Today I woke up early because I'm giving a speech at a breakfast meeting and I find myself thinking of sleep-related things:
How does the "brain alarm clock" work so well? I am not a morning person. I unconsciously turn off my alarm and go back to sleep for a few minutes or an hour on more days than not. But today, when I absolutely had to be up early, I not only woke up, I woke up a few minutes before the alarm was set to go off. This seems a tiny miracle to me.
Also, is there anyone who feels they get enough sleep? Other than when I am on vacation (and sometimes not even then) do I sleep until I wake up and reach a state of maximum recharge. I try every day to get to bed early enough to get a full night of sleep, but that rarely happens other than on the weekend. If anyone has a trick to share, I would love to hear it!
03 April 2007
Sleep musings.
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4 comments:
The only thing that has ever worked for me is exercise. Alcohol, hot bubble baths, relaxation tapes - none of those things have worked as well.
Ever since I was a teenager, I have had trouble sleeping through the night. It was routine for me to wake up several times every night.
Two years ago I started swimming 2-3 times a week and working out in the gym on a regular basis.The waking up stopped completely until late this fall, when I injured my shoulder and had to cut back my routine to give it a chance to heal completely.
After a week of NO exercise I was back to waking up multiple times every night. It sucked.
I've also noticed that I am much better at controlling my anxiety and depression, so it has been a huge benefit for me.
I wish I had some words of wisdom, but I'm a horrible sleeper. I go through phases that I sleep well, and like Jenn, when I work out consistently, I do sleep better. But I always have at least one or two nights a month that I'm up almost all night. I've noticed it usually coincides with my cycle and weirdly, enough the moon cycle (insert Twilight Zone music here).
I finally got up reading your posts! You have incredible photos from your trip.
Yeah, that internal clock thing is pretty amazing. I've seen it mentioned or briefly discussed in various semi-popular magazines or newspapers. There is a school of thought out that says we really don't need alarm clocks: just a little more trust and practice with our internal clocks.
As for me, I'm completely paranoid about sleeping through important alarms. So paranoid that I have trouble falling asleep. (Related: I used to check and re-check my alarm in a behavior that was more ADD and GAD than OCD, but eventually I quit doing that. It felt great when I quit.)
Today, though, I almost always get enough sleep -- at least in the course of a 24-hour cycle. I need 8.5 or 9 hours per cycle, and by damn, I get them. Joy of self-employment. (Or necessity of self-employment.) I probably nap three days a week. Again, this is necessity for me, not luxury. Thank God I don't have to work for a company.
Phil, you are truly a lucky man! Jenn and Kell, it sounds like you are suggesting I, ahem, exercise, which is like cryptonite to me. Seriously, I think it's a good idea and I'm going to "just do it"! Thanks for the thoughts--I've been struggling with this sleep thing for a while.
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