Sleeping Twice

Sleep improvement with better daytime restfulness has challenged me for a while.  I know there were benefits to accrue with more daytime energy and a willingness on my part to do what I could to bring that about.  Retirement has enabled better attention to this, though it could have added to my function at work too.  I've been exercising, grading myself to a proper type and amount with more success than I've enjoyed in decades.  

While exercise is something I might make excuses to avoid, sleep has more of an allure of the now with payoff later.  I want to sleep well and have no barriers for avoiding it.  Optimal sleep hygiene principles are readily accessible from many sources.  Unlike exercise, which for me requires a reward incentive, the behavioral changes for better sleep seem minor, mainly avoiding the bedroom for activities that can be done someplace else.  Other than reading in bed, which I could eliminate now that I've captured two good lounge chairs, I've accomplished that.

Yet sleep depends on cycles that I don't control very well.  Getting up at a fixed time can be committed with an alarm clock, going to bed at a fixed time can be enforced with a light switch.  Being asleep from lights out to alarm on and not beyond does not automatically incur from best intents.  Physiologic cycles don't adapt very well to clocks.

Despite the challenges, I've done well, nearly 100% on the arising time without the use of a device, less well on lights out times or smart phone deprivation times, but not as well at actually being asleep.  

I bought a watch with a sleep tracker module that has some tabulating mechanism that I don't understand other than to figure out its inaccuracy.  I'm frequently not tired at the assigned lights out time, or even the somewhat later smart phone off time.  In keeping with principles of sleep hygiene, I go to another room.  Food is off limits from 8PM to 6AM for another reason, but it has also helped eliminate getting up due to heartburn.  And there is nocturia once nightly, for which I am unwilling to resume a medicine that on two attempts made me dizzy.  But generally I have no trouble returning to sleep following the interruption.

Last night brought something different, maybe even of more concern.  In effect, I slept two half nights instead of one whole night.  At about the midpoint I suddenly found myself wide awake, a little achy as well.  It was not a bladder awakening but I took advantage of being up, taking a naproxen tablet for the achiness, and returning to bed with an empty bladder.  Still awake though, but I do not know for how much longer.  Since I've not needed an alarm clock and the usual wake time was just over two hours later, it remained lights out and under blanket.  I did awake, though an hour later than usual to glance at the clock, followed by a mostly involuntary final sleep cycle for another hour, when I figured I better get on with the day, two hours later than my usual daily starting time.

In effect, those natural sleep cycles of 60-90 minutes divided into two half night's sleep instead of one whole one.  After some feeling of teeter with morning hygiene, I feel well now though my daily activities are time shifted by two hours.