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Monday, August 23, 2021

It's Not Quite Daylight

After months or more of sleep disturbance, middle of night awakening multiple times, it's been a very favorable summer.  My study and implementation has brought regular sleep times, an air-conditioned room, a new pillow, and periodic tracking of pattern.  My sources suggest I likely only have a variant of normal commonly encountered in seniors.  And I feel notably more energetic.  My wrist alarm buzzes each morning at 6:30, and I heed its signal.  What has changed this week is the light through the windows when I arise.  I depend on the distinction between day and night to get me going.  These past two days have encountered a very dark gray, not at all the light that resets my internal clock.  Perhaps overcast weather, perhaps shortened daytimes though we are still about a month away from the equinox.

It has not changed my commitment to my wrist alarm.  I still feel good in the morning, ready to go make coffee.  And I have plenty of artificial light to guide me.  But I wonder if the gains I made in sleep hygiene this spring and summer might encounter a setback as we get closer to seasonal clock adjustment.



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