How do you feel about sleeping?I'm not very keen on it really. It seems such a waste of time to spend a third of your life - well, somewhat less in my case - unconscious. Not that the cats seem to worry about this sort of thing. Indeed, catching them awake is quite a skill.
I think it's more than that, though. I find sleep a bit of a struggle. I have to read until my head is nodding a bit, usually till about 1 or so, but then the process of putting the bookmark in the book, laying the book on my bedside table and switching off the light tends to wake me up again. So I lie there, bored, for a while, or listen to the radio via my under-pillow loudspeaker. Usually it doesn't actually take very long to get to sleep, but I don't like lying there in the dark for any time at all. And then I always wake a lot during the night and look at the clock. Often I wake about 2 and then 3 and then 4, 5 and 6 and by then, I'm relieved that it's nearly morning at last.
And anyway, I don't like the idea of being asleep, lying there vulnerable to any passing intruder. It's all very tedious and I would prefer that we were designed just to lie down for a wee while with our eyes shut, listening to something on the radio which preferably isn't news of all the depressing things going on in the world, ready to spring up in case of burglars.
I suppose I should have been a cat. That's more or less what they do, give or take the radio or the eagerness to confront burglars.
Today's been lovely and mild and sunny and I spent most of it gardening (oh, how much better than marking). At one point I came in for a little break and lay down on the sofa in an S shape, avoiding the furry friends who were occupying most of the space. Well, not most of the space. But the bits I might have wanted to put my head or feet on. And Sirius got up and lay with his side against my head and his head nestled in my hand, and purred. And I dozed lightly for fifteen minutes till someone sent a text to my phone in the adjoining room, which roused me. That's the kind of sleep I like. Just a light nap, with cats.
But some people say that they love sleeping. Can't understand that.
That's because you have a sane life, populated by civilized humans and well behaved cats. If you lived my life you would throw yourself into the oblivion of sleep with much more enthusiasm. Want to trade? I should warn you that your first task upon waking tomorrow will be to go and retrieve The Cat from the vet's where he is spending the night. And that's just for starters.....
ReplyDeleteIn my life sleep has always been an elusive thing, which takes ages to creep up and enfold me. It gets very tedious. I have never understood how some people can go to bed, close their eyes, and immediately go to sleep. They are SO lucky. This never happens with me. Mind you, those who sleep easily tend to snore loudly, or twitch or jerk as they sleep, further frustrating the tedious efforts of their sleeping partners to drift into oblivion.
ReplyDeleteLife can be so unfair.
Is there a go straight to sleep gene? Surely there must be!
I'm with you -- sleep is so annoying and such a waste of time! But, I suppose we must rest. I don't wake as often as you do, but when I do, it's usually hard to fall back to sleep. If only we could walk up to plugs and plug in to energize for a little bit a few times a day -- just like our cell phones. How much easier it would all be!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind sleep - just so long as I can. It's the lying awake knowing I should be asleep and will be tired in the morning that annoys me. For me it goes in cycles. Sometomes I do really well.sometimes for several nights in a row!!! But give me any little thing to worry about and I will toss and turn for hours.
ReplyDeleteI echo what persiflage said....so unfair.
i am the twitchy, jerky, loud snorer that persiflage mentioned ... i worked nights for decades and now that i don't HAVE to stay awake at night, i find that i LOVE sleeping through it (except for the numerous trips to the bathroom) ... the really hard part is staying awake when i'm bored - like when i'm at a stop light or peeling potatoes ... we all have our burdens to bear
ReplyDeleteMy sleeping habits are very like yours. However, the mister here could sleep on a washing line and is constantly nodding off. Drives me mad.
ReplyDeleteOh Ali Honey, you have taken the words from my mouth (so to speak). I hate going to bed if I'm worrying about some small thing, because I know only too well that I won't get to sleep at all. And will feel even worse in the morning - tired, and problem unsolved. Sigh...
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