Friday, January 22, 2010

Sweet Dreams


The act of sleep is highly underappreciated in our society.  We are used to pushing ourselves until the job it done.  We also want to play till we drop.  But as you advance in years, sleep becomes a necessity...and the lack therof results in not so pretty outcomes...like a poneytail that is off to one side of your head.

I suffered my first bout of insomnia since my 40's when I was thinking of becoming menopausal.  This is not a choice...like...isn't this party rockin'  I gonna stay up past my bedtime...or this is the best movie of the year, doesn't Van Damm look so damm cute...not! Or I'm going to stay up to see the ball drop in Time Square.  This type of sleep loss for me is, eyes wide open, mom brain kicks in...humm wonder if my kids are safe...what is the statistics of a meteor falling from the sky and hitting one of my kids...did the dog throw up???? Are the members of my family talking with each other again...what a bunch of babies...by this time my blood pressure is up and there is no more nighty night.

Which then leads to a day like I had yesterday.  Running on a couple of hours of sleep yesterday turned into "THE LOST DAY."  For me that means I am too tired to do anything fun, except have coffee with my cousin.  I have not washed my hair so it is in a ponytail under a ball cap.  No makeup, thank goodness it was a little sunny because I wore sunglasses all day. By the afternoon I was on hypermode.  Once I tip over the exhaustion phase my brain hits hypermode...which means it is going a hundred miles and hour.  I swept my deck, I grocery shopped, I cut up vegies for roasting, I watch Dr. Oz without falling asleep.  I even watched Oprah, hoping too fall asleep.  My body would not relax enough to fall asleep.  Which lead me to the list of things I needed to do...so I could fall asleep. 

No caffiene in the afternoon
drink lots of water
drink herbal tea
No ETOH, absolutly no happy hour
no chocolate
small dinner
1 glass of milk in the evening
watch 3 hours of TV and by 10:00 PM I get sleepy

Of course, Greg had to spend the evening with me which means...he had to listen to me...as I am saying...look at me...I can't stop talking...I look like last nights left overs and I am totally wired on lack of sleep.

Today I am much calmer...I slept all night...till 0715 (which is sleeping in for me) and I get breakfast in bed...better do something with this pony tail on my head, it is starting to look like another pet I should name.  Enzo is starting to growl at it when I walk and it bounces around.


No comments: