Dyingman 79: Sleeping like the Almost Dead

    About 15 years ago, my great aunt told me about her wild, wild night life.
    Drinking, lots of crossword puzzles, a little work on her windchime business and newsletter writing.  Living it up.
    Such a life was necessary in that she suffered constant insomnia.  She'd find herself awake at 4 am and she'd simply pick up her crossword and go at it.  Maybe prepare breakfast at the break of dawn.  She didn't try to go back to sleep because it wouldn't work and she refused to spend her life fighting for unconsciousness.  She was going to pay attention and live life while she had her eyes open.
    It's been with this in mind that I have been monitoring my own sleeping habits.  The past week has seen a more or less consistent slaking of the amount of sleep I've been getting.  Anywhere between 6 and a half and 7 and a half hours.  I'd get 8 hours regularly earlier this year.  Perhaps it's temporary.
    One day, it may be the norm.  Older people don't sleep as much and such behavior has the advantage of allowing a person to get more done.  I had been musing in my prayers about time needed to do things and as  a response, I am sleeping less.  This may not be the best approach to my lack of time, but beggars can't be choosers.  I may end up blogging at 4 am someday.
    Older people in a controlled study have found heightened satisfaction with the sleep they get if part of it consists of a nap in the middle of the day.  This is a practice I would like to pursue and it's a policy most people should feel free to adopt but the American work world sees such activity as evidence of sloth.  No sincere efforts to counter this approach seem forthcoming.  I may need to go into business for myself and institute the policy personally if I'm to take such naps without penalty.  Naps as short as 20 minutes have profound effects on mental capabilities; sharpening response times and memory prowess.  Naps of an hour bring a person to nearly the same level as the morning after a full night's sleep.
    The refreshment, happiness and productivity produced by napping may be teh basis for teh Latin American tradition of the siesta.  The midday nap.  Their naps are viewed with contempt by American society as evidence of laziness which may convey foolishly to the racist attitude of Latinos being lazy.  Unmentioned is the longer work day of these societies that make up for the nap.  Such differences are automatically rejected by a jingoistic society such as ours that finds any other way of doing things automatically inferior because, by definition, our way must be best.  Pangloss would be proud.
    I cannot be alone in wishing for the midday nap to be an accepted ritual.  Perhaps scheduling these siestas might make a workplace I organize especially attractive to those of like mind.  We can all nurture our bodies better producing work in the same amounts but at much higher quality.  Such a difference might manifest itself as being salable at a higher profit.  Higher profit levels may even make it possible to keep workers on the clock during their nap.  PAID to sleep.  Some people would find it unthinkable!  But if the numbers worked...
    Can I create a workplace that values its employees health?

    A dyingman can dream.



*DM


Next:   Toxic to your wallet.


THE CHART:

        Last week's Fitness:
        Strokes on Bike (daily average) 22
        Bench Presses  (daily average) 2
        Curls  (daily average) 0
        Lifts  (daily average) 0
        Stairs (flights per day) 12
        Walking (minutes per day)  1
        Heavy bag (seconds per day)  0
        Dancing (minutes per day)  3
        Push Ups (per day)  8
        Sit-ups (per day) 5


        Effort Grade:  A-


        This Week's Fitness Activities:
        Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
        Bench Presses  (daily average) 0
        Curls  (daily average) 0
        Lifts  (daily average) 0
        Stairs (flights per day) 9
        Walking (minutes per day)  10
        Heavy bag (seconds per day)  0
        Dancing (minutes per day)  0
        Push Ups (per day)  0
        Sit-ups (per day) 0


        Effort Grade:  F  (dreadful week!)

        Pulse: 70
        Blood Pressure:  118/75  10/9/08
        BMI 25 (barely overweight)


        Workout Partner's Progress:  Position Vacant

            RECENT SYMPTOMS : Pain in right foot when walking behind fourth and fifth toes and behind first and second, alternating.
            ONGOING SYMPTOMS:  Clicking knees, Pain in right knee when kneeling and shifting knee to the right.  Hyperhidrosis.
            DIAGNOSIS: Suspected neuroma or hairline fracture to foot. Unknown injury to right knee, possible impact from small stumble (c. 2006) onto landing of concrete stairs. Injured knee joints from sprinting (c. 2007)

            ONGOING TREATMENT: Tri-Annual dental visits, Meta-tarsal pad in shoe

        DRUG REGIMEN:  Aspartame.  (3 diet sodas daily)  Caffeine (three cups of coffee daily.  two colas.)
        PROGNOSIS:  Gradual decay of knee function.
        POTENTIAL TREATMENTS:   Fish Oil supplements.  Axillary vacuum curettage.

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