2am. Still awake. Already watched an hour long Ab Fab and had a hot milk; that used to work so well, but I’m just lying here not even tired – snatches of conversations from today bubbling into my consciousness like prawns in a gumbo. I can’t get a comfortable temperature. If I didn’t have to get up for work, if have taken a little sleep aid.

I’m thinking of going downstairs and starting work, and then going to bed when I get tired. I’ll lie here for a little while longer and see whether sleep sneaks up on me.

Doing some internet research:

• I know that poor sleep can be an effect of low testosterone
• However, my sleep hasn’t been too bad (except when hot flushes have disturbed it)
• So I wondered whether the poor sleep I have experienced these last few days could be related to adrenal burnout (stress has overworked my adrenal glands)
• As a hypothesis, it holds water (of course I’m a fully qualified and professional doctor NOT!)

It might give me an extra bit of weight when discussing things with the doctor to mention that my marriage is ending and that I am suffering from a lot of stress as a result and that I don’t think that my body is coping and maybe raise the query of adrenal burnout with her.

I’ll bounce that one off a doctor friend of mine (he’s in another country, so can’t offer direct help, but can check my reasoning and research).

4am. I’ve been working for about an hour and a half.

Doctor friend says that I have enough stress in my life to explain sleeplessness without looking for extra answers.

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Work has been a little difficult today; I’ve not been firing in all cylinders and keep getting distracted by irrelevant stuff.

A hypno-nap helped a little, but I have to start talking with my husband about what happens next and without my brain working properly, that’s going to be hard.

I’m going to stop work at 3 and take another nap … so that I have some kind of brain for this evening.

The early star with no interruptions has actually meant, even with half a brain, that I’ve achieved more today than I do on any average day!

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I’ve finished work, had a sort of lie down, and now I’m sat in the garden. I am feeling very low: there is no avoiding the conversations that need to be had this weekend.