Random Sleep-Related Trivia about ZenMom:
- I love my bed. Best thing we ever bought.
- I rarely have insomnia. Usually, I'm asleep within mere moments of my head hitting the pillow. The exceptions? Well, the big one is nights like tonight when The ZenHusband his gone.
- Coffee doesn't keep me awake. But stress does. I have a really hard time falling asleep when I've got something unresolved on my mind. I replay past coversations, imagine new ones, think through the steps I need to take, think about the steps that got me there ... I just can't stop the hamster wheel in my brain. Usually, the best cure is to get up and write it all down - get it out of my head and onto paper (or my computer screen).
- Another thing that helps me fall asleep: Starting at my toes, I tighten and relax my muscles one group at a time, working my way up my body. I'm usually asleep by the time I get to my arms.
- I can't take "sleep aid" drugs. Eff me up.
- I sleep on the left side of the bed. Always. One time, we had to switch sides (long story), and I tossed and turned and barely slept all night.
- I can't sleep on my back. Can't do it. My favorite position to sleep in is on my left side. Preferably with my right leg thrown across my husband. Or a pillow. Whichever is handy.
- I don't have adenoids. Bear with me - it's sleep-related, I swear. See, I don't have adenoids because, when I was a young teen, I had sleep apnea. Had my adenoids removed to fix that. (Side note: Only time in my life I've ever fainted was in the doctor's office for my post-op visit. Blood loss. Stood up, took three steps, fell foward. Would've busted my face on the floor if the doctor hadn't caught me.)
- Side effect of having no adenoids: I don't snore. Except when I have a cold. (Don't believe my husband if he tells you any different.)
- I hate alarm clock sounds. I much prefer to wake up to music. But not a.m. DJs. They're almost as bad as alarm beep-beep-beeps. No, actually, they're usually worse.
- I don't dream as much as I used to. Or at least I don't remember them. I used to have vivid, detailed, complex dreams. But, since having kids (sleep-deprivation much?), I seem to dream less frequently and less vividly. I kinda miss them.
- I can go from dead-asleep to awake-and-functional in about 3 minutes with total recall the next morning. How do I know this? I have two kids under 5. You figure it out. My husband, on the other hand, can get up and stumble through the motions of night-emergencies. But he won't remember a damn thing about them in the morning. Is that weird or is it just me?
- I need more sleep than my husband. It's just a fact. He has an internal alarm clock that goes off at 6:30 a.m. and he really can't stay in bed past 7:30 a.m. at that absolute latest. I have one of those internal alarm clocks, too. But mine is set for 8 a.m. And I'd sleep 'till 9 a.m. most days, if I had the option.
I can relate poor zen.
ReplyDeleteI also love my sleep and my bed with the cushy foam mattress.
I do the muscle tighten sequence thing too when I can't sleep.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my internal alarm wakes me up at 6.00am most mornings.
Great song. I used to be a deep sleeper. Nothing could wake me up. Now I am parent. Enough said.
ReplyDeleteHere's to sleep.
I never sleep. I wish I could fall sleep but it always takes weeks before I can really sleep for a night
ReplyDeleteI too developed a clock that wakes me up at the drop of a hat. I used to sleep like a log, but when I started staying home with the kids I suddenly developed this heightened awareness, even when sleeping. I almost can't remember what it was like to sleep to my own content. Love that song.
ReplyDeleteA few months ago, when I was having a hard time sleeping, I discovered I have a bit of a love affair with over-the-counter, non-aspirin sleep aids. It's possible that when they help me drift off, I dream about them, but they help me sleep so well I don't know if I actually even dream!
ReplyDeleteI do that muscle tightening too! When I can't sleep, when I can't focus at work. It's golden.
ReplyDeleteIf I am successful at anything in life... it is sleep. I'm a pro at it. I don't have an internal alarm although I am forced because of my job to drag my butt out of bed at 4am.
ReplyDeleteON my days off I sleep easily until 10am... longer if I could.
I also fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow...
The only places I can't sleep?
Airplanes, buses, and cars.
So basically when I am traveling.
Sucks to on long flights out of the country!