When I look at my past patterns of sleepless nights, there was almost always a deep rooted issue even though I was oblivious. As recently as 5 months ago, "tired" was my go to response to "how are you?" simply because I wasn't sleeping enough.
Growing up, I was always made fun of by my loved ones and was deemed "lazy" because I was always sleepy. So, in my adolescent and adult life, I have inadvertently tried to compensate for that. This has negatively affected my physical and mental health. Congrats on becoming the "New and Improved Lyle"! I am working on the New and Improved Piyush.
Yeah, tired came up for me a lot when people asked how I'm doing. It feels good to have other responses these days! Keeping working on the New and Improved Piyush!!
I have no recollection of my college sleeping habits, though I don't think I was ever up before 7am. Early morning habits began for me during graduate school, when I worked as a wilderness ranger in Idaho during the summers. We'd wake up at 4am to beat the heat, and I've been a 9pm/5am guy ever since. Although my body really only allows about 7hrs of sleep these days.
Your essay makes me marvel at how any couple manages to share a bed. Blanket stealing and temperature aside, when you get older and sleep more lightly, a partner coming to bed later than you or waking up earlier can be a major disruption. All these things that I took for granted when I was younger have been much more fraught after age 40.
We've been using a sound machine basically since my daughter was born and that seems to help with the disruption of our different schedules. I've recently wanted to ween myself off the need for the sound machine, but that seemed to help last night. We're thankfully not big blanket stealers either!
Reading this at 7am because my body thinks I need to wake up every day at 6:30, no matter if the kids need to go to school or not. Or at what time I went to bed.
So surprised to see you posted on Thursday. But change is always good. Post when the spirit moves you to. Give Em, Sarah and Allison my love . Have a Very Merry Christmas
You sound so “up”, I want to do whatever you’re doing! This post resonated with me, I’m a natural night owl and have tried to order my life around that schedule. In my twenties I regularly slept 3 a.m. till noon, then worked in the afternoon and evening. It’s too bad most of the work world isn’t as accommodating of night owls as it is of morning people!
Sometimes I wake up at 4.30am and try and stay in bed until like 5 or even 6 but my brain has started thinking... what about you ask? COFFEE..... the nectar of the Gods... oh wait no that's not right. But never mind. Some tastes need to be worked at. Like Olives. Who even likes an olive at the first try? But after you WORK hard at olives then you just GET them. I feel you just haven't worked through the Shit stage of coffee yet ha ha
lol I'm sure you're right about coffee, although I've also (mostly) stopped drinking caffeinated soda and typically stick to caffeine free Zevia, which is stevia sweetened instead of sugar
I have given up EVERYTHING ELSE sigh... the high life, the low life, sugar, on and off prescription stuff, carbs, nicotine, alcohol.... but me and Coffee? We are going down together :)
Yes, no morning creative bursts here either... even as a kid I was a night person. Getting out of the house to go sit in the grass looking at stars. Drove parents nuts...
Benadryl. Sleep + clearing up! It works for me. And an apap machine.
When I look at my past patterns of sleepless nights, there was almost always a deep rooted issue even though I was oblivious. As recently as 5 months ago, "tired" was my go to response to "how are you?" simply because I wasn't sleeping enough.
Growing up, I was always made fun of by my loved ones and was deemed "lazy" because I was always sleepy. So, in my adolescent and adult life, I have inadvertently tried to compensate for that. This has negatively affected my physical and mental health. Congrats on becoming the "New and Improved Lyle"! I am working on the New and Improved Piyush.
Yeah, tired came up for me a lot when people asked how I'm doing. It feels good to have other responses these days! Keeping working on the New and Improved Piyush!!
I have no recollection of my college sleeping habits, though I don't think I was ever up before 7am. Early morning habits began for me during graduate school, when I worked as a wilderness ranger in Idaho during the summers. We'd wake up at 4am to beat the heat, and I've been a 9pm/5am guy ever since. Although my body really only allows about 7hrs of sleep these days.
Your essay makes me marvel at how any couple manages to share a bed. Blanket stealing and temperature aside, when you get older and sleep more lightly, a partner coming to bed later than you or waking up earlier can be a major disruption. All these things that I took for granted when I was younger have been much more fraught after age 40.
We've been using a sound machine basically since my daughter was born and that seems to help with the disruption of our different schedules. I've recently wanted to ween myself off the need for the sound machine, but that seemed to help last night. We're thankfully not big blanket stealers either!
Reading this at 7am because my body thinks I need to wake up every day at 6:30, no matter if the kids need to go to school or not. Or at what time I went to bed.
Feeling you on this as I’m awake at 5:26 am…
So surprised to see you posted on Thursday. But change is always good. Post when the spirit moves you to. Give Em, Sarah and Allison my love . Have a Very Merry Christmas
Merry Xmas to you too, Barbara!
You sound so “up”, I want to do whatever you’re doing! This post resonated with me, I’m a natural night owl and have tried to order my life around that schedule. In my twenties I regularly slept 3 a.m. till noon, then worked in the afternoon and evening. It’s too bad most of the work world isn’t as accommodating of night owls as it is of morning people!
Add in living on the West Coast and working with people who live on the East Coast like I've done sometimes and you'd be even more frustrated!
Totally feel you about the question “how did I sleep before mouth taping???”
😆
Great post, Lyle. My therapist insists that the two most important and influential things in life are sleep and poop. I am working on both.
Hopefully you're not working on them at the same time!!
Mmmm....
Sometimes I wake up at 4.30am and try and stay in bed until like 5 or even 6 but my brain has started thinking... what about you ask? COFFEE..... the nectar of the Gods... oh wait no that's not right. But never mind. Some tastes need to be worked at. Like Olives. Who even likes an olive at the first try? But after you WORK hard at olives then you just GET them. I feel you just haven't worked through the Shit stage of coffee yet ha ha
lol I'm sure you're right about coffee, although I've also (mostly) stopped drinking caffeinated soda and typically stick to caffeine free Zevia, which is stevia sweetened instead of sugar
I have given up EVERYTHING ELSE sigh... the high life, the low life, sugar, on and off prescription stuff, carbs, nicotine, alcohol.... but me and Coffee? We are going down together :)
Yes, no morning creative bursts here either... even as a kid I was a night person. Getting out of the house to go sit in the grass looking at stars. Drove parents nuts...
I love that you snuck outside to stare at the stars. That's beautiful!
They all thought there was something wrong with me. Quote Grandma: Night is for sleeping, child....
Well, not really!