SLEEP PATTERNS

Change With Age

There was a big yellow chair with green fringe sitting in our living room when my brother, sister and I were growing up. It was the “Time Out” chair — not like today’s time-out, however, but a place we had to rest for 30 minutes after we ate. Health experts say rest helps you return to a state of homeostasis, but I suspect it had more to do with my parents stability and survival. Ha!

By the time I was in college, I was a “Binge Sleeper.” Although it’s recommended that adults get 7-9 hours of nightly sleep, I either stayed up all night with the help of No-Doz, cramming for an exam, or slept all weekend after a night uptown. I’m still laughing about the time I woke up panicking because I couldn’t see — somehow my face had gotten pressed up against the dorm room wall after days of no rest.

When I was a working mother, I became and “Up & Downer.” There was no time-out for my husband and me. Most nights I jumped in and out of bed doing chores I had forgotten to do during the day or waking up my sleep-walking-talking husband.

“Jan, did you see that? I ran over that kid with my truck?”

“Help!!! Someone is stealing the pool table.”

OMG that age-old advice to just “sleep on it” in order to enhance decision-making, creativity and reduce stress never was easy for us in mid-life. Matter-of-fact, I was known to take a swig of Ny-Quil during those years to get some rest.

According to MedlinePlus, sleep patterns change as we age. The online site says in our older age it’s harder to fall asleep at night that you wake up during the night more; you spend less time in deep sleep; and you take lots of daytime naps. I could have told them that. I’ve become a real “Cat-Napper.”

I fall asleep reading the newspaper, checking emails, watching TV, riding in a car…

Honestly, those naps are some of the best sleep I’ve ever had. I fall asleep without even knowing it and feel really renewed when I wake up.

It’ll Beee z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z————-z-zz-z-z—-z