Sleep
My sporadic—and sometimes
insufficient—sleeping habits of recent days
have given me food for thought about the nature of
sleep and the diversity of people's need for it.
Different people require different amounts (and
patterns) of sleep. Some can function on just a few
hours, others cannot get through their day without
a full night of sleep.
I consider myself fortunate to be flexible in
this regard. Though I enjoy getting as much sleep
as possible, I often get by with much less than I'd
prefer. Today, for instance, I'm operating on four
hours' sleep, having stayed up late to complete
some freelance work. Though I tend to feel the
crash in early afternoon when I deprive myself
thusly, I strangely find it easier to wake up after
5-6 hours of sleep than after 7-8 hours. Often,
while underway in the Navy, I would work a
six-hours-on, six-hours-off shift, which did not
allow more than five hours' sleep at any given
time. Such a schedule takes its toll after awhile,
and I generally need to crash for 9-10 hours to
recover after several nights of such insufficient
sleep. However, while it may not be healthy in the
long run, such an ability to get by on less sleep
has been a useful way to increase my productivity
(though, admittedly, such deprivation is not always
tied to productivity).
My flexibility extends to the pattern as well as
the duration of my sleep. I seem to naturally do
best on a schedule which keeps me up late and
allows me to sleep in. However, I have lately had
to report to work early in the morning on a daily
basis. My second job, too, has required me to work
all hours of the day and night. Two days ago, my
start time was 4:30 a.m. A week before that, I
reported to work at 10:30 p.m. As with the amount
of sleep I get, I would also prefer a more normal
pattern of sleep, but I am thankful for the ability
to adapt my needs to the particular day's
requirements.
During the two months I spent with my uncle Jack
down in Puerto Rico (many years ago), I got as
close as I'll probably ever get to a European sleep
schedule. We'd knock off work at noon each day,
come home for lunch, and then take a one-hour
siesta. It felt wonderful. I can't think of a more
healthy sleep habit than taking a nap in the middle
of the day. I wish our too-fast-paced society would
realize the wisdom in a slower way of life. We'd
all be happier and healthier.
For now, however, I'll have to fit in sleep
whenever I can, after everything else is done. Like
right now. At least this is one day that allows me
time for a nap.
Development note: I've
noticed that this site doesn't look like it should
in Netscape Navigator. Rather than waste time
jury-rigging it to look right in a
soon-to-be-obsolete browser, I'll just add the
cliché "This site best viewed with Internet
Explorer."
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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What is "The Daily Strick"?
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myself a writer, but too often I don't do
what a writer must do daily: write. So
you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of
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worthwhile material this year. Hopefully
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4/6:
Writing,
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4/5:
Sci-Files
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4/4:
Sobering
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4/3:
Great
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4/2:
Entropy
4/1:
Peace
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