Any night owls up?

[Aristus]

Skating on some lovely artisanal bourbon...

Buzzing, but not sloshed...

I love you all...

[Skittles]

1. me, you know that

yes INDEED

[Aristus]

2. Good to see you, as always, Skittles!

[niyad]

3. And we love you back.

[Aristus]

5. Thank you.

That's something I always need to hear.

I've never known a medical professional not to say after a tough day: "Why did I choose to do this?" only to have their judgment confirmed with a good day, a day that makes everything else worthwhile.

[cayugafalls]

4. Artisanal Bourbon...sounds yum.

Back in the day, well, let's just say...it was always good.

What ya drinking? I work nights now so always up late...lol

[Aristus]

6. Woodinville Bourbon.

Made here in Washington State. I had been under the impression that it couldn't be called bourbon unless it was distilled in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

But maybe they changed the rules.

Good stuff...

[cayugafalls]

12. Bourbon is associated with the south but it can be made anywhere in the US and

must be at least 51% corn and stored in new charred oak barrels.

Never had Woodinville...shame. Oh well, I've had my share for sure.

[Aristus]

14. It's smoother than the Kentucky stuff.

But just as woody...

[SeattleVet]

27. Woodinville is good stuff. Tonight I had a nice BSB.

Another local (Washington) product. Bourbon infused with brown sugar and cinnamon, from Heritage Distilling based out of Gig Harbor.

They have 2 versions - one with a higher alcohol content (102 proof); I prefer the lower one - it's so amazingly smooth!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Hey, my dear Aristus.......I'm still up!

Waiting for my nightly dose of melatonin to kick in while I listen to Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

Love you too, dear friend...

[Aristus]

8. Melatonin gets me to sleep.

It just doesn't keep me there. I may have to have my supervising physician give me a scrip for trazodone or something. I've had insomnia since the sixth grade...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. Ouch! Since the sixth grade? That's a tough row to hoe.

Mine's adult-onset, even though I'm retired. If I'm relaxed and thinking mellow thoughts at the end of the day, then I usually sleep well.

Otherwise, not so much.

I wish it were better for you, dear Aristus.

[Aristus]

13. Sometimes it comes in handy.

When I was in PA School, if I couldn't sleep (which was much of the time, the stress...) I'd get up and study until I thought I could give bed another try...

[coeur_de_lion]

18. Trazodone works for me

I've had insomnia since I was 7 I think. I take a combination of melatonin, unisom, and trazodone and that helps most nights.

[Aristus]

19. I'll give it a try.

I prescribe it all the time for my patients who are going in to treatment for meth addiction. Nothing else (that's non-addictive) seems to work as well for the attendant insomnia...

[pbmus]

25. GABA, melatonin, St. John's, valerian, htp...

Works like a charm and no drugstore .... I have been scripted major sleep meds including traz and buspirone, but all of them have tooooo many sides...

Also use my indica when really need a booster sleep....sometimes have to try several varieties of indica to get the right strain but once you find it, works like any horse tranquilizer ...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Hooooo.

[Aristus]

11. Took the words right out of my mouth...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

15. Beak.

There was a screech owl in a tree behind my house a couple of weeks ago. They don't hoot, they sort of whinny. It's a really weird sound, late at night. I am up late watching a Norwegian murder mystery series on Netflix. I'm just drinking water, but I suppose I could swoop down and grab a mouse for a snack.

[Lasher]

31. Have you ever seen a screech owl?

Tiny little thing, to make so much noise. They used to scare us when we would go camping in the woods.

[cilla4progress]

16. Howdy!

What works for me to fall back to sleep is to pop in my earbuds...well, just one, and listen to a podcast! I'm slightly addicted!

Works every time! Doesn't even matter if I'm listening to Sarah Kendzior terrify me about how close to fascism we came! I'm out in less than 5.

You might have to relisten the next day to catch it all, though!

[Aristus]

17. I haven't really fallen asleep to music since I was in high school.

When I was at the old homeless clinic and I had an office way in the back, I could tilt my office chair back, put Vangelis's "Reve" on my office stereo, and take a good, restful thirty-minute power nap at lunchtime.

At the new clinic, my office's location doesn't allow for such luxuries. Everyone is always barging in at lunchtime with something for me to fix...

When I was a kid though, I would fall asleep to the local rock station. Sometimes, in the wee hours, I would wake up disoriented, and the radio would be playing something really bizarre and not approved for prime-time listening, and that would just increase my sense of disorientation.

Nowadays, white noise, like a fan, helps me best...

[yuiyoshida]

20. i am up and smoking weed.

Lighting up a bowl right now!

[wnylib]

21. I worked night shift for several

years before retirement and never quite got back to a "normal" sleep schedule. I used to sleep a few hours at a time when I had things to do during the day and then catch a nap before going in to work. Now I still sleep a few hours at a time, then get up for a few hours and sleep again later.

Sometimes I do sleep through the night, but not often. I read that selenium is a good natural way to sleep better. Supposed to raise melatonin levels. Eating brazil nuts was recommended as a source of selenium.

I have always needed less sleep than most people, ever since teens and early adulthood. Can get by easily on 5 hours a night. More than 6 hours leaves me groggy next day. Doesn't affect my ability to dream, either. I often remember dreams and can get into a dream state during a nap. Biological quirk, I guess.

[Volaris]

22. Ya, I'm up. At work :(

You enjoy that good s**t for me lol!

[ailsagirl]

23. On my way to bed...

Sleep well

[Gore1FL]

24. I shouldn't be

But here I am.

[sprinkleeninow]

26. Ari, you are loved and appreciated for your vocation. 💛

You'll reciprocate with sending a 💛 and a 🕯 back to me?

This year is concluding on a very downward note for me. I read online recently where people, especially spouses, find the 2nd year even much worse than the first. Which is what has happened to me.

I'm weary.

[Aristus]

32. 💛🙏🏼

May the next year be a healing one for you...

[sprinkleeninow]

33. 🤎

[MustLoveBeagles]

28. We love you too Aristus

I'm headed for bed. See ya on the flip side.

[Silver Gaia]

29. I'm always up late (unless I'm sick or have an early meeting...yuck!).

12:51 AM here. Gonna find something to stream...

[Lasher]

30. I'm up

Might try to go back to sleep soon.