Insomnia: What exactly is that?

As I have mentioned in another post, I suffer from what I suppose is Insomnia, at different times in my life. Someone asked what I do when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. So here are some of the scenarios of what I do.

First of all, I am a nightowl who has been forced to learn how to be an early bird. During the school year I get up at 4 am and go to bed between 8 and 9 pm. The insomnia I experience during this time is that I wake up about 1 or 2 am, mind racing, school, children, problem man/child at home, bills, money, etc... can't stop thinking. Usually I get up, go to the bathroom, turn on the box fan (if it isn't already on) for *white noise* and lay back down, concentrating on my breathing, relaxing my body, and trying to clear my head. Usually I am telling myself how I will handle each thing that is running through my head when I wake up.

Example: I don't know if I paid that bill or not, I will check my bill pay and checkbook in the morning. I can't do anything about it right now, let it go.
I will worry about man/child tomorrow, right now I need to rest or I won't be able to stay awake to make sure he is out of trouble.

Other times I take something over the counter called Phenylgesic to help me sleep, if I am having a difficult time sleeping for several days in a row and have a really big day the next day and make sure I can sleep for a full 8 hours.

If I wake up an hour before I have to get up, I just get up and get something done that needs to be done. Usually it makes me feel like I accomplished something at the beginning of the day.

If I try several things, and none of them are working, I get up and chat online with my friend in Australia. Or I do write stuff down, if something in particular is bothering me. Sometimes I make myself lay there and think that if I didn't get any sleep, I would get rest from laying down.

I have found that if I turn on the TV I won't go back to sleep, because I will pick something that I have recorded on the DVR and then it is too interesting to make me sleepy.

I try not to eat sweets, greasy food, chocolate or caffeine after 3 pm, if at all, because if I do, I don't sleep well, have freaky dreams and generally don't feel good.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I need to live that one as much as possible.

Hope that helps. I always thought insomnia was the inability to fall asleep, but I don't have that problem, I just have trouble staying asleep.