Going to Bed Early

I know I’ve said this before but I for most of my life I have been a night owl, coming alive at night and struggling to get up in the morning.

Menopause has made it easier to get up in the morning given I am currently waking naturally at four regardless of the sleep I have (or as is more likely, have not) got the night before.

Over our holiday, I just went with the flow. I went to bed when everyone else did, and when we had finished seeing friends or family.

My sleep was atrocious on holiday!

I’m never good away from my own bed and familiar surroundings, but this was woeful.

Since being back, I have been trying to go to bed around nine, which is neither as simple or as easy as it sounds.

Yesterday I had got up at four (having not been asleep AT ALL), working in the living room on my computer until seven, when I went for an hour long walk in the woods with my mum and Harvey. I then spent the day cooking, baking and painting…y’know, busy.

At eight I went for a bath. I am currently listening to Babel by RF Kuang. It is really good, if a little disturbing. I listen to it whilst bathing and then whilst rocking on my rocking chair in the bathroom whilst cooling off, enjoying an ice lolly.

By nine, I was in bed. On holiday, I started listening to audio books at bedtime for half an hour. It means I don’t have to listen to the nonsense which tends to go on in my head at nighttime, preventing sleep. I put a timer on and it automatically turns off.

As I sat in bed last night, I reeled off everything I had done that day to Gary, my long suffering husband. I ended the tirade with an exclamation of, “…so you’d think I’d be, I dunno, slightly tired! but noooo, I feel ready to start the day all over again!”

I forced myself to tuck down, hoping that Babel might have a soporific effect. However, I wasn’t hopeful I’d be getting to sleep anytime soon.

This was incorrect, as it happened.

I reckon I was asleep by eleven. And I didn’t wake until four.

Yes, it took me two hours to get to sleep, but by going to bed at nine, I was still asleep by eleven and then slept for five hours (A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!). On holiday, I’d been going to bed closer to midnight, still not falling asleep for two or three hours and then waking at four.

It struck me that possibly heading to bed early is one way of conquering crippling insomnia, regardless of whether I feel tired or not.

As I sit here writing this, it is 5.26 am and I am about to head out to walk the dog. It is pouring with rain outside. I am oscillating between enjoying the sound of pitter patter and the smell of the rain (I love the smell of rain) and trying to put off walking so that I don’t get soaking wet!

I shall force myself though, because I have seven stubborn pounds to re-lose. Darn it!

Have a great day, everyone!