Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Sleepers

Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.
Thomas Dekker, The Guls Horne Book (1609)



So are you a day sleeper? or night sleeper?

People who work odd shifts like in hospitals and call centers are stuck in this unique routine of constantly changing their sleep cycle based on their working hours.

I have a friend who get her 8 hours of sleep in batches of 2-3 hour naps spread throughout the day in the hospital. And oh boy, she is one crabby nurse!

Are you the instant snoozer? The deep snorer? or a light sleeper?

I envy instant snoozers, once they lie on any flat surface they quickly fall asleep, or they just fall asleep instantly once they close their eyes. I see these gifted sleepers on the subway, some grassy knoll, the park or the classroom.

The deep snorer is someone I wouldn't like to share a bed with. That deep, grumbling snore that rises from his being just points out my inadequacy that I can't have that kind of deep sleep. The light sleeper, however presents a tricky predicament, you can easily fall asleep, yet get awaken by any sudden noise or movement.

In my case, I'm an anomaly- I'm an insomniac, I can't sleep at night, but I am an excessively long sleeper during the day. The longest sleep I ever had was 18 hours, that is after I stayed awake for 2 days straight. I woke up because I really felt I needed to pee. Otherwise, I think I would have slept straight pass 20 hours.