I have always needed my sleep. Under ideal conditions I go to bed, sleep for 7.5 hours, wake up refreshed and start my day. I can remember that happening a few times in my life.
I remember visiting my cousins who did not have a strict bedtime in the summer. They would be running around well after dark and I just wanted to sneak away and curl up in bed to sleep. I couldn't believe my aunt and uncle were so irresponsible as parents!
Once as a teen I was invited by neighbors to spend a week at their lake cottage. One night we all went to see some friends of theirs who had a horse farm. It was fun until adult conversation went on . . . and on . . . and on. By one in the morning I was pretty sure my eyeballs were bleeding.
There are significant periods of my life during which sleep was elusive.
There was a long stretch during high school and college when I would wake during the night and could not go back to sleep. Every night sound seemed magnified and designed specifically to keep me awake. One night I buried my wind-up alarm clock in a large box of outgrown clothing my mother had stored at the back of the closet. I had no trouble understanding the horror of Poe's "Tell Tale Heart."
Pregnancy -- certainly one does not sleep for two. It only gets worse once the baby is born. But as the kids grew I found I could fall asleep in seconds and not rouse until the alarm and/or the first sound of stirring children. Sleep deprivation will do that for you. Maybe I wasn't so refreshed upon waking but at least I was dead to the world for a period of time.
Then kids become teens -- a whole new style of sleepness develops. And job stress can do a number as well. Part of my early retirement was from being so consistently sleep deprived that I felt sick far too much of the time -- job stress plus helping with care for my mother who had dementia really had me at a breaking point. Oh, and let's throw in perimenopause.
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Retirement did not cure my sleep problems. Bad habits and poor sleep hygiene were firmly established. I ended up going to a sleep clinic and being sent to a behavioral change group therapy program and the university. It worked.
But, of course, this comes up now because I am experiencing those 3 a.m. wake up/can't get back to sleep periods. It started with a Code Red Weather alert that there was a tornado threat in the immediate area of Ashwood Drive. Gee, that was ominously specific.
Now that I am older and wiser, I know that a.) I have tools to understand and deal with periods of sleeplessness and b.) everything changes. This is not a permanent condition.
I find that if I stretch and let my arms go up and wide to accept the day, I feel immediately more refreshed. Yesterday a yoga instructor suggested adding a grateful for thought to this routine and I do feel ready for my day.
Google Image
(Sometimes I get the feeling that people around me just want to slap me up side my head.)
I remember visiting my cousins who did not have a strict bedtime in the summer. They would be running around well after dark and I just wanted to sneak away and curl up in bed to sleep. I couldn't believe my aunt and uncle were so irresponsible as parents!
Once as a teen I was invited by neighbors to spend a week at their lake cottage. One night we all went to see some friends of theirs who had a horse farm. It was fun until adult conversation went on . . . and on . . . and on. By one in the morning I was pretty sure my eyeballs were bleeding.
There are significant periods of my life during which sleep was elusive.
There was a long stretch during high school and college when I would wake during the night and could not go back to sleep. Every night sound seemed magnified and designed specifically to keep me awake. One night I buried my wind-up alarm clock in a large box of outgrown clothing my mother had stored at the back of the closet. I had no trouble understanding the horror of Poe's "Tell Tale Heart."
Pregnancy -- certainly one does not sleep for two. It only gets worse once the baby is born. But as the kids grew I found I could fall asleep in seconds and not rouse until the alarm and/or the first sound of stirring children. Sleep deprivation will do that for you. Maybe I wasn't so refreshed upon waking but at least I was dead to the world for a period of time.
Then kids become teens -- a whole new style of sleepness develops. And job stress can do a number as well. Part of my early retirement was from being so consistently sleep deprived that I felt sick far too much of the time -- job stress plus helping with care for my mother who had dementia really had me at a breaking point. Oh, and let's throw in perimenopause.
lovethispic.comRetirement did not cure my sleep problems. Bad habits and poor sleep hygiene were firmly established. I ended up going to a sleep clinic and being sent to a behavioral change group therapy program and the university. It worked.
But, of course, this comes up now because I am experiencing those 3 a.m. wake up/can't get back to sleep periods. It started with a Code Red Weather alert that there was a tornado threat in the immediate area of Ashwood Drive. Gee, that was ominously specific.
Now that I am older and wiser, I know that a.) I have tools to understand and deal with periods of sleeplessness and b.) everything changes. This is not a permanent condition.
I find that if I stretch and let my arms go up and wide to accept the day, I feel immediately more refreshed. Yesterday a yoga instructor suggested adding a grateful for thought to this routine and I do feel ready for my day.
Google Image(Sometimes I get the feeling that people around me just want to slap me up side my head.)
Hmmm.....I have no problem falling asleep it's staying asleep. Sleep is so vital and those who have no issues don't understand the struggle. Do you find it is worse in one location than another?
ReplyDeleteSleep is essential to maintain our body and mind. My dear hubby suffered from sleep problems, went to a sleep clinic and tried everything and sometimes it worked and sometimes he had a difficult night. Great blessings on your quest for sleep.
ReplyDeleteI track my sleep with my FitBit and have discovered I don't really sleep well. I'm lucky to get 6-7 hours a night and only an hour of that is deep sleep. I blame that light sleeping on having been a single parent and always having an ear open. And then there is the cats! They wake me by 6:30 or 7 every morning to be fed, then they go back to sleep. Brats!
ReplyDeleteWhen you feel sleepy during the day, just go to bed. David and I always take naps during the day. There's nothing wrong doing that. After all, you are retired.
ReplyDeleteOh how I envy those who get a solid 8 hours every night. Last night for some reason I did get 8 but 7 is usually my goal and 6 is more actual. You can throw in a occasional 4 or 5 in there. The only good thing is that most of my sleep is spent in deep sleep which is restorative. Who ever discovers the non chemical answer to a great night's sleep will own the world.
ReplyDeleteI think I have always had sleep problems but I found when I retired and took a nap that the quality of sleep I got in the nap was the best. I am sleeping pretty good again but the diabetes drops or highs make me nap and that good sleep throws off my schedule. I'm currently sleeping days again after two months of glorious night sleep. Oh well, I have tried not stressing about it.
ReplyDeleteI've had quite a few bad nights lately - either not being able to go to sleep or waking up at AM and staying awake. I hate it, but I have learned not to struggle. After being awake an hour or more, I just get up and do something, knowing that I can get by with only a few hours if I have to.
ReplyDeleteUsually we go to bed at 10 am... and I read until about 11:15 (when my iPhone dings with the Do Not Disturb setting telling me to put the book down). Mostly I sleep until about 7:30 (with 2 or 3 visits to the facilities in-between). Mostly I go right back to sleep - but once in a while I cannot. These times I get up and have a cup of tea with the cats in the kitchen, then return to bed... and sleep. Oh, I also nap in the afternoon when the need arises (not everyday, but a few times a week). Napping in the afternoon is what I consider one of the best parts of retirement!
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