Sleep

[Anne Westlund]

You can't function when you don't get enough sleep. This is so basic. Oftentimes I burn the candle at both ends by not getting enough sleep. I'm like a little kid who doesn't want to go to bed. How much is enough for you? What happens when you go without? Many Americans suffer from sleep deprivation. Is this really necessary?

[DJ]

Anne, for years, I suffered from a "getting my second wind" syndrome. After work, I slowed down, then mid-evening, I was ready to stay up past my bedtime because I felt better. Slowly, I'm learning that it's just not worth the fatigue the next day.
My shorter evenings now consist of activities that I consciously choose to enjoy, instead of mindlessly engaging in TV or net surfing. I reply to just a couple of CCS posts, or create, or watch one TV show with hubby. Then, I'm getting ready for the next workday and heading to lullaby land. I'm much happier the next day and feel so much healthier.
Too much TV and blog-surfing signal to me that I'm watching others live their lives, instead of living my own. :-) Thankfully, this old dog is learning new tricks.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Good for you DJ ... much more fun to live your own life than to be an observer!

[Susan Hosken]

I can't use the computer before bed. It stops me sleeping.

[Dan Goodwin]

I sleep much less these days than when I was younger, it's really changed. Because of the job I was in, mostly evening and weekend work, I used to get up late, maybe 10, then do something in the afternoon, work late aft/eve. get home maybe 11 and stay up until 2 or 3 before sleeping. I always got about 8-9 hours sleep.

These days I tend to be in bed by around midnight, often nearer 11. I get up about 6 or 6.15 so the most sleep I get is just over 7 hours, I'm fine on 6. I actually feel better for this, sleeping 8 or 9 hours now I feel sluggish and lethargic when I get up, and sometimes get a headache from staying in bed too long.

I'm thankful that I sleep very well, and have a routine that helps me get to sleep in a matter of moments. The worse thing I can do is go to bed too early, before I'm tired. Then I toss and turn and I'm too mentally wired to sleep. If I go to a salsa club on the weekend and get in 2.30 or 3, I need at least half an hour of Internet or something just to wind down, I'm too energised to just go to sleep.

Interesting topic Anne, I'm sure we'll all have many experiences to share...

[WildCherry]

Although people do say that you need less sleep as you get older, I wonder if its only that as over the last few months - since I've been working so intensely on my painting - I've found that I can also do with much less sleep than previously. In fact I often wake up several times during the night wondering if its late enough for me to get up yet because I'm so keen to get back to my easel! This is really weird coming from one who has always believed she must have been a cat or a dormouse in a former life and I can't help but think that I need to sleep less because I am more fulfilled...I'm sure I read in either The Artist's Way or WWRWTW that when we begin to fulfill our creative calling we experience changes in our sleep patterns...I thought maybe u might be experiencing the same thing Dan...?

[Dan Goodwin]

I think a fundamental part is having something to get up for. I've found that I'm most productive with a lot of routine in my life, however spontaneous and on the winds of creative whim I like to think I am, bottom line is I work best when given blocks of time to do stuff in. A week with no plans whatsoever tends to make me anxious and depressed rather than excited at the "freedom"!

These days I have plenty to do on many creative fronts so I don't ever lay around in bed for hours, trying not to face the day!

[Jules]

When I am not getting enough sleep I become sort of scatterbrained. I may, to some extent, be a wee bit scattered with sleep- but it is very apparent when I am sleep deprived.
Like DJ- I was a 'second winder' when I was younger this was easy- it does not work so well for me now-
I had to stop staying up late and riding that second wind - when I found myself taking 'combat naps' . 'Combat naps' are what I call those times when as soon as I sit down I fall asleep and nap- often in a sitting position. Not that I do not like catnaps, but when they happen just by sitting down , when to stop is to sleep I have gone to far...It is almost as if I am stealing sleep, rather than getting it honestly at night.
I've been working a lot, and have also had to keep up a sleep level that allows me to fuction and be alert, able to pay attention to what I am doing at work. I have been able to pop into CCS and see what is going on, add to some conversations, but not as often or as long as last winter when I was between jobs a lot.
When I do not get enough sleep I can become cranky , impatient and vulnerable to attacks from my inner critic and other nastys.

LOL. After saying all this we were up late last night at my retreat- we all rode that second wind fueled by lively discussion, laughter and friends who only meet up once a year -sooooo much to catch up on-
I know I will feel this lack of sleep tomorrow, yet in this instance it is worth it. It will happen again next year as well....but I could not forfit sleep on a regular basis and remain healthy. I have to go to sleep now, in fact :-)

Thanks Anne- this is an interesting discussion.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

staying up late laughing and talking with friends is not only allowed ... it's practically mandatory :)

[Lin Neiswender]

I have difficulty staying asleep. I finally realized that the TV wakes me up. Now I turn on the sleep timer to shut it off after I fall asleep so no more wake-ups!

[Jules]

Problem solved!!! I am glad you figured that out Lin.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

I was a night owl in younger days. I'm now an early bird, and treasure the mornings when it's quiet and I can do my writing and art undisturbed. I love it when I get to see the moon set, and then the sun rise. I did have some problems with staying asleep, but I've improved my mattress by adding a memory foam mattress topper and it's much more comfortable now. Like Dan, I require less sleep than I used to, and 8 hours at once is pretty rare for me these days. I do tend to get sleepy in the afternoons sometimes, and when that happens I take naps on the sofa, especially in the winter months. I've only fallen asleep unintentionally once, a long time ago, and now I'm much more likely to listen to my body when it tells me it needs sleep :)

[Jules]

I love sunsets with their intensity...but the bright yet softer sunrise makes my soul sing like a bird.