How to deal with being sleepless in Beijing

Like a lot of other people, I sometimes have trouble going to sleep.

On the 10th floor, in a spacious apartment in Beijing, there are nights when getting to sleep feels a lot like Sisyphus of Greek mythology, a man cursed by the gods to push a boulder up a hill, only to find it at the bottom again the next day.

Only for me the boulder is sleep, and I regularly watch it roll right back down thinking "nope, you're not getting any shut-eye tonight."

This has happened to me more times than I care to count.

It happens a lot more when Christmas rolls around. Maybe it is the season. Being away from family does not help. I miss all my assorted relatives.

Coming from a culture where Christmas songs begin playing on the radio in September, spending the time in another country clearly does not help in eliminating the loneliness.

In my room, I toss and I turn. And toss and turn again. The eyelids refuse to fall despite being dead tired. I go to one side of the bed and then the other.

One wit compared it to punching a pillow. You throw a left and then a right. You keep punching and then you end up exhausted, with the pillow staying in the same shape, seemingly laughing in your face.

The appropriately named Sleep Foundation estimates a third of people globally experience unsatisfying sleep.

According to the foundation, "Chronic insomnia is when a person experiences sleeping difficulties and related daytime symptoms, like fatigue and attention issues, at least three days per week for more than three months or repeatedly over years. It is estimated that about 10 percent of people have chronic insomnia disorder."

See, they even have a name for it.

There is a hotline for the problem in another country. It is called the Help Me Sleep Hotline at 1-833-I-Can't-Sleep for a set of tips, meditations and bedtime stories to help you get a good night's rest.

I have not called them, but one day I might.

The Sleep Foundation has listed a set of tips to get some sleep.

"One, maintain the same bedtime and wake time every day, even on weekends. Get out of bed if falling asleep is taking too long or causing anxiety.

"Do not consume caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine, especially near bedtime. Keep the bedroom both dark and quiet. Refrain from watching television before bed. Do not check the clock to see how long it is taking to fall asleep. Avoid eating large meals too close to bedtime."

I've been known to drink coffee at night, paradoxically to relax. I need to watch TV and late in the week, I would go for a big meal to reward myself.

Useful tips, but they're not for everyone.

I still get to sleep, especially when I am totally fried. It's probably the cost of a modern professional life. I know I need my sleep. And I use the weekends to get it.

There is also retirement, when you can opt to sleep at any time of the day if you can afford it. There goes a sleeping pattern.

Thing is, I enjoy binge-watching TV too much to give it up, although that means waiting for several more months before Season 2 of House of the Dragon pops up on the television.

Insomnia. You gotta love it.