Insomnia

 

https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/971530?uac=181466FK&faf=1&sso=true&impID=4166036&src=WNL_cmemp_220415_mscpedu_nurs

This article caught my attention but didn’t do much to clarify anything. Question: Do kids with insomnia grow up to be adults with insomnia? Study:  Childhood-onset insomnia is a chronic problem in 43% of children, according to 15-year follow-up data from approximately 500 individuals.

I thought that number 43% was interesting. So what if it was 51% would that make insomnia the norm? And as to the question Do kids with insomnia turn into adult with insomnia? My answer is Yes. For some reason the fact that I don’t sleep much has become more of a topic of scrutiny this year. Tess takes great pleasure in telling me that she sleeps fine whereas I stay up all night trying to solve the worlds problems. So yes, it is true that I stay up all night and often feel great the next day. I am effected by the news, Trump, COVID and now the invasion of Ukraine. These things bother me and I do think about them But that isn’t necessarily what keeps me up it’s just what I do while I’m up. I’ve tried to invest my time in more rewarding endeavors like reading or listening to books and watching movies. I’ve also tried meditating with the Calm app. Sometimes I fall asleep sometimes I don’t but I think what bothers or worries me most is the feeling of pressure that I should sleep. I should be sleeping. Then if I start thinking about that instead of just using the extra time, say for another example looking up and creating a route map on Ride with GPS before a big hike with Chip. I never sleep but I’m never too tired for a hike the next day. Chip, in contrast, tells me he goes to bed at 7pm and sleeps all night. I think if I did that I’d be Superman. So to sleep or not to sleep that is the question and the bigger one, who cares and who says you need too. A recent study said that the 8 hours a night mandate was false, that many people don’t get and don’t need hours. https://time.com/5876614/circadian-rhythm-study/ 

That study made me feel good about myself so that’s the one I’ll go with. Now if I fall asleep on the drive to Charlotte then I’ve got a problem but if I don’t fall asleep until Monday and we have a great weekend, then that’s all that matters.