During my college years, I became friends with a girl who grew up with five brothers and sisters. At that time, two of her siblings were still in high school and everyone else had left home but remained very close knit. Because I grew up with just one older brother I was kind of fascinated by this large and loud family. My friend’s mother, in every sense the matriarch and glue of the family, was particularly intriguing to me.
I discovered she was a compulsive night owl, having adhered to years of enjoying “her time” when lights were out and children were asleep. Much of that time was spent reading novels or watching television with occasional motherly duties, like folding laundry, slipping in from time to time. While I have always trended to being more of a night person, this particular practice of securing personal time in the evening hours made an impression and was fully realized when I became a mother.
However, the busier I am, the more social media I indulge in, the more Netflix I try to jam into “my time,” the more elusive sleep has become. I’ve been tracking/obsessing about my sleep habits for about two years. My Fitbit, which I wear around the clock, not only tells me how much exercise I get it also tells me how much time I spend asleep. Further, it monitors sleep quality, including how much time I spend restless or awake, and as I’ve noticed, how many times I wake up due to a snoring husband. I typically average between six and seven hours of sleep per night, which doesn’t seem like enough. Coffee often completes me.
When Apple rolled out its iOS10 it added a “bedtime” feature to the clock app. I’ve used it a handful of times, and it’s pretty great. You simply set the clock for your desired wake-up time and it in turn sends you an alert when you should go to bed and sounds a peaceful alarm when it’s time to rise and shine. It also works in conjunction with Apple’s Health app to monitor sleep quality.
Even with technology and the ability to better understand sleep habits, I’ve long struggled with actually falling asleep and also waking up in the middle of the night, or hours before an alarm should sound. While there are dozens of sleep aid products, a melatonin supplement has helped me drift off to sleep. It hasn’t, however, kept me from waking up at annoying times during the night.
I’m a Type A personality so it’s hard for me to relax. I’m unable to take it easy for too long, let alone nap. If I am worried about something, make a mistake or I’m just stressed out, I tend to wake with a jolt at odd hours.
It’s during these sleepless hours I am wide awake and dreaming of things I need to accomplish — projects at work, friends I need to call, bills that need to be paid, closets that need to be organized. There’s also plenty of time for big picture type of things — what are my aspirations? How am I helping shape our kids’ lives? How can I do more to make a difference? What will be my legacy?
Habits and routines are formed over a lifetime. My dilemma will continue to be my nocturnal indulgences that I share with my friend’s mother, and the occasional times dwelling turns into sleeplessness. At least there’s technology to help me celebrate those times I’m not wide awake and dreaming.
Contact Abigail Pelzer at
apelzer@newtondailynews.com