Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Sleep issues

I think I might actually be getting too much sleep. I know, this is not commonly considered a problem. Most people would give a kidney to be able to indulge in nine hours of sleep a night. But I think this over-indulgence may actually be the reason why I haven’t been getting truly restful repose lately. I’m not the type of person whose sleep is easily disturbed by things like an unsettled mind, daily stresses, etc. I could be charged with defusing a bomb on a nuclear submarine transporting a cargo of puppies, and the night before I’d sleep fine. But lately I’ve been tossing and turning a lot, and waking up many times during the night.

I have attempted to get to the bottom of this through a process of trial and error. Am I not tired enough at the end of the day? This is partly what prompted me to join a gym, knowing that regular exercise makes for better sleep. Am I too hot? Take off the second layer. Is it the darn chirping birds? Keep the windows closed. All routes tested to no avail. Last night I even decided to plug my night light back in, thinking maybe that was the culprit. (I’m grasping at straws, people!) I still woke up, but I took note of the time: around 3 am. I’d gone to bed around 9:45. So I’d slept soundly for the first five hours. After that, it was somewhat restless, until my alarm went off at 6:20. It dawned on me that maybe I don’t need as many Z's as I've been allowing myself. So the experiment continues, with a new variable. I will stay up later and see if that makes a difference. Because seven solid hours are better than nine fitful ones.

2 comments:

  1. Well I doubt you would sleep with other peoples safety on ur mind, like in the military. hmmmm. Well thats exactly what I would suggest. Stay up later. I go on about 3-6 hours of sleep a night and i do just fine. :)~ Maybe thats just the USMC in me. Since you are staying up later, watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central at 11 and 11:30. GREAT entertainment; funny and educational. ;) . Good luck.

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  2. I understand the frustration of restless sleep.....I frequently am knitting or reading into the night and then can go right to sleep.

    Actually- what you need is me there to talk your ear off until 2:00 a.m. and then you would sleep sweet all the way through the night.

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