| I think sleeping is an underrated pastime these days. Have you ever awakened refreshed, the problem of the previous day now resolved, or at least you have worried about it less? A good night’s sleep can do wonders! Not that much is known about the dream world that apparently we all experience and what actually happens within the brain when we are asleep. Experts are divided as to whether the brain uses the time to erase unwanted memories or to prioritise what is important to be stored. Maybe it’s a mixture of both. It was only in the fifties the so called rapid eye movement (REM), undergone in the first few hours in deep sleep, was observed, followed by resting periods when our dreams become far less imaginative. Prior to industrialisation we slept for much longer periods which were more in line with the changing seasons. Early dairies estimate the usual average hours at 10 per night compared to today of between 6-9. Einstein apparently loved his sleep, and liked to have at least 9 hours a night. With this is mind I composed a short poem about sleep renewal. The day ends as always Planet created that way Rest and sleep companions Mind renewed Tree of life continues From its leafy canopy Engulfs, enlightens, entertains Life’s oxygen Rays of hope for a new day Awaken new approaches Patterns our life cycles Repeat again |
Thursday, September 6
Sleep
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9 comments:
i agree with you, o sorcerer of semantics; sleep is highly underrated. my philosophy is "when things are going wrong, take a walk or a swim or a bike ride or take a nap. then go back and take another look." maybe it's just getting a bit of distance from the thing that helps us clear our befuddled brains... as your lovely poem says, sleep is oxygen to our minds.
Sleep...I love sleep. When I sleep I have some wonderful dreams, wherein I meet people I would never meet when awake! Here's to sleep! ;)
Take two (it's 3:21 a.m.)
Sleep is one of those things I haven't had much of since having kids. Well, I don't think I've ever been particularly fond of sleep because the wee hours is when I get the most done. I don't remember a time when this wasn't true.
As my life is right now, the only time I have to read is at bizarre hours of the night and I so LOVE those quiet hours of the night/morning.
When I had my own business, I used those hours to get things done so I could attend to my children in their waking hours. I'd work all night and be there for my children all day. There were times that I couldn't get my eyesight to focus (it kind of flashed all over the place), but hey! I managed to be what work needed and what my kids needed too. :)
Thankfully, I take after my father and maybe don't require as much sleep as most people do. (I think I may sleep on the average 5 hours a night.)
Of course, he died at a fairly young age and I do sometimes wonder what would happen to my life if I just gave up all of the silly things I want to accomplish and simply slept a little more? I think I'd probably be a totally different person albeit not nearly as productive.
I don't love sleep. I wish I did. I think it would probably be good for me. :)
I'm sure sleep does do much good for us, but I've always thought of it as a necessary bother, getting in the way of doing things. Since I've retired I might sleep in a bit longer, but in my book 7 a.m. is LATE! It's nice to have a bit of a doze in the afternoon though. So decadent!
Nice poem as always.
I fell asleep at 9 Friday evening (US Pacific Daylight Time) and woke back up at 11:30. Now I'm still awake at 2:45 in the morning so thought I'd check on my Australian friends.
And here is my friend Lindsay writing about sleep.
Hi Granny F ~ Cooling off and giving yourself time to reconsider is an excellent strategy –and when you go for walk over here chances are you will see the wattle which is used for enclosures for orchards, in paddocks, cemeteries, public parks, reserves, sports grounds, railway stations, besides roads and practically anywhere. Live wattle fences are useful on river banks to curtail erosion and give excellent protection against fires.
Lee ~let’s hear about those dreams ~maybe an interesting story!
Laura ~ some of us definitely need less sleep, apparently our brains recover at a faster rate and hence don’t need as much of the non REM type sleep which only occupies the first few hours. That is as long as you’re not so tired your likely to fall asleep at the wheel, or feel exhausted it seems existing on that small amount of sleep is ok.
Val~Nice to see your giving yourself permission to have an afternoon doze >
Granny~Nice to se you posting comments, I trust you have settled into the new abode ok ~ it appears to be the case. ~ Best wishes
That's a lovely poem my friend...
And yes, when I stop and think about it, crawling between cool, crisp sheets, with fresh air coming through a window and going into a deep, restful sleep rates up there with the best of my experiences. Have to confess I'm a 6 hour guy, but I probably would thrive with more.
I never get enough sleep these days. But then, I've always battled insomnia. I think there's just too much I want to do in my waking time.
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