Unfortunately, there is nothing that keeps me up at night. I try my darndest to stay awake, but just can’t do it. I am asleep by 8:30PM, sometimes earlier. I have no need to count sheep.
I am a child of the 50s. Television was new then and people would watch it on nine or twelve-inch screens. I got into the habit of watching TV every evening at that time. Now, I look forward to watching PBS shows such as All Creatures Great and Small, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, and Finding Your Roots with Henry Gates. Antiques Roadshow is another favorite. I love mysteries and look forward to watching Midsomer Murders, Death in Paradise or Shakespeare and Hathaway and Vera on our local PBS station Saturday nights. Sadly, I don’t know the endings. I always fall asleep no matter what I do to stay awake. The “sleepy man” is not my friend.
Sometimes, I take a nap in the afternoon thinking it will make me less sleepy at night. I often drink a cup of coffee around 7PM and later I eat an apple which is supposed to work like caffeine. The crunch of an apple is also supposed to wake one up. I avoid foods high in tryptophane such as turkey, meat, salmon, eggs and milk for dinner. I have never had a glass of warm milk before bed. Warm milk does not appeal to me. No chamomile tea either. I leave the bright, overhead lights on in my bedroom. B complex vitamins are supposed to increase energy and stamina. I take a B6 pill each day and I am on B12 injections for my pernicious anemia. They don’t seem to do much for my nighttime energy or stamina. Even having the TV on loudly does not keep me awake. I don’t dare read a book. I wish the “sleepy man” away and I even say a prayer that I stay awake “to watch my shows”. Nothing works.
When I was in college, I was a night owl. I could work on a term paper all day long, but I did my best writing and most of the typing between 1 and 3 in the morning. My first job was working the evening shift. Then, I graduated from college and started working as a hospital nurse which required getting to work early in the morning. I still could stay out late to party and get to work the next day. I am not sure why my sleeping habits have changed. Is it because I am getting older?
I do go to bed to watch TV at night because falling to sleep in my lazy boy is not fun. I hate to wake up and then have to get ready for bed. A warm shower and being cozy in bed do not help me stay awake, I know.
It is said that a person sleeps 25 years in their lifetime. I think I must sleep more than that.
The good thing about today’s TV is that there is Spectrum channel 100 or “On Demand”. Most of my favorite shows are available here during the day. Also, I have set the TV to go off automatically at 11:00.
Apparently, falling asleep early is not a common problem because I could not find any quotes on the internet about it. There were a few quotes about falling asleep while driving. I avoid going out at night.
To quote a favorite poem “To all a good night.”