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
As for weight gain? I thought it was the pie.
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