it's 1 am and I am still awake

So if you know me, you know that I don't sleep well. The problem is not so much in the actual sleep, but more in the dreaming. I have some pretty crazy dreams on a pretty regular basis and they are not too fun. In fact some might even call them nightmares, as they can be quite oppressing. The thing is when i have a bad dream, it makes me not want to sleep. Sleep for the rest of that night is basically shot...which is the raw end of the deal because these dream have a tendency to happen only an hour or so into the night. But eventually I fall back asleep. Sometimes it happens again in the same night and sometimes there is a reprieve. But the thing about it is, I just don't know. I never know when they are going to strike, so I am always kind of waiting in anticipation...preparing myself for the worst. It is difficult to describe the dream except to say that it is oppressive...like something is pushing me down or holding me down. I have tried to analyze it and I have no answers. But this is just to set up the fact that as a result of these sleeping issues I have tried to be better about things like getting into a routine at night and not drinking too much caffeine. Well, I have been very good about the caffeine thing, but you must know that I love Coca Cola Classic (for those who lived through the New Coke fiasco.) In fact I have been so good that I began to drink a can of coke yesterday and had to put it down before finishing half of it. But today I finished the other half in the morning and then at dinner had some more. First rule broken--more than a half a can of coke in a day. Second rule broken--after 2pm!! Well I hear you caffeine...I know your effects on me. I will put you back in the place you belong tomorrow...if you would please let me sleep tonight! Lesson learned. :)