Monday, November 25, 2013

Is It The Lack Of Daylight?

It's darn near scary the way I've been feeling and thinking I need more sleep lately.  Today around 2:30-3:00, I felt like I really, really needed a nap.  Now, I am NOT a napper.  You could most likely count the times I've taken a snooze of any kind in the middle of the day in the last umpteen years on one hand . . . without using the thumb.

So did I listen to my body this afternoon?  Of course not.  I didn't take a nap or even plop in a comfy chair or stretch out on the couch.  I had laundry to finish folding and putting away and a small basket of ironing to do.  I kept moving and must admit I felt a little revived.  Then around 4:30 I sat down in my quilt room to do some hand quilting until time to trundle on into the kitchen to rustle up some dinner.  Thirty minutes later, as soon as I got in the kitchen, I felt so tired again that it bordered on feeling uncomfortable/sickish.  I had very little appetite for dinner.  (What?!  NO APPETITE?  Call 911, she must be on her way out!)

Sitting at the table (trying to summon up enough energy to rise and do the dishes) after eating, I told hubby I didn't think I was going to be able to accomplish anything tonight except getting into my jammies and collapsing on the couch.

So what's wrong with this picture?  If it were summer time at 5:45 of an early evening, we'd still have four hours of daylight and I could/would accomplish a lot in that time.  Heck, this evening I could do lots of neat things before bedtime:

*  Bake an experimental recipe of new Christmas cookies
*  Make the batch of caramel corn I've been wanting to make since before Halloween
*  Clean, sort and rearrange my pantry (I love doing that!)
*  Order the gifts I've picked out for myself for Christmas from Papa Pea
*  Go play in my quilt room
*  Plan my garden for 2014

But let's face it.  This is the time of year for all of us to kick back and stop thinking about everything we could/should be doing.  When darkness falls at 4:30 in the afternoon, not only does my body register a signal that it's time to call it a day, but I need to learn to allow my mind to do the same thing.  We push enough in the spring, summer and fall.

Yep, gotta learn to live more with the seasons and go with the natural cycle of the year.

That settles it.  I don't care if it is only 6:31 p.m.  I'm going to bed.

11 comments:

DFW said...

I'm with you Mama Pea. I am so tired but I know if I go to bed now, I'll be up at 4:00a & more tired tomorrow night which is when I have to make my sides to take to the Thanksgiving feast on Thursday.

Sparkless said...

You should have taken a short nap in the afternoon. There is no shame in naps and they are actually good for you. You'd be able to be up in the evening to get all those fun things done. My husband swears by his 5 min naps on the couch when he's off work. For me if no one is going to die cause I'm taking a nap then a nap I'll take.

Freedom Acres Farm said...

I can't nap during the day because then I can't sleep at night. But I must admit I had taken my bath and snuggled up on the couch by 6:45 tonight. sigh. The cold and the dark saps a body's energy. You're right though, we need to listen to our bodies and flow with the seasons.

Akannie said...

20 minutes. That's all it takes. Optimum refresher time. I never took naps in my life until the past few years. I still don't do it a lot, but when the seasonal changes like this one come around, it takes my brain/body a bit to get re-combulated. LOL (I know that's not a word.) Pay attention to your bod, mama !!

Akannie said...

re-combobulated. That's what I meant. LOL (still not a word)

Sue said...

Hubby and I have started the season of naps and I don't care what people think. We go go go all spring/summer/winter. I normally get 5 hours of sleep. This time of year it cranks up to six. Hubby goes from 8 up to 9 hours of sleep. And yet the world continues-LOL! Enjoy the "time-out" dear lady. I truly believe that is what winter is all about--recharging!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Ha ha ha! I know what you mean. I put laundry out before sunrise, and when I take it down, it's dark out. I am in my jammies by 6pm most nights now that it's darker out. Yep...kick back and relax.

Susan said...

You're in good company, Mama Pea. We all get a little off track this time of year. I sat down at 8 last night to get in a little knitting and woke up at 10 with my neck in an odd position...best to go with the flow and let your body's inner clock work its way back to the new normal.

Sandy Livesay said...

Mama Pea,
I took that nap today, we were up early for hubby's surgery and didn't sleep well the night before. After surgery, we came home and took a nap. Then I was up making pumpkin pies, and some beef and green chile burrito's.

Leigh said...

Excellent point. We should live more seasonally, and rest more in the dormant season! When I first went "back to the land", I lived without clocks. We went to bed with hte sun and rose with it too. It just made sense.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes an upcoming cold can make me real tired and my shoulder get tight. Then its time for lemon in hot water, chewable Vitamin C, and sleep.