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Wellbuddies Reflections
Issue 322: October 11, 2015
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Quick Links
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(updated monthly)
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Good Sunday morning.
You may have already seen that Reflections is moving from weekly to biweekly format, appearing on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.
I am also beginning a new series, Project B70 (Big Seven-Oh) that will share my experiment with ramping up for that decadal birthday next summer. B70 will be scheduled for first and third Sundays.
To subscribe to either or both series, please reply to this email and I will add you to the list(s).
Go well!
Pam
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| Countless Sheep |
It may be the time of year, as days shorten and evenings lengthen. Or it may be something else. In any case, I am struggling with energy these days and I am struggling with sleep. When it comes time for bed (and that time comes earlier with darkness as a cue), the sheep to be counted increase from night to night. Two or three hours later, they are still coming and I am still awake.
I have always been challenged by evenings. In the best of times, the energy with which I began the day is long gone and I am chugging along on fumes. I am not a party animal, having always gone to bed before "adult" music started in the bars. I have a hard time sleeping in the summer this far north, when the sun sets after my usual bedtime. But I have an even harder time when sunset moves up and evenings stretch out after the equinox.
My difficulty with sleep is relatively new. Most of my life, most of the time, I have fallen asleep when my head hits the bed, no matter how early I retire. Yes, I awakened every few hours during the night, but fell right back into oblivion. In recent years, and especially with recent weeks, falling asleep and staying asleep have become recurring issues. My energy level during the day is affected and the hours of evening before bedtime become problematic.
My challenge is to make enjoyable and relaxing use of the time between six and nine or ten pm; then, to fall asleep when I go to bed and fall back to sleep when I wake during the night. I don't have a TV habit, but think it could help if I did. I joined Netflix with the hope of finding time-passing, feel-good movies to wind down with at day's end. I have always read at bedtime, but am choosing less gripping, more boring material as part of the sleep-enhancement project. I monitor caffeine and switch to decaf for an afternoon latte. I avoid computer time and stimulating conversations after a certain hour. It may all help but I have not yet found a reliable formula for success.
I am looking for suggestions. I know I am not alone. Books, articles, products and devices designed to help people sleep abound. I occasionally turn to Benedryl, and it works. It also works to get up and eat a substantial hi-carb snack. However, I would rather improve my ability to sleep well without overdosing on drugs and food.
How do you spend your evenings? What do you find most enjoyable, relaxing, and sleep-inducing? What habits interfere with restful sleep and deserve to be phased out?
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Pam Gardiner
Wellbuddies Coaching
wellbuddies@gmail.com
406-274-0188
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