Many of you are often asking what has changed in my lifestyle since I’m living this nomadic life. Well, I’m tempted to say: EVERYTHING.
It will soon be 9 months (already!) I’m on the road, living solo in my car, and now here, across intense Africa. And despite the fact that literally EVERYTHING is different from my old sedentary life, one thing has drastically changed: my sleep.
I’m an individual who needs their 8 hours of sleep to be happy and ready for the day. I have no problem to fall asleep but I tend to be what we call ‘a light sleeper’. No big deal: a pair of earplugs and I’m back into my dreams.
But since I’m living on the road, sleeping in a soft-shell rooftop tent, surrounded by a very dense wildlife; a good night of sleep has become my biggest challenge.
My body and mind feel everything and scan the surroundings in just 1 minute. Even if I’m never scared, those 2 can feel and identify potential danger in an unconscious way.
How do I know? Very simple: I struggle to fall asleep, my body is tense (ready to protect itself), and I wake up many times per night.
It -luckily- doesn’t happen every night but most of the time though. I accept my body and my mind to feel this way, I try to adapt the best I can; they are my protection at the end.
This is part of the solo adventure, and again, I accept it. Predators’ sounds (hippos, lions, hyenas), malaria, ebola threats, the wind (soft-shell RTT), you’re never alone in Africa.
It’s a new life, it’s a new sleep, and do you know what? It’s okay.
(I always bring a few things with me into the RTT every night…will show you one day, maybe.)
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