Monday, October 20, 2008

Sleep... I Can't Get No Satisfaction


But I try, and I try, and I try, and I try...

Not many of you recognize these lyrics probably (if they are the actual lyrics), but it's an old song that popped into my head when I began thinking about Octamom's post regarding sleep.

When she asked what others think about sleep, she opened a trunk-load of issues that I have developed about sleep. In fact, from the time I was nursing my daughter, I believe I developed one major sleep disorder. Staying awake became a common occurrence, and I'm still having issues with sleep.

First of all, I need it! Desperately. Although the past few weeks have been better, I will go for days getting only four to five hours of sleep. I watch the clock tick rapidly toward morning, and I try, really try, to go to bed. But the problem is, I'm a night owl. Which isn't a problem if you can sleep late the next day. But when you have to be at work by 7:30, and it takes nearly 30 minutes to get to work and to the dreaded sign-in sheet, being a night owl is not a wise thing to be!

Night, it seems, is when my creativity fires up. I can create things for my students to do, I can grade papers, I can create lessons, I can scrapblog, I can get on our blogs and follow link after link just to see what's new. (I can't clean or iron though. That would disrupt my sleeping family!)

Then, after mere hours of sleep, I drag myself out of bed feeling not-so-creative any more!

There was a time, however, when I was an early-bird. I woke up each morning at 5:30to run before the day had begun. And oh how I loved those morning runs. As I began a slow jog down my road, I would often spot shooting stars streaking across the heavens. Deer would wag their white-tails off the shoulder of the road (often giving me a fright before I figured out what they were). No watch was needed to tell me when it was time to head home. A train's whistle did the job -- same time every single day. And the sound of a Chuck-will's-Widow greeted me as I made the final turn back towards home.

Sure I've read a lot about creating a bedtime ritual. And I do start off with one. I take a warm bath with drops of lavender scenting the water and the air around me. I "feel" snuggly and warm... just right for sleep. I usually prefer to browse through a magazine (no heavy reading at bedtime). And all is well until I decide to check my e-mail - for just a minute. And the minute turns into an hour, and e-mail turns into writing a new lesson plan, and the lesson plan turns into additional materials to be used at school, and the additional materials turn into... Do you get the picture?

But I digress. I prefer seven to eight hours of sleep, although I can get by quite well with five (for a day or two). And the culprit really is having too much to do and too much that I want to do. There are just not enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. And when I am at home, I try not to do too much work while everyone's awake. I save it for their bedtimes, which means I can't get no... satisfaction when it comes to S.L.E.E.P!

16 comments:

Wendy said...

I heard the song in my head as soon as I logged on! I have been having the same problem since I have been blogging. All summer, at the insistance of my doctor I put myself in a sleep ritual and we were getting to bed between 9:30 and 10. Then I started blogging. I too get my creative post ideas late at night. If I am up past 11 I may as well stay up until 2. and then getting up..ugh. This week I am home with hubby and we get to bed late and sleep in a bit (7) but in three days I will have to get up very early because I have to do all of the morning routine by myself..even walk the dog. This was a great post on sleep and I have found yet another trait that we have in common!!!

Caroline said...

You are a serious Stones fan!

My husband is like you...4-5 hours of sleep a night. It has caught up with him and his health is suffering. We are not as young as we once were... Now I make sure he gets at least 7 hours a night! I am a sleep warden in this house :)

miruspeg said...

Well you and Octamom have opened up a can of worms here.

I too am sleep deprived.....for as long as I can remember it takes me about 1/2 hour to get to sleep, then I awake 3 hours later, go to the toilet, then back to sleep.

The only time this unpleasant ritual changes is when I am on holidays, where I sleep like a baby no matter what time I go to bed.

I feel our hectic life and too much time spent on the computer are the main reasons for our sleep disorder.

I am meditating alot more these days to try and quieten my over active mind, but like you I am a night owl and tend not to go to bed until midnight.

I love the piece in this post when you were on your morning jog and saw the shooting stars and the deer and the train whistle....that was a very visual piece of writing.

Peggy

PS I have downloaded the song 'I Can't get no Satisfaction' for you, it is the second song on the playlist.

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

I get it. I'm right there with you. A night owl. It's terrible for morning runs!

miruspeg said...

That was a fun fictitious dialogue between you and your students, just send them my way next time and I will totally confuse them!

By the way the anonymous comments on my blog are written by cazjane from over at scrapblog.

miruspeg said...

I just read your comment on cazjane's scrapblog, for her to be able to comment on this blog you need to allow 'anonymous comments'

In case you are not sure how to do this:
Setting
Comments
Who Can Comment - Anyone.

carrhop said...

I too am naturally a late nighter--my creativity and energy just seems to soar about the time the household has finally quieted down. I have had my seasons of crazy early mornings--when I was a personality on a morning radio show, I had to be to the studio around 4:45 in the morning--needless to say, that was tough on such a nocturnal creature! At this point, the kids keep me running so fast during the day, I find I'm 'burning the midnight oil' less and less--I really do try to sleep as much as possible when the kids are down...but, oh, that pure creative energy only available after 11 pm......

I would be honored for you to use my story with your students! Wow! You sure do know how to make a girl feel good! Thanks so, so much!!!
Blessings!

Monica said...

I can definitely feel your pain. I too have had my fair struggles with getting to bed at a decent hour. Something about the computer and internet...just one more thing... then 20 things later... Of course late at night is when you can get everything done after everyone else's bedtime, ooh but the morning is hard. I've been there.

Wendelyn DeMoss said...

I want to respond to your email but do not want to post it, could you email me with an email address?

letti said...

ooo lavendar.. that should work for me any time. Except I'm getting up umpteen times a night for peeing and turning from side to side from nasal congestion.. ah, the wonders of preggoness :) oooo am glad you tried the arizona pomegranate green tea.. YUMSS! I haven't had it for a while coz green tea is supposed to mess with folic acid absorption, but it'll be one of those things i'll hit hard once the lil one's here! :)

miruspeg said...

Could you also send me your email address please.
Peggy

carrhop said...

Hey there! Hope your week is off to a good start! Thanks so much for your sweet comment on the Selah!

I think I'm over this crazy cold--it has taken me a while--and I've not been a good bloggy friend because of it! Way behind on my blog reading and commenting! But thankfully, I seem to be on the mend.

We find out this week if 4 of 8 will be having surgery on her foot, so I would love your prayers as we head into that decision.

How's all your crew?!?

Blessings!

Wendelyn DeMoss said...

Loved your comments about The Shack! Ronda's Rants will do anothe book for November. Maybe it will be another good one for the soul! rondasrants.blogspot.com
I love her posts too if you have not read them.

McMGrad89 said...

I am with you on the lack of sleep, but mine comes from a husband who has been sent to the other side of the globe for three months and a 3 year old who misses him so much that he must sleep on his side of the bed only to wake me with a wet bed religiously at 4:50 a.m. My husband's company is going to have to buy me a new mattress when this is all over. Maybe it will be one of those coma type sleep inducing ones because I will need it.

McMGrad89 said...

Re: staying home

We don't know the future of the corporation since they are outsourcing everything lately...I will let you know.

Tracy's Porch said...

aww...your Scout does look like my sis-n-law's Tango. How cool! (my other sis-n-law has a puppy named Scout).