What do you do to improve your sleep? – Now that is a timely question today.
I laughed at this question for a while because just before this and old friend and I were trading emails about lack of sleep in our lives.
And for example, we have tonight. I fell asleep at 8pm last night and woke before midnight. I’ll probably be up the rest of the night/morning now. Even though I’ve been retired for 2 and half years, that last decade of working the overnight shift screwed up my clock badly. My body is more comfortable now, being up late at night.
I sleep in little shifts. And I do get more than I used to when I was working. Taking advice from me might be suspect but I’ll offer some anyway.
I suggest a hammock, great for sleeping.
The most important factor in my sleep is my mood. If I’m satisfied with the day and my life, I can rest easily. If I’m troubled, it’s a crap shoot. Sometimes listening to a little music or watching a little comedy will put me in the right spirits and make going to bed easier.
Finding a way to wind down and relax is big for me. I can be physically exhausted from watching grandkids and not sleep well. It’s more mental for me. Letting my mind slow down and downshift a few times enough to have some good thoughts and fall asleep.
Quiet is also essential. Remarkably my hearing is still in good shape, and I’m woken easily by sounds. I rarely sleep in a storm. Sometimes the basement has helped in that regard.
If I’m sleeping well, I go with it and sometimes get 7-9 hours. It’s not often, but here and there. But if it’s not working, I don’t lay there endlessly looking at a seam in the wall that could use some touch up. I get up and get to work and hopefully take a nap later.
Naps are cool. I took them long before I retired. Being I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep some days, I would catch sleep as I could. When you’re trying to sleep during the day it’s not like the rest of the world stops and says, “hey we got to let these night shift workers get some sleep, can you keep it down.” Quite the contrary in fact.
So, I learned dark out curtains are important. Silencing phones and shutting the door to my room. This is where I will also acknowledge that the effort of my better half to work in silence while I slept for a few hours was remarkable. Living on opposite schedules 4 days a week is difficult on both parties.
Then I flipped back to a day schedule to participate in family and other normal activities that day dwellers did. An interesting life, I don’t recommend it with one exception. In my younger days when we started a family, I worked nights and my better half days and we shared watching the kids so one of us was available for them and saved having daycare costs.
As I thought about how to wrap this up. I thought about the weirdest place I’ve slept in. I once slept on the 18th green (no I wasn’t a member). I’ve slept in and on my car. I’ve slept on my desk and under it at work. I’ve slept on a roll of newsprint (those are big). I’ve slept on a beach and in a boat. Under the stars in a sleeping bag. I’ve slept on a roof and on a pool float. I even fell asleep once on my motorcycle once.
Sleep On a Beach – great for sleeping with the sounds of the waves. Get a dark pair of shades and umbrella.
Whatever you do, get your sleep on, because it’s important.
