I'd like to share a brief bedtime story -- actually, it's a story about a character in a bedtime story. It's about one of Dr. Seuss's enigmatic little creatures, the Chippendale Mupp, who is featured in his classic "Sleep Book." The Mupp is a sharp-toothed furry fellow with an impossibly long tail. As a part of his bedtime routine, this weird little beast bites down hard on the end of its own tail.
His tail is so long, he won't feel any pain, 'Til the nip makes the trip and gets up to his brain. In exactly eight hours, The Chippendale Mupp Will, at last, feel the bite and yell, "Ouch!" and wake up.
What a revealing parable about the alarm clock as a self-inflicted pain in the rear! Even more so, this is a story that calls our attention to the subtle intentions we bring to bed with us.
A National Sleep Foundation poll found that slightly more than half of all adults felt they "needed" an alarm clock to get up in the morning. Nearly 70 percent of young adults aged 18 - 29 felt this way. I think of such routine dependence on alarm clocks as a serious and as of yet unrecognized sleep disorder -- "Bedtime Tail-Biting Behavior."
It's been said there is no hope for a civilization that starts each day to the sound of an alarm clock. Though this may be overstated, it's clear that the alarm clock is a ubiquitous symbol of our cultural regimentation and widespread devaluation of sleep. Awakening to an alarm all but guarantees that our sleep will be artificially truncated, predisposing us to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. If you routinely wake up with an alarm clock, you are never getting your full allotment of sleep. Would we consider setting a timer to artificially limit dinner or love-making? The alarm goes off and -- ready or not -- you're done.
I believe that Bedtime Tail-Biting Behavior is associated with an even deeper psychological dysfunction -- that of getting down on the wrong side of the bed. The wrong side of the bed is the one with all of that waking world paraphernalia next to it. It's the side of the bed adjacent to the nightstand displaying a digital clock and lamps and phones and other things that tether us to the waking world. It's the side of the bed you're on when you set your alarm clock and your attention is drawn away from tonight's sleep and toward tomorrow's rendezvous with waking.
When we get into bed, too often our intention is not so much directed at going go to sleep, but going through sleep to the next morning's awakening. Most of the thousands of folks I've informally polled over the years admit that when they slip under the covers and close their eyes, they do not set their sights on a descent into the sea of sleep. Instead, preoccupied with thoughts about the next day, they snorkel their way across to the shoreline of tomorrow morning's awakening.
We've lost our regard for and bearings around sleep. For too many, ongoing nightly skirmishes with insomnia have left them inured to sleep's wonder. Others are distracted by the seduction of waking life and have forgotten how incredibly sweet and rejuvenating a good night's sleep can be. Too many of us just close our eyes and hope for the best.
Think about where you go when you go to sleep. As you slip into bed and pull the covers up, what occupies your thoughts? What are your intentions in those moments? And what happens to you -- to your sense of self? These are important yet rarely considered questions that define our basic relationship with and personal experience of sleep.
How can we get up on the right side of the bed and break the nasty habit of Bedtime Tail-Biting Behavior? First, plan to pay off any sleep debt you might be carrying and resolve to routinely get to bed early enough so that you'll obtain sufficient sleep. Doing so could eliminate or significantly reduce your dependence on the alarm clock. If you still feel you need to routinely set an alarm, consider some of the newer and gentler alternatives such as dawn simulators that awaken you gradually with increasing light.
Second, practice a mindful approach to sleep. When you slip into bed, focus on the treasure of tonight's sleep, not tomorrow's waking. Instead of thinking about what you will do in the morning, surrender to the mystery of the present night, enjoying your swim in the sea of sleep with its wondrous dream fish. Instead of awakening in the morning to an alarming "ouch!" -- practice coming to gently and gradually, intentionally carrying the serenity of sleep and the enchantment of dreams with you into your new waking day.
Follow Rubin Naiman, Ph.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drnaiman
Rubin Naiman, Ph.D.: Ending The War Against Insomnia: A Non-Violent Approach To Sleep
Stop the Snooze Button Addiction
Getting Your Child Back Into The Routine Of Things
The Great Wake-Up Program: How Many Times Do You Wake Up At Night?
Which alarm clock is best? - By Dan Crane - Slate Magazine
Let Sleep Work for You | National Sleep Foundation - Information ...
Lack of sleep Americas top health problem, doctors say - CNN
Lack of sleep is killing us | The Newark Advocate | NewarkAdvocate.com
~ Benjamin Franklin
My point is that sleep is controlled by what time you wake up. Few people get this, and it took me years to realize it. Your wake up time determines your "feeling tired" time.
So, when you switch shifts, for 2 days you won't really sleep. You'll "pass out" like a drunk, but not get REM sleep and never feel rested. By the third day you should actually start to feel rested when waking up, and hungry at your new times when you eat. When I can order Jalapeno poppers on my way into work at 11PM and eat them at 1AM and not get stomach problems, then I know I've adapted to graveyard shift. Befoer that, not adapted yet and can't stomach much other than yogurt.
I've read fiber helps adapt faster to new time changes. Can't prove that one, but fibre does help with the constipation from changing shifts. Changing shifts shortens your life. It's a huge price to pay. Try to avoid it.
1. Go out on the road and work from sometime around 8:00 PM - 7:00 AM.
2. Come home for a week and go back on a normal schedule.
3. Repeat.
There are nearly-worthless apps that try to do this, based on your movement in bed, but that's highly prone to error. Actual brain-wave analysis is the only way to do it, and a consumer version won't be far away.
Considering I'm usually driving at that time, I think you can see the danger of that suggestion.
And, although I use an alarm, I have an alternative with 4 legs, a lot of love, and claws. Usually starts in 30 minutes before the alarm.
Also, if you're having chronic sleep problems, look for some obvious stuff. Noise. We don't live in a silent world, it runs 24/7, so does the traffic. Television. If you've got one in the bedroom, make the bad thing go away.
Rest well, pleasant dreams, don't bite your tail, your nails, or anything else.
The bad part is, normally I'm not able to get to sleep until 3-4 in the morning. I live in (unfortunately for now) a fairly urban area, and as I'm a light sleeper, the traffic/construction on my street and my pain in the ass neighbor upstairs who decides that seven in the morning is a GREAT time to turn the bass on his stereo up to full volume gets me up earlier than I'd like most days. I'm working on maybe 5 hours of sleep a day. I could do this easily when I was younger, but now, it's killing me.
I'm glad you like your roosters, I'm not hating. Just wanted to get that off my chest. I'll feel better until they start up again in a few minutes :/