A study suggested that 7, not 8 hours of sleep, is optimal. Less than that, for most people, is suboptimal.
I know Dustbury sometimes has trouble going to sleep. He once wrote: “For some reason, around 10 pm, when I should be shutting down the brain for the night, I seem to start new projects. It’s almost like I’m daring insomnia to descend upon me. Somehow this seems counterproductive.”
Probably true; most of those advice columns suggest getting away from the TV, computer, or electronic device of your choice 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Almost never happens with me.
I got this from SOMEWHERE:
If, as researchers report, people with insomnia could not turn off a “mind wandering” region of the brain irrelevant to tasks of working memory, then is it possible that this mind wandering function in the sleep deprived person is 1. A compensatory “dream while awake” mechanism; and 2. A possible compensatory strength in cognitive fluidity and creativity? Are some tasks better approached on a full night’s sleep, while others on vapors? And can you surmise on what basis this is written?
So, it’s 3:30 a.m., and I’m looking through ideas for blog posts that I never used. Or maybe I DID use them and forgot. It’s 3:30 – too tired to check!
Did I use this? Religious People Tend to Be More Racist, Study Finds. This is TOTALLY believable, unfortunately. (And when it’s really early in the morning, I tend to repeat myself. Such as the use of the word TOTALLY. I’d not allow that when I’m wide awake!)
I need to rant about how stupid changing the clocks is, I believe, but too tired for that.
You meant to write, “I’d not allow that when I’m TOTALLY wide awake!” There, I fixed it for you.
Seriously, there’s also an issue I think is related, the whole “early bird” v. “Night owl” thing. Some people thrive late into the night and sleep later, while others go to bed early and get up with the birds. Sleep problems will happen when people try to blend their nature with requirements of daily life, like, for example, night owls who stay up late and get up early (because they have to), thus risking being chronically sleep-deprived. This isn’t the case with everyone with sleep problems, obviously, but I bet it affects far more people than we realise.
I heard there are rumors of adopting Daylight Savings Time as our standard time model. Maybe that will help?! 🙂 I just have a glass of red wine in the evening…….I’m good for about 6-7 hours of sleep!
Lisa- wine is definitely a thought. And I’d be in favor of permanent DST!
If we must have DST at all, let it be forever. No more semiannual periods of adjustment.
Ha I most certainly can relate with this one here….I usually blame my insomnia on my old work habits that I once had.