Why I love my Kindle Paperwhite.

Insomnia or Nocturnal Awakening by George Grie

Before I moved in with Mr. Fussypants, I lived in my own apartment with my two kids. Every night after I got the kids in bed, I read myself to sleep. I go through phases of insomnia, and on sleepless nights, I would simply switch on the bedside light, read until I got tired again, switch off the light, and fall back asleep. It was a fool-proof insomnia solution.

After I moved in with Mr. Fussypants, I knew this routine was not going to work. Among other things, he is hypersensitive to light and sound while he's sleeping, and his insomnia is ten times worse than mine. My solution of switching on and off the light every few hours was a problem. Sigh.

For Christmas one year, he bought me a Kindle Fire to read at night if I wanted, which had low light and (we thought) wouldn't be bothersome. Unfortunately, the text on a Kindle Fire is backlit, so it's like staring at a computer screen in the darkness... not conducive to falling back asleep. In fact, it made me feel more awake. Also, he felt it was too bright, even on its lowest setting. It was not a good solution, and remains on its charger unless it's being used to watch the latest episode of The Walking Dead while I'm on the treadmill.

About a year ago, I spent $100 and bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite, and wow, life is so much better. I'm able to read myself to sleep before bed and read myself back to sleep in the middle of the night without disrupting His Royal Majesty's sleep. On this thing, the text is that digital ink, which can be adjusted to any size or font, and the text is lit from the front, so it doesn't wear on my eyes. And I don't have to wear my glasses to read on the PaperWhite, which I hate anyway, but hate them even more when I have to search for them in the dark.

I will never give up paper books, but having this thing has made it possible for me to deal with insomnia in a way that works for me, without causing more difficulty for my partner.