I Can Sympathize

While I think that people who use medication as a cause of a major transgression they’ve committed are grasping at straws, I can sympathize with those who claim to experience adverse reactions while taking a sleep aide.

Case in point:

Several years ago, my sister and I were on an all-night flight to visit our other sister in London. We boarded the plane, took an Ambien, ate dinner and settled in for an eight hour long flight.

Word to the wise – don’t fight the drug.

It didn’t take too long before I realized that 1) I was not asleep 2) there was another section of the plane just on the other side of my window filled with people enjoying themselves and 3) an army of Doozer construction workers (a la Fraggle Rock) were busily constructing a skyscraper out of the curtain separating us from first class. No joke.

I kept trying to explain to my sister that, while I was fully aware that the things I was seeing were not real, they seemed extremely real to me. She kept telling me to go to sleep, so I would lie back, close my eyes, and when I thought she wasn’t looking, I’d crack one eye and would instantly be reassured that, sure enough, the party was still going on outside my window and the Doozers were still working on that building. While it’s funny now, it wasn’t so funny then. I’m pretty sure I was crying, while my sister was hissing “Shut up and go to sleep!”
I did eventually fall asleep, and when I awoke, it was to a regular plane with no new construction and no party room off to my right. And no residual drowsiness at all!

Would I take it again? Yes. In fact, I have. On other transatlantic flights. Once with my brother who kept chanting “Fight it! Fight it! Stay awake!” I don’t think I was as successful as fighting it when I actually tried to. So, if you plan to take something before you travel, just make sure you are able to commit to sleeping once you take it!