Sleepless in
San Marcos
Doctors tell us it is not true that the elderly need less sleep than their younger friends and family members. Need it or not, we get less sleep. I can attest to that. It is somehow harder in the later years to sleep long because our heads are spilling over with concerns, excitement, the checkbook, and the latest family catastrophe. For me it is hard to put it all aside, I cannot and I do not. I have no idea “why”.
If I get less than seven hours sleep at night, I look like the old woman I am. After a couple of days of lost sleep, I am haggard and far less acute than normal. I pride myself on being sharp, conversational, “with it”. Lost sleep is the thief that steals from me. I do all the “right” things. I do not watch TV in the bedroom, I read for at least a half hour before turning off the light; there is fresh air in the room, my bed is comfortable. I do not agonize over the empty half of the bed; I made peace with that along time ago. I have a little warm milk with my nighttime pills. I have been taking the same meds for years. I am afraid to let them go because they do enable me to fall off to sleep rapidly. Though they do not keep me asleep.
Right now I am proving to myself that I am sharp and with it. I have had five and a half hours sleep and I have already written a very sensible note to my niece in Israel and have started this new entry. But now I quit to have breakfast, six o’clock is reasonable, don’t you think?
Here I am ten hours later, I am awake and have had a rather full day, so maybe I do not need as much sleep as recommended. Of course I took a good nap, right after breakfast!
Doctors tell us it is not true that the elderly need less sleep than their younger friends and family members. Need it or not, we get less sleep. I can attest to that. It is somehow harder in the later years to sleep long because our heads are spilling over with concerns, excitement, the checkbook, and the latest family catastrophe. For me it is hard to put it all aside, I cannot and I do not. I have no idea “why”.
If I get less than seven hours sleep at night, I look like the old woman I am. After a couple of days of lost sleep, I am haggard and far less acute than normal. I pride myself on being sharp, conversational, “with it”. Lost sleep is the thief that steals from me. I do all the “right” things. I do not watch TV in the bedroom, I read for at least a half hour before turning off the light; there is fresh air in the room, my bed is comfortable. I do not agonize over the empty half of the bed; I made peace with that along time ago. I have a little warm milk with my nighttime pills. I have been taking the same meds for years. I am afraid to let them go because they do enable me to fall off to sleep rapidly. Though they do not keep me asleep.
Right now I am proving to myself that I am sharp and with it. I have had five and a half hours sleep and I have already written a very sensible note to my niece in Israel and have started this new entry. But now I quit to have breakfast, six o’clock is reasonable, don’t you think?
Here I am ten hours later, I am awake and have had a rather full day, so maybe I do not need as much sleep as recommended. Of course I took a good nap, right after breakfast!
There seem to be differing opinions, medical and otherwise, oh how much sleep each of us need at different ages. Again, one size does not fit most. My aunts, both in their early 90's, seem to do fine with 5 or 6 hours of sleep, both are night owls. Much younger, I need more sleep, which may change.
ReplyDeleteThe important piece seems to be sleeping when you want to.