Chris and I used to often go late night shopping and we couldn’t help but notice the amount of people up at past 10pm. Children, I also mean pajama clad toddlers, often being pulled along by impatient adults or sitting half asleep in shopping trolleys.
People are working longer hours to cater for late night shopping and families are having to accommodate this, often suffering from lack of quality family time together. The world certainly is spinning fast with little regard to the importance of getting adequate sleep.
Our bodies were created for rest. Our children need their sleep to grow properly and to process all their new experiences and learning during the day. We are now told that teenagers need just as much sleep as their younger siblings. If healthy teens and children need adequate sleep to function properly, how much more those of us who suffer from chronic illness and pain? Surely it is most important for us to rest and to try to schedule in more sleep!
When I was seeing my rheumatologist for lupus/fibromyalgia problems, she told me that it is not an old-wives' tale that the hours of sleep prior to midnight are the most refreshing. Apparently, an hours' sleep prior to midnight is equal to 2 after. This goes on our circadian rhythm. She advised me to be asleep by 10pm at the latest every night and to make bedtime a regular time- and getting up.
We know that a lot of chronic illness and certainly chronic pain can result in lack of good quality sleep, so it is even more important that we try to regulate sleeping in order to work with and not against, circadian rhythm. So do as I now do, and plan a regular time for retiring each night and work out a routine that tells your body that it's time for lights out!
If your children are not used to having a nightly ritual or routine, may I suggest starting one? It may be difficult to initiate, but it would be well worth it. With the household quiet of an evening, it would be more conducive to strengthening your marriage and allowing for more togetherness. This would benefit everyone.
© Glenys Robyn Hicks
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Proverbs 3:24
Here was your reply :)
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting, Clara! I usually try to get 9 hours sleep: I didn't know that it is best to have about 8 hours as longer can do your body harm. I usually wake feeling like you said: very sluggish. Maybe I should try myself on 8 hours sleep and see if it makes a difference. I just can't be up as late as I used to anymore. And please continue to comment at length. That's how we get to "know" each other. Illness can be quite isolating and I enjoy a good yack! Blessings!
Glenys - I love comments on my blog and know I would be upset to accidentally delete them, so I will send you the comments again (I subscribe to the comments ;), so I have a good record of them):
ReplyDeleteI know of a family where the children used to go to bed at 11pm or later - when the children were toddlers even! When I would visit, the children would set to whining at about 9pm (or earlier), but the parents were determined their children would stay up until they went to bed themselves as this suited their lifestyle! I also had a toddler at the time, and they thought it was rather odd that my toddler went to bed at 6pm and woke about 7am (their children woke around 10am I think).
Well after some years of that beahviour, their son developed a syndrome where he would have seizures - and one of the things that led to that illness (and consequentially drugs for years to control the seizures) was the bad sleeping habits!
I've always been a believer in good long hours of sleep for my children. They now (at age 4-6) go to bed 7-7:30pm, and then my husband and I get time together until we go to bed at 11pm. The children wake between 7-8am well rested, and we wake between 6:30-7:30am well rested also (although... do you EVER feel well rested with CFS??? But at least I dont feel as terrible as I would if I stayed up really late every night!!)
I totally agree with you, and I too have read emphasis on sleep prior to midnight. My husband and I are night owls (and my husband HATES mornings. I don't mind them although it's become harder to get up since developing CFS), and he hates going to bed too early - he used to stay up until 12 or 1am all the time - our best compromise was 11pm :)
I have read quite a bit of research lately that suggests that an adult needs between 7-8 hours sleep and any more than that is not good for the body. I find I feel most "refreshed" after about 7.5 hours sleep, and if I sleep hours longer than that I get into this dopey drugged feeling where I can barely drag my feet out of bed. So I guess it works well for me to get 7-8 hours sleep!!
Sorry this is so long... it's interesting to discuss this with someone who agrees that sleep is a good thing!
I think something interesting to remember is that in past eras, people went to bed soon after the sun went down, and they rose with or just before the sun... how many hours is that? (I realise that depends a bit with the seasons) At the moment that would mean going to bed around 7pm and waking about 6am, I guess. That is a LOT more sleep than most of us get!
Then again, if you read Prov 31, it says that she rises before the sun "while it is yet night", and her candle doesn't go out at all through the night. I've read that some think she works with her hands at nights, but I'm not sure. I don't know what the customs of the day were for the time for bed - do you? Surely she couldn't possibly do SO much in her life on very little sleep? I would imagine she was well rested to be able to get all those wonderful things done!
I would be interested to know if you find a little less sleep helps you feel less sluggish in the morning too - can you let me know when you try it?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking more on the amount of sleep people got in past eras, and although they might have gone to sleep with the sun, and woken with it (this adds up to more hours at least part of the year than what most adults get today), they probably needed that sleep because their lives were far more *physically* taxing than life is for most people today... Washing clothes by hand, creating a lot of foods and things from scratch etc I think expended more energy physically. Today a lot of what tires us is intellectual and emotional, and perhaps that is why our bodies require less sleep??? Just a thought...
Your P.S.:
ReplyDeletePS I know the Proverbs 31 woman worked hard but I think she did get adequate rest. Going on what scriptures say about God giving His beloved rest and "she girdeth her arms with strength" I would say that she looked after her health. But I don't think she over slept. Although she had a full day, I believe she did a lot of these wonderful things over her life time, not necessarily at the same season of her life. Interesting ponderings, heh? Blessings!
Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I had to have a laugh at your parenthesis "(We can live in hope!)" You know, in this time since I got CFS, I've tried SO many different things to try to control symptoms or see if a new test will come back giving a good reason for the tiredness etc... and every time I say just that to my husband: "We/I can live in hope!" :) :) I think when we have chronic illnesses we have to "live in hope" - it helps us through our struggles! :) God bless you and I'm hoping you find the sleep thing helps you as it does me! ((hugs))
oh - and one other thing I meant to say to you: since we started trying to strictly sleep 7-8 hours, I've found (a few days later) that I've started waking up on my own accord somewhere between the 7-8 hour mark without even needing an alarm! That hasn't happened for me in YEARS!
ReplyDeleteAnd one last thing (I think!?!) is that the research regarding sleep says if you wake up after between 7-8 hours sleep, even if your alarm hasn't gone off, DON'T go back to sleep - you WILL feel worse when you wake the second time.
I have also found that to be true for myself. Just thought I'd pass that on! :)
Your reply:
ReplyDeleteOK, Clara... I will start sleeping for 8 instead of 9 hours tonight. I will give you my "report" Monday morning. You could very well be on to something that may just change my life around! (We can live in hope! )
I think that amount of time should give us an idea. Anyone else interested in trying to sleep just 8 hours and reporting to us would be great too! BTW, I don't think anyone with CFS/fibro etc really feels refreshed after sleep. But we can give an account of the degree of sluggishness can't we? Blessings! I might write a post over at Sacrificial HomeKeepers if we find an appreciable difference in energy levels...