I'm suddenly wide awake. It's totally dark and all I can hear is my white noisemaker. My jaw is sore from having been clenched hard during my sleep. I don't even have to get out of bed to check the time -- I already know that it's between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning. The only uncertainty is whether or not I'll be able to fall back to sleep before my alarm goes off a few hours later. I feel sad because I had been sleeping, and, while asleep, I had had some respite from my worries.

What do people do when the worries bubble up in the middle of the night? I usually pray a little, not for hair, just for comfort and rest. Sometimes I get up and get a hot drink, or get online, or try to read a little.