OOB

OOB.  Medical jargon.  An abbreviation for Out of Bed, understood by every nurse that a patient needs to be mobilized daily.  Sometimes the doctor specifies frequency or duration but usually that gets determined by nursing protocols, individual judgment, or competing demands on things the nurse must do that shift.  The core message, however, is that person would be harmed by excessive bed time.

I've added that notation to my weekly agenda and daily tasks.  It has a tacit intention.  Bed needs to be restricted to pre-determined sleep hours, one of the core principles of standard sleep hygiene intended to enhance daytime energy.  So OOB starts on arising, which has a set hour, and concludes at a slightly flexible time at night.

My adherence has not been bad, though not entirely complete, as I often like to watch Curiosity Stream or read a book while lying in bed.  Nor is OOB quite the same as stay upright or do not drift off to sleep outside of specified times.  The recliner in My Space often finds me dozing off while watching something on my flat screen.

Still, better regulation of sleep has made some progress as I impose rules that are not so demanding as to invite rejection.  And I do feel better than I did last year.