Having a week of not sleeping well.....

No idea why but must admit it is both tiring and annoying.  Last night was a bit different, as I went to sleep at my regular time, but was awake by 4am.  The three nights previous I went to bed later, only for me not to sleep.  I am one of these people who if I don't fall to sleep within a few minutes of getting into bed, I toss and turn like crazy.

Dh's eyes are on the mend, but are still not right yet.  Today will be his last day for drops in his eyes so we'll see what happens tomorrow.  At least he doesn't look like something out of a horror movie.

Bathroom is all decorated I just have to put it back together.  I was too tired yesterday to do other than the most basic in there so we could use it.  I want to give it a good spring clean so will tackle that on Monday morning.

We got a call from the carpenter and he is coming on Tuesday of next week to put the new banister and spindles up.  It will be strange to have banisters going up the staircase and landing again.  We haven't had any for the last year or more now!!  Luckily we don't have young kids in the house, as its an accident waiting to happen!

I am going shopping with dd today, not wedding shopping, although we do have one errand to run at a printers to see about printing the wedding invitations.  Just general shopping and a girls day out.  We are going to an outlet mall close to us for a look around.  Poor dh will spend part of the day in the attic getting the rest of the floor down and watching English football on Setanta Sports.

Swagbucks is having it's third birthday party on Monday and is offering an extra 30 swagbucks if you join up at the moment.  You need to use this code: 3rdBirthday138 So all in all when you first sign up you get 80 swagbucks.  All you need is 450 swagbucks to get a $5 Amazon dot com, or dot ca e-card.  In Britain you need 849 (I think) swagbucks to get a 5 Pound Amazon dot UK e-card. 

It's a good time to join up.  If you would like more info just ask, and if you would like to join up, please could you use my referral link, which is:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Appleby

 

Enjoy your Saturday!

Friday am; are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper........

I tend to prepare my posts the night before and have them publish at 1am in the morning. That system works for me and people who follow the blog, know when to pop by and have a read.

However last night I drew a total complete blank as to what to write about, so I figured I would sleep on it and do a post first thing this morning. Didn't come up with much but figured you may be sort of interested in the following.

Yesterday my dad came over to help dh some more in the attic and they accomplished a lot. (I will try and take some photos today) Meanwhile I had two men playing the drums very loudly in my head all day. By 1pm I was about past myself, and to cut a long story short I ended up going to bed just before 2pm.

I told the guys just to get on with things I would sleep through it all. Outside our bedroom door, dh's compressor is plugged in, and if you have a compressor you know what sort of racket it makes when charging, I slept through that. The guys were working directly above me, with the nailing gun, a chop saw and other tools and I slept through it all. I woke up at 3pm, feeling slightly better and they couldn't believe I had been to sleep.

Now on some nights the slightest noise wakes me up and I can't get back to sleep, so how I managed to sleep through that is really surprising, but when I have one of my headaches, I seem to be able to sleep through anything.

Are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Once you are awake in a morning, can you go back to sleep again? I can't and have to get up.

And I thought I was just getting old...........

For the longest time I have been getting really sleepy around 1pm to 2pm. Some days I even go for a nap for an hour and have to say I feel so much better for it. I am a lark, always have been and probably always will be. I am awake by around 6am and am in bed by 9pm. People make fun of us for going to be so early but dh is up for work by 4.40am, so he is pooped by 9pm.

Now after reading these articles I am pleased to say I am normal, not just getting old.

An article from the Toronto Star

"Most mammals sleep for short periods through the day. We have consolidated sleep into one long period, but the biological vestige remains. Our bodies are programmed for two periods of intense sleepiness: from about 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., and in the afternoon, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This midday wave of drowsiness is not due to heat or too many fries at lunch. It arises from an afternoon dormant phase in our physiology, which diminishes our reaction time, memory, co-ordination, mood and alertness. "

Again an article in the Toronto Star

"To determine the best time to nap, it helps to know your "chronotype." What times would you get up and go to sleep if you were entirely free to plan your day? If you're a lark, apt to wake as early as 6 a.m. and go to sleep at night around 9 or 10, you're going to feel your need for a nap in the afternoon around 1 or 1:30 p.m. If you're an owl, preferring to go to bed after midnight or 1 a.m., and to wake around 8 or 9 a.m., your afternoon "sleep gate" will open later in the afternoon, closer to 2:30 or 3 p.m. "

Another article in the Toronto Star

"In designing the optimal nap, you need to grasp its potential components. During sleep, your brain's electrical activity goes through a five-phase cycle:

STAGE 1: FALLING ASLEEP


A short afternoon catnap of 20 minutes yields mostly light sleep, which enhances alertness and concentration, elevates mood and sharpens motor skills. To boost alertness on waking, drink coffee before you nap. The caffeine will kick in just as you're waking. Naps of up to 45 minutes may also include rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which boosts creative thinking and sensory processing.

STAGE 2: LIGHT SLEEP


Limit your nap to 45 minutes or less if you need to spring into action after dozing. Otherwise, you may drift into slow-wave sleep. Waking from this stage results in serious sleep inertia, that feeling of grogginess and disorientation that can last for a half hour or more.

STAGES 3 AND 4: DEEP, SLOW-WAVE SLEEP


But you might want to take a long nap, at least 90 minutes. Many of us get about 1 to 1 1/2 hours less sleep per night than we need. A new study shows that the sleep-deprived brain toggles between normal activity and complete lapses, or failures – a dangerous state of slowed responses and foggy inattention. Sound familiar?

REM: DREAMING STAGE


Naps of 90 to 120 minutes usually comprise all stages, including REM and deep slow-wave sleep, which helps to clear your mind, improve memory recall and recoup lost sleep. Longer naps in the morning yield more REM sleep, while those in the afternoon offer more slow-wave sleep."