Sunday, October 4, 2015

31 Days - Day Two

Ah, the joys of being a Grandma....until those days when you haven't slept but 4 hours.  Don't you hate not sleeping?  Tossing and turning until the clock says 12:30 am, 2:00, 3:30, and then finally 4:00?

What in the world has happened to my sleep patterns?  When I was a young woman, very young, I could go to sleep at nine or ten at night and sleep straight through twelve hours of time.  Oh, for those days!  Now I'm lucky if I get seven hours, that constitutes an entire night for me now.  Granted, I am a night owl.  Seldom do I sleep before 1:00 am.  But then I can sleep until 7:30 or 8:00 easily.  I used to think I would never be one of those people who can't sleep, or don't require as much sleep.  But here I am.



So, what does that have to do with being a Grandma you might ask?  Well, for one thing, this phenomenon seems to happen as we get older.  And from what I have been able to ascertain, scientists aren't quite sure why we need less sleep as we age.  And those years are creeping up on me.  Granted, I'm not sixty yet (only one year to go), but as the old saying goes, sometimes I feel much older.  Also, my grandchildren know when I'm tired.  Grandma gets 'grumpy' sometimes.  Yes, they can tell, as much as I try to stay joyful around them.  It might be that I'm just quieter, or I don't smile as much, or I'm not as physically active.

What is the solution?  I've come across a few.  Chamomile tea helps a little to get me to sleep.  A good foot soak with magnesium salts does a lot of good, or a bath is better.  The magnesium helps you calm and get to sleep and continues in your bloodstream to help you stay asleep.  It seems the pores in your feet are larger than most of the rest of your body, so the magnesium can be absorbed by the body easier. Also, computer use late at night, will ensure I'm up for hours longer.  So, cutting off the screen about nine, no playing on the IPhone, and turning the tv off helps.  I do read on my Kindle.  I don't have a white screen, but a grey screen and it doesn't seem to bother me as much.  Last but not least, is prayer.  I can start praying and usually fall asleep praying.  I heard years ago that if you fall asleep praying, your guardian angel finishes your prayers for you.  That's a comforting thought.  But something about praying helps calm me.  It works wonders.

I hope these tips help.  I know many of you are younger Mom's, but these tips will help anyone, so you might try them out on those nights when your energy isn't winding down with your mind.

Until next time.

No comments:

Post a Comment