Tag: sleeping

A third of the bed

Molly has figured out that she’s allowed in my room. The cats tell her otherwise, but she’s finally learned to ignore them sometimes.

Sometimes, she decides that she will be sleeping in my room, which is fine. She’s not that big and only takes up a third of the bed at the most.

Unfortunately, most of the time the third of the bed she chooses is the bottom third. I’m not very tall, but this does make it difficult to find a spot for my feet and legs.

It’s still a work in progress, but we’re getting there.

Sleeping in with Pets

The pets are used to a regular schedule. Around 7am, the cats are kicked out of upstairs and take their positions in the kitchen, waiting to be fed. Around 7:30 am, the dogs are brought down, separately, to empty bladders and return to bed, or join the school session, depending on the day’s plan. On the weekends and holidays, the pets don’t seem to remember that they don’t need to make sure we are ready for work.

One weekend, I was attempting to sleep in. Between my bladder and the cats, I managed to get to 8 am. At least with my bladder, I can get to the bathroom and back half awake and can sometimes manage to get back to sleep.

I was sound asleep and I felt one of the cats climb onto my bed and onto my chest. I reached out to pet the cat and found out that it was Mini. She accepted the pets and ear scratches and went away. She came back several more times before she decided that I needed motivation. I got a nip on the elbow and I decided to get up.

Who needs alarm clocks when you have pets?

It’s breakfast time!

At 3:30 am, I got up to use the bathroom. As I returned to the bedroom, I saw that Inky was sitting politely by the food dishes. She decided to convince me that breakfast time was going to be early today. I decided that it would not. We comprised on going back into the bedroom and attempting more sleep. I still don’t quite understand how a cat that is smaller than a breadbox can take over the entire bed. We did manage a little more sleep, even though I was shoved to the edge of the bed. No breakfast yet.

Combining Audiobooks

I usually listen to audiobooks on the way to work every morning. I turn on the car, switch my input to bluetooth and my current audiobook starts playing. Sometimes it’s Audible. Sometimes it’s Libby. It all works beautifully. Usually.

I almost always have multiple books going. Paper, Kindle, audio… at least 5 are started at a time. It keeps me from getting bored, and I usually have some form of a book at my finger tips.

I have also been using the Audible freebies for sleep. This works best when I am in bed. I don’t do this in the car. I did want to make it clear that I don’t try to sleep on the way to work. Some days, I am not awake driving, but it’s not intentional. It’s just that I haven’t had coffee yet.

One of the best sleeping audiobooks has been A Short Account of the History of Mathematics. The narrator has a soothing voice and the topic is not very exciting. It works like a charm.

I had been trying to finish up We Have Always Lived in the Castle. It’s a horror story, and I knew where I had left off. The characters were being described.

I got into the car and the audiobook started up. I spaced out for a second and I didn’t look at what the phone and car decided to play. I was trying to figure out why the characters in my horror book were learning how to do multiplication. I had gotten the two books confused when the wrong book started up. At least I figured it out, eventually. At least the horror book wasn’t that strange.

Attempting to Blow My Nose While Half Awake

Once in a while, I wake up randomly because my nose is stuffed. It’s from allergies and dry air. I get up and go into the bathroom to blow my nose.

One morning, I was attempting to take care of my nose and then head back to bed. I intentionally tried to stay semi-asleep in an attempt to get right back into bed to continue sleeping. I wandered into the bathroom, grabbed a Qtip and attempted to use it to blow my nose. Well, that didn’t work, as you might have guessed. I had to wake up fully to figure out that I need a Kleenex to take care of this job. So much for falling back asleep right away.

A Short Account of the History of Mathematics by W. Rouse Ball


A Short Account of the History of Mathematics by W. Rouse Ball

A Short Account of the History of Mathematics

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this gem as a freebie on Audible. It was part of the set to help you relax and sleep. It certainly helped me sleep. I lasted maybe 5 minutes. I was out cold. It worked for its intended purpose. I could tell by the title that it would be a snoozer.

I feel strange giving this 5 stars when it was boring and sleep worthy. It was worth listening to for sleep purposes, which is how it is marketed on Audible. It worked great!

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Memory Foam Mattress Topper

I sleep on a futon, so some nights are more comfortable than others. I started thinking about how to make it a more comfortable night’s sleep. I got to the point that I realized that a mattress topper was the answer.

I started by reading reviews. Some of the expensive ones were given really bad reviews. I went for a low cost one that a few negative reviews, but those reviews were about minor things.

It arrived and I started washing my bedding while waiting for the foam to inflate. Inky came in to inspect. She disapproved and left.

After I got the sheets on, I realized that I needed deep pocket sheets, so I ordered them and a bed scrunchie. That thing is great! It holds the fitted sheet exactly where I want it.

I got the bed all together. Inky came back to inspect. She still didn’t like the mattress topper. She spent time dancing on it, but still, nope. She knocked books over so she wouldn’t have to walk on the mattress to get to my lap.

It took her two weeks to finally accept that the mattress topper was here to stay and it was not going to attack her. I am enjoying the comfort of the new cushion more than Inky is, but we are all coexisting for the moment. Mini still won’t go near the futon if I am in the room. Her issue is me, and not the mattress, though. Cranky kitty.

Crystal Bowl Breathing by The Big Quiet

Crystal Bowl Breathing

Crystal Bowl Breathing by The Big Quiet
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This is supposed to be for meditation and relaxation, but it doesn’t work that way. There’s a man’s voice that is very jarring, not relaxing at all, that suddenly interrupts the relaxing sounds of the crystal bowls. He throws out instructions to breathe with the high bowl and the low bowl sounds. The pitch that’s chosen for the high and low bowl sounds is almost like an alarm clock. I dozed a bit while listening, but every time the high bowl sound came on, it woke me. Every time the man spoke, it woke me. This definitely isn’t the relaxation recording for me. 

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Sleeping under stress

I have had multiple people talking about sleep issues during the shelter in place. Waking up randomly, not able to sleep, and dreaming more are some of the things I have heard.

I know that a lot of my issues with sleeping through the night come from the fact that I wear a mask all day at work, and for any errands I need to do. I struggle with breathing, plus I am not able to hydrate the way I usually do. I tend to drink all my fluids at the end of the day, then I am up a lot because of trips to the bathroom. I am trying hard to remember to stop and drink during the day, but it’s not easy.

I have been sleeping during the day. I have been just exhausted. I think because of the stress, and wearing the mask. A few nights I managed to get in almost 10 hours of sleep. I have been going to bed earlier, so that helps a lot.

I have also noticed that I remember a lot more of my dreams than usual. One night, I had a dream that I had to wait for Jello to set, then I had to sew zippers onto the newly set Jello. Impossible, right?

Last night, I had a dream that I grew little grey feathers and I had to pluck them before I left the house each time. Maybe I am trying to refill my duvet? This one I haven’t figured out at all.

I know I am not the only one with sleep issues right now, so at least that’s comforting.