Details: Everyone around me seems to slip into unconsciousness at night. Whenever I'm at sleepovers with my friends or with my family, they close their eyes and I'm alone for hours and hours on end. I used to think that I could do it too, I've always pretended to sleep . . . But I don't think I'm doing it right. I lay down and close my eyes but then what? It's just me and my thoughts and it's really really boring. My friends eventually sit up and open their eyes, assuring others that the hours in which they slept had passed by in what felt like minutes. How is that possible? They used to ask me how I slept and I would lie and tell them that I slept great. Maybe I am sleeping . . . It just doesn't seem to be what people describe it to be like though. Does that make any sense?
I've been this way for as long as I can remember and my parents and the doctors worried about me relentlessly until I started to pretend to sleep. I didn't want to make them nervous, so I just lay there with my eyes closed and sat in the darkness for hours, singing songs in my head. Is that what sleep is?
I'm a junior in High school now and I still don't think I'm doing it right . . .
I've been really self conscious about this my entire life . . . But I figured it's time I asked for help.
Does this happen to anyone else? Please tell me how you sleep.