Five Ways to Know You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
May 18th, 2007 by Richard CockrumAmericans often think there is something wrong with sleeping. We think we’ll miss something exciting if we go to sleep. It doesn’t matter what happened in the few billion years before we were born, or the billions that will happen after we die. The really important stuff is happening now! In our quest to be up on what is happening we force ourselves to stay awake. Occasionally we take it too far. Here are five of the top ways you know you’re not getting enough sleep.
You Know You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep…
- …when you hear your alarm clock, you hit the snooze button. When your alarm goes off again, you hit the snooze button again. Finally you decide to heck with it and just reset the alarm to get up the next day.
- …when you finally get out of bed, you decide your tea will be more effective if you just suck on the bag instead of wasting water by letting the tea steep before drinking it.
- …when you’re driving, you decide you can get a quick nap in while you’re waiting for the light to turn red.
- …when a Stephen King novel is the perfect reading to put you to sleep.
- …when you’re afraid to eat salad with lettuce in it before driving. In extreme cases you stop eating turkey, bananas, all dairy products, and all starches for fear you’ll fall asleep at dinner…in a restaurant…with your new investor.
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May 19th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I KNOW I don’t get enough sleep but prefer reading Stephen King in broad daylight after checking all the closets for boogeymen.
Have a great weekend Rick.
I am really enjoying your podcasts by the way.
May 19th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Love the way you threw so much humor into such a serious subject, Rick. I’ve always been afraid sleeping would cause me to miss something. Odd that, as important as sleep is, we skimp on it with the idea that we’ll get more done. After too many hours awake, I can’t read a simple sentence, let alone write an original one, yet I still want to push. In my defense, I’ve started to leave the computer a little bit earlier
May 19th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
[…] We think we’ll miss something exciting if we go to sleep . . . in our quest to be up on what is happening we force ourselves to stay awake. – Rick Cockrum, Five Ways to Know You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep, Shards of Consciousness […]
May 19th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I’m glad you’re enjoying the podcasts, Danielle.
Get more sleep. You’ll enjoy sleep, and waking, much more, as well as getting more done (unless, of course, you forget the check the closets first
). I’ve tried it both ways.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I know the feeling, Carolyn. In addition, I’m one of those whom the Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take prayer affected strongly. When I was little I would lay awake worrying about dying while I was sleeping. It took a long time to get over it, and I can still see its effects in me. Needless to say I didn’t use it with my children.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Yea, Rick. I remember feeling funny with that prayer, too. But, I’m trying to get a little more regular with my sleep these days. It’s seldom less than six, and sometimes (not too often) even close to eight hours. When it comes to waking hours, more always winds up being less.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
The thing that finally got me to get enough sleep on a regular basis was getting sick. After needing 12 - 14 hours a day, getting to where I just need 7 or 8 is wonderful, though not a method I would recommend.
On the other hand, if you are able to do so, breaking your sleep up into two periods is an effective way to decrease the amount of sleep you need. When I did so regularly I was able to sleep 4 to 5 hours total, remember almost all of my dreams, and had plenty of energy and ability to function well mentally and emotionally.
May 19th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Hmmm. The operative phrase here is “if you are able to do so”. It sounds like a plan, but a plan for someone else. Seems like it would take a concerted effort to simply lie down and sleep for a couple of hours. Maybe after I get into meditating for more than a few minutes at a time, though.
May 20th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
LOL!!!! That was a good one Rick. Put me down for all of them. I was rolling on the floor. Except for number 4, I’ve done them all.
Cheers,
Nneka
May 20th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I haven’t actually done the tea bit, but I have been known to munch down instant coffee or a few coffee beans. The beans taste quite good.