lying in bed wide awake in the stillness, wrapped in darkness and the kind of silence that makes your own thoughts sound like a full-blown rock concert in your head. I tried rolling over, adjusting my pillow, even doing that deep, intentional breathing they say helps lull you back to sleep. Nothing. My body had other plans. Specifically, the plan was to turn up the internal thermostat and remind me—yet again—that midlife comes with the oh-so-joyous personal summers.

You know the ones. Those unexpected, completely uninvited waves of heat that roll through like a flash fire, leaving you tossing off the covers one second and shivering for them the next. It’s like my own body can’t decide if I’m in the tropics or the Arctic.

Instead of lying there frustrated, marinating in my own midlife glow, I did what any sleep-deprived, slightly delirious person would do—I grabbed my laptop. If I wasn’t going to sleep, I might as well do something with this unsolicited wake-up call. And just like that, in the middle of the night, ideas started flowing. Thoughts about these so-called “personal summers,” about how unpredictable and wild midlife can be, about how sometimes the best inspiration comes when you least expect it.

By the time I finally drifted back to sleep, I had a whole list of new ideas—and, ironically, a little gratitude for the sleeplessness that sparked them.

Ever had a midnight wake-up that turned into something unexpectedly good? I’d love to hear your stories. Drop a comment below—I promise I’ll read them… even if it’s at 2:22 AM.