Skip to main content

To sleep, perchance to dream~


Dr. Sridhar H. Dasari is a "sleep medicine specialist." (A what?)

He's quoted in my local daily paper, "A lot of us don't realize how important sleep is in our daily lives. People take it for granted."

I am not one of those people.

Ask my husband, who's fond of saying, "Sleep is more important to you than anything." Do you know what he means by "anything?" That's right. He doesn't believe me when I tell him that's not true. Actions speak louder than words, he says.

I say, wake me up when you finally decide to come to bed. But I'm going off topic, here.

I read the article in the paper called, "Sound Sleep." I read everything I come across on the subject of sleep, all the magazines I see in the supermarket line that say: "Ten Things you never Dreamed Would Put You to Sleep," and "Lack of Sleep Causes Weight Gain." (Good excuse. I'll use it.)

Dasari says we're a driven society. We're a non-stop society. We don't have time to do everything in the day, so we sacrifice our sleep time.

Lack of sleep results in building a "sleep debt," he says, (as if the credit card wasn't enough). Interest payments include: dozing off during the day at meetings. I've done this. I arrange my head in my hand, aim my eyes at the paper on the table in front of me, and drift off. I've never been to a meeting worth staying awake for. Why do young colleagues take such pleasure in elbowing me awake? Why do they think it's so funny? I'm past needing to make an impression. Leave me alone. I've heard the information presented many different ways through the years. I'm tired.

Another consequence is dozing off behind the wheel. This is my worst fear, and I've come close. There is nothing funny about this and pulling off the road is recommended. I once fell asleep in my driveway. My husband's rapping on the window woke me from a dream, a good one. He wasn't in it.

Sleeplessness produces irritability and depression. I'm not quite there yet, although I can be irritable at any given moment. I just don't think, "I'm so sorry. I slept poorly last night," is a good excuse.

The trouble is, none of the problems the chronically sleep deprived suffer are mine. I don't have sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy or restless leg syndrome.

I have a husband who snores, and a cat that picks 2 a.m. to walk up my back. Maybe I should write a magazine article: "Ten Ways to Get Your Husband to Stop Snoring (that don't involve your elbow)."

The cat I can deal with.

Comments

Belladonna said…
As a person struggling with serious chronic insomnia, what sleep I can get is precious to me.

As for weight gain? I thought it was the pie.
Unknown said…
I snorfed at "...woke me from a dream, a good one. He wasn't in it." :)

If you write that magazine article, I have to check that out. I actually had to make my own earplugs out of kleenex the other night. What I usually do that sometimes works is punch the mattress to wake him up, so he can stop snoring momentarily before I have to punch the mattress again.
Alice Folkart said…
Oh, Ruth, I'm still laughing. You could publish this, probably just as it is. You have such a great voice, so matter-of-fact and snide at the same time. I can't see how you do it, but that's part of the magic, isn't it? If it helps any, you're on the right track - sleep alone. I didn't mean it to be permanent, but I moved into the spare bedroom when I had a cold, and never moved back. Sometimes the cat sleeps with me - and it works. Sometimes he doesn't, and that's fine. And, if he walks on me, I throw him out of my room. I approached my Dr. about sleep loss (I was still working and it was Hell - 4 or 5 hrs a night - and I was going to bed early) and he said, "It won't kill you, and, when you get tired enough, you'll sleep." He said that was scientific - that was what one of his profs in Med school had advised. Good dr. doesn't push pills unless necessary. But, in 120 days, when you retire, it will all get better - stress will abate and you'll sleep longer and deeper. You'll still wake sweating, but you'll say to yourself, it's OK, I can sleep in, and turn to the stack of books beside your bed, and read about bats or grafting fruit trees or . . . check out the new IWW Review of Books . . . (plug!)

Alice

Popular posts from this blog

One Winter Day in February!

It’s just a week that I have here, doing "farm duty" for friends while they are in Maui avoiding the February weather. Yay them! And yay me too! This is a week of respite...less than half an hour from home and hubby—and cats. I can enjoy the best of both worlds. My “chores” for the week: ·       Gather the chicken eggs (my favorite part!!) ·       Feed the chickens and ducks and give them fresh water (It bothers me that they have to stay in their coop while family is away. Makes sense, but I feel bad. Otherwise, this would be a favorite). ·       Feed three feral cats (my other favorite thing!) ·       Feed four alpacas and give them water (this is becoming a favorite...) Once done, that leaves plenty of time to...           To WHAT, exactly? What DO you do with the free time you’ve always dreamed of having...besides wasting it wondering what you’ll do with all that free time? On day 1, I a

For Alice~ She's home!!!!!!!

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Sometimes it's all about knowing that loved ones and friends stand behind you, knowing that support is there on the down days, the worry days, the days when you feel off-center, out of sync, bedraggled emotionally, and in pain, but knowing all the while that you're not alone. You're not alone... Alice is an online friend--she lives in Hawaii-- who belongs to the writer's workshop that I do. We've only "met" online, but those who have online friendships know that they can be just as strong as those in-person relationships. Alice was hit by a car while walking, and is in the rehab phase of things. She's working to regain mobility after a broken pelvis, a broken arm, and a broken nose. It's scary to realize how, in the blink of an eye, life can lurch and our plans for a time are displaced by survival and healing. We&#

San Antonio and Boston~

I'm in Austin. Two days after Christmas we flew to Texas for another of Worcester State's basketball tournaments. Bruce's motto is, "I didn't miss any of David's games in high school-- and he played three sports-- why start now?" My motto is, "I didn't make all of his games in high school-- nor did I try. The least I can do is go to the ones that require traveling to a place I've never been." David spends his days with the team. When they are not playing or practicing, the coaches take the kids out to see the sights. We have plenty of free time to see the sights and to relax, which is what I'm after, basketball aside. Today we headed 80 miles south to San Antonio and sauntered along the River Walk-- the much corralled and exploited, but nicely so, San Antonio River-- in sun and sixty plus temps. We visited the Alamo, and absorbed a bit of Texas's interesting history and culture. Beautiful! Eye candy! Never ashamed to lug a camera