For many of us, a good night’s sleep isn’t as easy to come by as it was when we were younger. Back then, if I slept late, my kind father would just smile at me and say, “You must have needed it.”
At this point, I would like to formally announce: I still need it. I’m just no longer eligible to receive it.
We all seemingly need more sleep. So what actually helps you drift off? And what keeps you wide awake at 2:17 a.m., replaying a conversation from 2008 like it is breaking news?
At our house, the nightly standoff is the ceiling fan. I want it on. My wife wants it off. I like a cool breeze, a little white noise, the feeling that I’m sleeping inside a wind tunnel. She prefers a calm, silent environment where objects aren’t moving. We compromise by doing it her way. And then we discuss it again the next night
Temperature is another issue. I sleep best when the room feels like a refrigerated warehouse. Jolene sleeps best when it feels like a lightly toasted bakery item. She wears wool socks to bed in July. Not “it’s a little chilly” socks — full commitment, winter-in-Canada socks. I’m one blanket away from seeing my breath; she’s considering a space heater.
When we had a dog, we didn’t need an alarm clock — and we definitely didn’t sleep in. He was up at 5:30 a.m. every day, ready to eat, start the day and ensure no one in the house achieved their full sleep potential. He also adjusted instantly to daylight saving time, which feels like a personal attack. The rest of us are wandering around the house three days later like time travelers who didn’t stick the landing. The dog? Right on schedule. Every time. Show-off.
Then there are the birds. Mourning doves are named appropriately because they wake you up and immediately give you something to mourn. Every. Single. Morning.
And if you have Canada geese nearby, you already know they are not birds; they are organized noise. Their morning honks don’t say “good morning” — they say, “This is our neighborhood now, and we have opinions.”
Of course, your phone can wake you up, too. Alerts, notifications, mysterious dings at all hours. If this e-newsletter is what gets you out of bed at noon, then you clearly don’t have a sleep problem. And I am relieved to know that we rank somewhere below “angry goose” on your annoyance scale.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707