Last Night I Could Not Sleep and Here Is What I Learnt From It

I couldn’t sleep last night because I slept in the afternoon, and let’s be real—whenever I nap during the day, I struggle to sleep at night. So, here I am, writing this post at 4:01 AM. I tried distracting myself by watching a show, but here’s the thing: if I feel sleepy, I’ll usually just knock out. But this time, I wasn’t sleepy at all, and I started worrying because I had work in the morning.

I thought maybe snacking on some cashew nuts would help, so I headed to the kitchen. But as I walked, I caught myself worrying about not being able to sleep again, even though I knew exactly why I couldn’t sleep. Then it hit me—why am I worrying? Worrying wasn’t going to fix anything; it was just making me more stressed.

So, I decided to let it go. I drank some water, opened a window for some fresh air, lay back on my bed, and wrote this post. I told myself, “You know what? I can’t sleep because I already napped in the afternoon. No big deal. Let me just enjoy this show.” And guess what? Once I stopped stressing about it, I started feeling sleepy.

Here’s what I realized: sometimes, things don’t go the way we plan—whether it’s little things or big things. And when we’re so used to things going a certain way, it’s easy to worry when they don’t. But what does worrying really do? It doesn’t solve the problem; it just adds to the stress.

If you’re going through something right now, ask yourself: why let worry take over your whole mood or day? Instead, do something that makes you happy. Take a walk, grab your favorite treat, pray, or go see something interesting. Distract yourself with something positive. There’s a saying in Nigeria: “Wahala no dey finish, make you try dey enjoy life.” It means troubles and worries never end, so we need to make an effort to enjoy life in the meantime.

Even something as small as not being able to sleep for one night almost got me stressing out, and I already knew the reason why! It’s a reminder of how quickly we let worry creep into our lives.

So, take a deep breath and let it go. Troubles will always be there, but your peace of mind is worth more. 

I hope this serves as a reminder: when worries creep in (which is a normal human response to stress or situations we can’t fix), remind yourself that you deserve a life free of constant worry. You deserve happiness, even in the midst of stressful moments. One thing I’ve learned from my mom is that, no matter how urgent a situation seems, she speaks and acts like it’s no big deal. I used to wonder how she did it. She cares, but she doesn’t let the situation take over her peace—and I think we should all do the same.

If you can’t help a situation right now, focus on enjoying the moment while working toward a solution. It takes practice to get to this mindset. I’ve been practicing it, and though I sometimes fail, I focus on my wins. I feel proud when a situation arises, and I manage not to let it ruin my day or bother me for more than 10 minutes.

Now, I’m not saying you should run away from problems. I’m saying you should analyze them and look for the best way to solve them. If they can’t be solved immediately, take a step back. Do something else, appreciate other aspects of life, and trust that everything will come together. Remember, when your breath stops, and your heart stops beating, nothing matters anymore.

This year, let your goals include walking away from stressful situations you can’t solve, preserving your happiness, and focusing on the good things in life while finding solutions. Don’t let one stressful moment define your whole day—or worse, your whole month. Let’s treat our minds and bodies with respect so our hearts can keep beating with pride.

Photo by Skitterphoto