Sleep Experiment

Well, my sleep 'experiment' was a total failure. Not that it was a bad idea but I haven't managed to get eight hours of sleep even one time all week. In fact, Tuesday night I stayed up until 1:00 am which was completely stupid. I was reading Sharon Shinn's Reader and Raelynx and it got good. The war was heating up; I was worried about my characters dying; I had to see how it all turned out. My helpless fascination with fictional characters and events has gotten me in trouble many times over the years. Starting in elementary school, if you can imagine! Not surprisingly, I am so tired that I wish wish wish wish wish it was Friday night right now. Mr. Foot has hinted that there might be snow in the region tonight that could cause a school delay tomorrow morning. Oh, I hope hope hope hope hope that happens so I can sleep an extra two hours. Irregardless, as my mother used to say redundantly, I am going to bed early tonight. Whine over, plan in place.

Sleep

How much sleep does a sleeper sleep till a sleeper is slept out? I keep telling Judy that we are not getting enough sleep. I think this weekend is the proof in the pudding. Friday night I slept over ten hours. Then I took a two and a half hour nap on Saturday afternoon. Last night I slept nine and a half hours. She slept even longer than me because I had to wake her up on Saturday morning and out of the nap, otherwise Judy would have probably slept through till Sunday morning.

The thing is--we're gettin' up there in age, all immaturity notwithstanding. (Is that even a word? I ponder...) We find ourselves constantly making comments about how we can't remember this or that and searching for the right word to use, we find the stress in our jobs stressful...and now I'm becoming convinced it is all evidence of sleep deprivation!!! I used to blame my "time of life" for my insomnia--but I now think it was my anxiety disorder that was causing me to have difficulty sleeping. With my new treatment plan, I fall asleep easily and I don't wake up freakishly early anymore. (I kinda miss that. Early arising made me feel superior to slug-a-beds. I understand those early birds and their attitudes toward night owls now.)

So I heretofore resolve that I will get eight hours of sleep each night this week. This will require GREAT discipline on my part--something I am not known for. I am a natural night owl after all. I will then subjectively determine if my memory and word retrieval skills are improved, also my emotional capacity to handle stress without wigging out. Yeah. That's it. An experiment. I'm in.