Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Books and Bedtime

I find I've been really, really tired lately. Last night, an ad came on TV for Altovis, which is some sort of fatigue-fighting "medicine". In the add, Della Reese asks are feeling rundown, grumpy, irritable, cranky, and tired all the time? Then maybe Altovis can help!. I chuckled, and said to Lindsey, I need that! She was a gracious sweety, and said, naw, dad, you don't need that. You just need to get more sleep!

She's right. I try to get to bed by 10pm when I have to work the next day. 5am comes early, and 5-6 hours of sleep a night does NOT cut it with me. The problem is, I like to read. I find it's easiest to read right when I lay down in bed at night. It's quiet. I'm comfortable. I'm not interrupted. So I tell myself, ok, just 15 minutes and then put the book down and go to bed. So, 15 minutes usually turns into at least an hour, usually more, and I wind up hitting the pillow at about 11:30pm.

As I said, 5am comes early.

So, by Saturday and Sunday, I'm just toast! I need to figure out how to just go to bed and go straight to sleep. I never have trouble falling asleep. I just can't put down the book, turn out the light out and go to sleep.

Right now I'm reading In the Company of Heroes, by Michael Durant. He was the Blackhawk helicopter pilot who was shot down in Somalia back in 1993, captured, and paraded across our TV screens. It's the story of his ordeal in captivity, as well as his personal story of how he got to Somalia in the first place. It's been at the same time uplifting, and depressing. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a look into the heart of an American military officer. He's very honest and brave about what he writes, and pulls no punches.

So, if anyone has any suggestions for slow, boring, aching reads that would compel me to sleep earlier, please let me know! For now, I think I'll buy stock in Vivarin. Or maybe get that 30-day free supply of Altovis.

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