An Observation of My Sleep Patterns and Circadian Rhythms

I've been paying attention to the way my body sleeps over the past few years. At the moment I am conducting an observation of my sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. Plural because to me it seems there is an internal orchestra playing and not just a band. Exhausting? It can be, I suppose. Overwhelming? From time to time, yes.

There seems to be a silent battle being waged inside me pertaining to whether I am sleeping right or doing it wrong. Why? That is kinda pointless, and it does have an affect on me.

It seems I have been programmed to believe I have to be asleep during a certain block of time during the days. It is kinda like a one-size-fits-all line of thinking, but I realize there is no truth in such logic at all. I am who I am and you are who you are, whoever you are, and we are similarly different.

I seem to have the most energy and function best after I wake up from every period of sleep. Whether that is a full period of rest, a full night's sleep or a cat nap doesn't seem to matter.

I have noticed a fluctuation at night in times when I sleep for the day (24-hour period) and wake up full of energy with no hope of returning to sleep. Sometimes I spend a few hours mentally and mindfully active, then attempt to go back to sleep, but most often when I'm awake, I do not return to sleep. I'm going to play with that and see how I function.

It's usually between 2100 and 2300 when I go to bed. I wake up between 0230 and 0500, I suppose depending on the preceding day's physical and mental activities, exertion and energy consumption.

There is no rule that says I have to sleep during these hours, There is no external set curfew that says I have to sleep between this hour and that. My body does what it does whether voluntarily or by natural force. Sometimes I have a choice to retire for the day and sometimes my body and mind does what it needs without my consent.

There isn't a sporadic or unwilling period where I am not in control. On the contrary, there is a regular period of time when I sleep and when I rise, yet those hours of actual sleep are never the same from any set time to set time, just a general time area.

Regardless of what, when and how I sleep and get my rest, I have no reason to believe I am broken or in need of any kind of repair. I am who I am and this is how my body functions and there is nothing wrong with that. No external confirmation is required. Period.

All is well.

 

Affect This Has or May Have on Others

Does my sleep patterns affect my loves ones? My lady? They can. It depends on what activities I do that would have potention for affecting both of us, like driving in an RV or team driving in a big truck.

One of us may rise early and start driving early. In my experiences, sometimes that wakes me up and sometimes I sleep through it. It is what it is. And that is OK.

There does seem to be a variation in physical sensation and mental function at the different intervals or time frames during when I am awake. It is difficult for me to articulate. I feel different when I am awake and it is dark, say between 0200-0430.And I feel different between 0530-1900 when the sun is in full shine. Nothing bad about it. Again, it is what it is.

Problems arise and occur when I let my thinking have it's way. For example, I may think I didn't get enough sleep and willfully begin a barrage of negative thoughts and settings. I've found myself telling me I was going to have a difficult or bad day because I didn't get a good sleep. Or whatever along those lines. And because I told myself those things, that is exactly what a day produced for me, a bunch of self-created and self-directed misery. The opposite is true, too. If I didn't engage in such willful floggery and mental self-abuse, the day would be whatever came. And when I thjnk happy thoughts and count my blessings and enjoy another sunrise and morning birds chirping, the day turns out beautiful! It is the same every time.

Think bad thoughts, have a bad day. Think good thoughts, have a good day. There is really no miracle about it. It is what it is. I decide from the start how my day will go and how I experience the mental and mindful and peacefulness of it. Every day. And it's only today that matters. And today ways counts.