Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Sleep Is Wasted On The Wrong People

Last night I thought, Hey, why don't I go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up bright and early for once? So I tucked myself in around 9:30 and fell asleep shortly thereafter. Healthy!

By 11:30, I was lying in bed, wide awake, as Larry snored gently (for him) next to me. By midnight, I gave up and went downstairs, clutching my blanket and my book. I did the NYT crossword puzzle. I played SET on my IPad. By 2 AM, totally fed up, I threw together all the ingredients for our applesauce breakfast cake.

Have you ever tried to chop walnuts quietly? It's challenging.

Gratuitous image of Susie's artwork
Now that I am in my 50's, normal sleep hours elude me. No matter how tired I am in the evening, I am better off waiting until midnight or later to go to bed. Any earlier, and my body thinks it is just a nap. This would be fine if I weren't a confirmed morning person. That's right: if I sleep past 7:30, I feel sluggish and my day is ruined. Ideally, I need to be up at 6:30 or 7:00.

Being middle-aged is so much fun.

You know what else is fun? Getting back to normal life after the holidays. Yesterday morning, Rachel was up and about at 6:30. "Why are you awake?" Larry asked her.

She looked at him with a mixture of pity and disdain (believe me, she has plenty of practice at that). "I have school," she said.

We forgot about school. Parents of the Year, that's what we are...








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12 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 04, 2017

    Try Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. 2 bags in a 20 oz mug with a little honey about an hour before you plan to go to bed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suburban CorrespondentJanuary 04, 2017

      I would try this, but for Jenny's concerns below...

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJanuary 04, 2017

      Hence, the 1 hr before bed stipulation. In my experience, this stuff goes right through. You could use less water and steep the bags longer.

      Delete
    3. Karen (formerly kcinnova)January 04, 2017

      Works for me, although I usually choose a cup or two of chamomile tea. I don't mind getting up to pee 3 times a night as long as I can sleep.

      Delete
  2. Jenny Hart BorenJanuary 04, 2017

    Who can sleep more than an hour with 20 ounces of tea sloshing around in your bladder? Next idea please.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AmaraJanuary 04, 2017

    Oh school. Worse for me than the kids what with carpool and the policing the doing of homework. Ugh. I needed more vacation.

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  4. Common Household MomJanuary 04, 2017

    I have no solutions. I sympathize, though.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Julie HJanuary 04, 2017

    LOL that's what happens when you have kids forever.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Karen (formerly kcinnova)January 04, 2017

    I'm not a morning person, so I have no trouble sleeping hard until 9am (although that makes it rough to get to work on time); however, as a night person, I simply cannot go to bed at 8pm and actually sleep for the next 4 hours. I've tried, trust me.
    And that kitchen ninja stuff? Everything sounds loud after 10pm -- even making a cup of chamomile tea.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Karen (formerly kcinnova)January 04, 2017

    I think I commented on facebook about the kid/school thing, but since I'm still laughing here...
    On Sunday night I reminded the boy to set his alarm clock and he corrected me about holiday schedule. Parenting is hard.

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  8. HarryJanuary 05, 2017

    Can't fall asleep. Wake up early. Can't fall back asleep except when its too late to do any good. Need nap at work.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 06, 2017

    Oof. I forgot a basketball practice right out of the gate when the new year started. I don't really have an excuse, though.
    Insomnia is the worst. Walnuts, though? Really?

    ReplyDelete

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