Americans don't spend a lot of time with their eyes closed. In the last four or five years I fell in love. Even that description is too weak for what I experienced. In love, in love, hopelessly in love: these synonyms come a little closer, but they still miss the mark. This demigod I adore usually comes right after lunch. Wordlessly, as in Sandburg's "Nebel," she arrives with "little cat feet," gently takes my hand in hers, leads me over to my lazy son, and snuggles next to me under a light blanket. He kisses my closed eyes, eases my breathing, pushes me back against the pillows and with his grace, if only for a moment, steals my worries and my obligations. I'm talking about my afternoon nap, of course. Very early in my life I took daily afternoon naps, but then I was a little boy and I don't remember those naps, no doubt enjoyed by my mother. For the rest of my life, it was as rare as a May blizzard in Carolina to disappear between dawn and dusk. On the few occasions I've indulged, I've woken up wishing Americans everywhere would practice napping, as sleep sharing seems to turn one day into two. Only in recent years, when my work has stopped a lot but is now completed according to my schedule, have I allowed myself a regular afternoon nap. Unlike some seniors I know who sleep an hour or more, I find that half an hour on the Lazy-Boy clears my fuzzy mind like an eraser on a whiteboard. I wake up with renewed spirit and energy; In fact, I started those very words minutes after pulling back the sheets. When I was young, between the ages of 10 and 65, my sleeping habits weren't the best. I slept between five and six hours most nights, and I can count the number of times I've slept past 10am on one hand. like an adult. Waking up late always made me feel like I'd wasted half the day. In the words of the immortal John Wayne, I was "burning the light of day". Even today, I usually go to the hay about an hour before midnight and get up at dawn. I'm not alone. A Gallup poll found that "in the US, 40% sleep less than recommended." Interestingly, the same survey shows that Americans in 1942, who were in the middle of World War II, slept a lot more than they do today. Experts list several causes of our lack of sleep, from the hectic pace of many of our jobs and duties to the excessive use of caffeinated beverages. Recently, studies have shown that screen time (phones and laptops) before bed can also keep us awake, feed our brains with information, and stimulate our emotions. Social media in particular can affect our young people, driving them to click on their devices until the wee hours of the morning. This lack of sleep has consequences. It makes us less perceptive, more forgetful, more prone to car accidents, and tends to make us fall asleep during Aunt Mathilda's slideshow of her trip to Canada 30 years ago. (Okay, we could pass out on eight hours of sleep.) Inadequate sleep can also make us cranky and moody, which may explain why Americans so easily anger our political opponents these days. A little more time with your head on the pillow might bring some peace to our uncivilized society. Anyway, the old maxim applies here: "Do as I say, not as I do." For over 50 years, I now know that I wandered sleeplessly through many hours of daylight, accomplished much, but also sometimes lost myself in the fog. I'm obviously a slow learner. They don't have to be the same. Hug those sheets and get some sleep.
udumbara
June 12, 2022 - 5:38 amUpdated: Jun 12, 2022 - 5:40 am
Americans don't spend a lot of time with their eyes closed.
In the last four or five years I fell in love. Even that description is too weak for what I experienced. In love, in love, hopelessly in love: these synonyms come a little closer, but they still miss the mark.
This demigod I adore usually arrives right after lunch. Wordlessly, as in Sandburg's "Nebel," she arrives with "little cat feet," gently takes my hand in hers, leads me over to my lazy son, and snuggles next to me under a light blanket. He closes my eyes with a kiss, eases my breathing, hugs me against the pillows and with his grace, however brief, steals my worries and my obligations.
I'm talking about my afternoon nap, of course.
I used to take daily afternoon naps long before my life, but then I was a kid and I don't remember those naps, which my mother undoubtedly appreciated gratefully. For the rest of my life, it was as rare as a May blizzard in Carolina to disappear between dawn and dusk. The few times I've allowed myself to, I've woken up wishing Americans everywhere would adopt the habit of napping, as that splitting of sleep seems to turn one day into two.
Only in later years, when my work was still plentiful but now I did it on my own schedule, did I allow myself regular naps. Unlike some seniors I know who sleep an hour or more, I find that half an hour on the Lazy-Boy clears my fuzzy mind like an eraser on a whiteboard. I wake up with renewed spirit and energy; In fact, I started those very words minutes after pulling back the sheets.
In my youth, between ages 10 and 65, my sleep habits weren't the best. I slept between five and six hours most nights, and I can count the number of times I've slept past 10am on one hand. like an adult. Waking up late always made me feel like I'd wasted half the day. In the words of the immortal John Wayne, I was "burning the light of day". Even today, I usually go to the hay about an hour before midnight and get up at dawn.
I'm not alone. A Gallup poll found that "in the US, 40% sleep less than recommended." Interestingly, the same survey shows that Americans in 1942, who were in the middle of World War II, slept a lot more than they do today.
Experts list several causes for our citizens' lack of sleep, from the restlessness that many of our jobs and responsibilities require to excessive consumption of caffeinated beverages. Recently, studies have shown that screen time (phones and laptops) before bed can also keep us awake, feed our brains with information, and stimulate our emotions. Social media in particular can affect our young people and keep them clicking on their devices until the wee hours of the morning.
This lack of sleep has consequences. It makes us less perceptive, more forgetful, more prone to car accidents, and tends to lull us to sleep over Aunt Mathilda's slideshow of her trip to Canada 30 years ago. (Okay, we could pass out on eight hours of sleep.) Inadequate sleep can also make us cranky and moody, which may explain why Americans so easily anger our political opponents these days. A little more time with your head on the pillow might bring some peace to our uncivilized society.
Anyway, the old maxim applies here: "Do as I say, not as I do." For over 50 years, I now know that I wandered sleeplessly through many hours of daylight, accomplished much, but also sometimes lost myself in the fog. I'm obviously a slow learner.
You don't have to be the same.
Hug those sheets and get some sleep.