Like a Log

Sleep is an important and wonderful "thing". I am thankful for it. Ironically... as a child you can't wait until you are grown up so that you can stay up late. Late was around 9 PM in my childhood world.  Then when you are older... or old...  trying to stay awake until 9 PM may be a difficult goal to attain.  I rarely make it until then. Some say that "9 PM is the new midnight" or "the older I get, the earlier it gets late." Have you noticed that sleep is a popular topic?

"Hit the Hay."

"Catch some Z's."

Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Sweet dreams."

"Call it a day."

"Slept like a log."

Do sleep phrases run in families?  There certainly are a lot of ways to talk about it.

Another thing I've noticed is that people sleep differently. Some are night owls. Others, not so much.  I usually crash early and fall asleep within minutes without even thinking about it.  It happens rarely, but ...  if I wake up in the middle of the night and fall back asleep, I have weird dreams that I often do not want to remember or even think about.  Mostly though, since I go to bed earlyish, I just get up when I wake up at 3 or 4.  The predawn hours are peaceful, quiet and, being an almost morning person, I often work on a blog or do desk work.  If, for some reason, I do sleep in to a "normal" time, I feel like half the day is gone and everything feels off. I am behind before I even begin. My son jokes that people of my generation can get an entire day's work done before 8 AM.  The thing is -- I am starting to see this wake up early tendency in both my kids and they are not even 50 yet. Is it hereditary?

Is it true that a person needs less sleep as they get older? Personally I think that is a myth.  Are naps a good thing? Why do "they" call some naps "power naps"? Personally I wish I could nap more.  Nothing quite like waking up from a rare nap and wondering what day it is. 

One last sleep related idea -- I personally think that sleep will always be an interesting topic to contemplate -- and to talk and write about.  Every single human being sleeps... every single one.