Night Time Battles

Dear Reader,

My hubby could always lay his head on the pillow at night and be asleep in less than five minutes. Every single night. I never understood how he could do this. I wish I did.

My sleepless nights are many. This morning I’m moving with three hours sleep. I’m surprised I got that much! After turning off the lights last night at my normal bedtime, I couldn’t remain still long enough for sleep to capture me. I had to move. I tried mind over matter, but my mind wouldn’t focus on anything except the need to move my leg! Finally, I gave up and turned on the television. I began watching episodes of “Call the Midwife” which sometimes will cause my eyelids to droop. Not so last night. I watched one episode right after another until three a.m. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep in because Templeton (my cat) has a built-in body clock which insists I rise no later than six thirty a.m.

Aging gracefully requires getting a good night’s sleep. This morning I’m suffering with foggy brain and a very bad hair day. I would be poor company for anyone who would be living with me today. Doesn’t help that outside my window I see dimly through a dense fog. On days following sleepless nights, my brain works in slow motion. There will be no writing today.

Many seniors experience sleepless nights or so I’ve read or heard. In my younger years, I stayed up until one or two in the morning writing and then slept for four or five hours, rose bright-eyed and ready for my job in the corporate world. Now that I’m retired with no daily outside commitments, one would think sleeping would come easy. I require seven to eight hours of sleep every night now. Sigh. The pattern following a sleepless night usually is another night or two the same followed by a night when I can’t keep my eyes open after seven p.m.

How about you? Do you suffer with night time battles? Do you have a remedy? If so, please share. And now I’ve got to brew a cup of tea…which normally would be sitting beside my laptop. Foggy brain is to blame. And so, dear reader, I will be eagerly looking forward to any suggestions to combat my sleepless nights. Signing off until next week,

Love, Carol Ann