Sleep Deprived
Posted Tue, 11/25/08
I used to be able to write into the night and still get up early in the morning. Those days are apparently gone. As I've grown older, I've noticed I can no longer pull an all-night writing session without sleeping late the next day. I find this irritating, naturally, so I've taken to setting my alarm each time I go to bed. I make sure to place the alarm clock across the room so I have to actually get out of bed to shut it off.
I sleep so deeply nowadays that I can sometimes remain comatose through ten minutes of a blaring alarm. By the time I come to Kiki is glaze-eyed with shock, the beeping sounds of the alarm fraying her already rattled nerves. I normally get up, slap the snooze button on the clock, and fall back into bed. I repeat this scenario several times before I finally force myself up and out once and for all.
How does the time pass so quickly in between snooze alarms? It seems like seconds rather than ten minutes. I've also noticed that I can fall asleep at the drop of the hat. A few months ago I was watching the television news, lying on my side in bed with my head propped up by the palm of my left hand. Before I knew it I was cat-napping in that position. I've done the same thing many times since. Not only is the nap-lapse odd for me, but it's damned uncomfortable because my hand and wrist typically fall asleep in the process.
Drinking gobs of coffee and tea does not alter my sleep patterns, either. I can drink a full pot of coffee and fall asleep as quickly as if I hadn't had a drop.
Perhaps it is the many years of all-night writing that is finally catching up to me, or maybe my internal body works are simply sliding into middle age.
C'est la vie.
