On Sleep.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013



 Question: How much do you all sleep? 

I ask, because my husband has me convinced that I sleep way more than most people. I'm not sure if that's true (I'm guessing it is) but when I sleep less than my usual, I truly feel sick all day (like I'm dying a slow death,) and it makes being with the kids so much more challenging (are they always so loud?) that I rarely, if ever, sleep less than 8.5 hours. In fact, if I know I have something coming up, like a concert with friends, or a dinner out, I actually have to psych myself up for a few weeks before, so by the time 10pm rolls around, I'm not falling asleep. For real. I have to wonder if this is normal!

Now, It's not that I'm all that concerned I sleep too much. On average, I go to bed sometime around 9:30-10 and get up between 6 and 7, depending on the kids. Without them, I would probably go until 8, but that hasn't happened since the day the LM was born, and I'm pretty sure I have about another decade before it does. But the thing is, I wish that I was able to sleep less. There are books I want to read, things I want to write, shows I wish I didn't have to cut from my life, but doing most of those things would mean I would have to sleep less, and there are very few things that interest me enough, that I would cut in to my eight precious hours. 

My husband used to be on the same sleep schedule as me, and with work and the kids, he found he couldn't "waste" some of those precious hours, so now we go to bed together, and he will stay up writing until after midnight, and is usually up before me. He said it just took some getting used to, but I feel like I have tried to sleep less (mostly when getting up with the babies when they were little) and there was nothing great about it. It sucked, and I'm not quite sure I want to try it again on purpose. Plus, isn't sleep good for you? It's supposed to keep you thin, sane, young?

Are/ were any of you life long sleepers. Did you ever find a way to scale back long term? I'm not interested in doing anything drastic, but I would like to find a way to slowly cut back to 7 hours. I feel like having 7-10 extra, kid free, hours a week would be such a gift, but I just don't want to do it at the cost of not having any energy throughout the day. I'm wondering is it better to start cold turkey, or slowly cut back over time. I have to ask, as I always say to my husband when he asks on Saturday night at 9:30 if I'm a baby as I head down the stairs, do some people just NEED more sleep? I think they do, but I would love to be proven wrong. 

As an aside, what it is with kids not wanting to go to bed or sleep in late. There has to be some way to convince them that they have it so good. Man, what I wouldn't give for a solid 12 hours! (Haha, I can just hear Gray laughing loudly at my suggestion that he sleep in!)

6 comments :

Jane said...

Hi, I love your blog but not commented before.

This post was perfect for me because I wonder the same thing. Honestly, I wish I could say to you, you're normal, but I'm asking myself the same question! And for me if I don't get 8 full hours apparently I'm hideous. :)
I actually try to sneak in a nap if I can because I also feel quite nauseous. I've wondered if it's my diet (which is pretty clean and healthy) but my iron levels are ok. I'm fit too and my child is 17. So if you find you can cut back (on purpose!) please let me know.

Jane said...

Hi, I love your blog but not commented before.

This post was perfect for me because I wonder the same thing. Honestly, I wish I could say to you, you're normal, but I'm asking myself the same question! And for me if I don't get 8 full hours apparently I'm hideous. :)
I actually try to sneak in a nap if I can because I also feel quite nauseous. I've wondered if it's my diet (which is pretty clean and healthy) but my iron levels are ok. I'm fit too and my child is 17. So if you find you can cut back (on purpose!) please let me know.

Rob and Amber said...

I am right there with you sister! I'm in bed by around 9:30 and up around 7am. And really, anything less than that, I'd rather not think about. I'm sure you could cut back gradually or even cold-turkey, and your body would adapt. And you're right, every weight-loss article, book, anything says sleep is so important when it comes to being healthy. But after C goes to bed, I rarely do anything productive, so I'm just as happy going to sleep. ;) Good luck!

Lou said...

Ironic as I read this the morning after sleeping for probably 5 hours and I can categorically say: IT IS NOT ENOUGH!! I feel dreadful. That feeling you get in the morning when you know there is a WHOLE DAY before you even get the chance to relax, let alone go to sleep again. I found this shifted for me the older my kids got; my daughter is 12 and she goes to bed at 9pm so really, once she has settled I have so little time alone, quiet etc that I do use those hours to catch up, read browse, yoga, TV etc. Long gone are the days of a 7pm bedtime that would leave the adult evening stretching out ahead.

I figure get as much sleep as possible; all sleep is good sleep and you are probably way healthier than most. If I could get 8 hours a night I would be delighted! As it is I average more like 6.5/7 and that is NOT ENOUGH!!

Great post!

L x

Anonymous said...

I am in the same boat- I wish I could stay up later (as does my husband) but by 9:30/10 I'm exhausted and wake up at 6. I would love to be able to function on less sleep but no idea how- I feel terrible when I sleep less.

Anonymous said...

I'm exactly the same! and my boyfriend thinks that only children should sleep that much, but I'm convinced that each person has a different need of sleep. I wish mine was 5 hours a night. Oh the things I could accomplish during the day..