When I was younger, I would wake up in the middle
of the night and look at the clock and say to myself “oh, no, only four more
hours to sleep.” Now, I wake and look at
the clock and say “oh, no, I have to stay in bed another four hours.” What a change in perspective!
I know older people usually don’t sleep as well
as when they were young. I remember my
dad telling me that he would be awake at night and turn on radio talk
shows. He had a pillow speaker so the
radio wouldn’t bother my mother. Older
friends tell me that they roam the house at night because they can’t sleep.
I go to bed around 11:00 and usually go right to
sleep. Then I wake up an hour or so
later. If I’m comfortable, I’ll relax in
bed. Or if I’m restless, I’ll get up and
move to a recliner in the family room, cover myself with a blanket, and try to
relax. Usually, I’ll go to sleep within
30 to 40 minutes. When I wake up, I go
back to bed and sleep the rest of the night.
My primary care doctor told me I needed the same
amount of sleep that I did when I was younger-- seven to eight hours. I asked her about sleeping pills, but she
nixed that idea. She instructed me to
not watch television within an hour of going to bed and to stop taking naps in
the afternoon. Of course, I’m ignoring
her advice.
Sweet dreams.
Seasoned Man
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