Friday, September 9, 2005

Ability to Sleep

My husband has the most amazing ability to sleep. 

I am jealous.  I admit it.  I cannot sleep well, and require many specifications just to toss and turn the way I do.

I need darkeness, quiet, my sound machine (with auto shut-off), covers to be just so, pillows to be just so, no body parts hurting (ha), and preferably, no one in bed with me snoring.

But, enough about me and my lack of sleep, good or otherwise.

My hubby can sleep anywhere.  He sleeps on any couch, and in any chair, in any position.  Lights could be blaring at him, but if he closes his eyes, it's over.  Snoresville.

He sleeps on buses and trains and subways all over NYC.  I don't know how often he has missed stops because he wouldn't want to admit that to me.  However, he has overslept and gone 2 towns and about 5 miles past home on the evening bus and I had to go pick him up!  It actually took him a while to even figure out where he was so I would be able to find him!

Hubby can even sleep standing up in the shower!  Yes, it's true.   Our son, Hammer, rarely slept when he was a baby.  My hubby had to get up and into the shower by 5:30 am and then out the door by 6 am to not be late.

Some nights, my hubby would be up already, no problem.  Other nights, he would have done his shift earlier and be in a deep sleep when the alarm would buzz.

One morning, after sending him into the shower, I woke again at 6 am to still hear the water running.  I ran into the bathroom and pulled back the curtain to find my hubby leaning against the wall, sound asleep.  Thank the Lord the water was not hitting him in the open mouth, I think he would have drowned!

Sleeping that heavy and that well also means that my hubby tends to wake up disoriented at times.  Most often that just requires some yelling and shaking to get him to the point where he can function and help with whatever situation has arisen, such as attending a sick child or cleaning up vomit while I attend the sick child or something similar.

During the baby years, things were more interesting.  I still worked full time after both the boys, so we tried to take turns with waking kids.  One night, after demanding and kicking him out of the bed to get the baby and do bottle duty, he finally bolted from the bed and as I watched, he passed the baby's room and ran into the kitchen.  The next thing I heard was the oven door open and slam and I was yelling what are you doing???  He ran back to me and said "Where's the baby?".  Uh, how about the crib?

Nowadays, the confusion isn't so blatant, but it is still there.  Our daughter will sometimes have a bad dream and come downstairs looking for him.  She likes daddy to lay down with her in our playroom on the daybed.  I will try to get him up and say she is there and wants him and he will say, "Who?"  I will repeat and on more than one occasion been told that he doesn't know anyone by that name.

I usually follow up with a punch in the arm and yelling more sharply and eventually it works!  lol

If I could bottle whatever it is that my hubby has that allows him to sleep like this, I would be a wealthy woman. 

More importantly, I would also be able to sleep better and not be such an insomniac!  Oh well!

Be well,
Dawn

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dawn, if you ever find a way to bottle how he can sleep so well, you have a customer in me. I'm an insomniac too; would love to get a good night's sleep without having to use medicine to do it.

Loved this entry! Made me laugh!

betty

Anonymous said...

Dawn,
My middle name is Insomniac.  For years I never slept more than 2 hours a night.  My mother has told many stories of my childhood when she would find me at all hours of the night, up playing.  And then there was sleepwalking for several years.  I guess I am just a restless person.  But after about 35 years of not sleeping I wasn't exactly the nicest person to be around.  I was always angry and pissed off about something.  Then came the nervous breakdown.  My mind totally collasped.  It was then the doctors decided I needed a little more sleep.  So I have meds to sleep now.  Ah, sleep is so wonderful.  

-jan

Anonymous said...

Dawn that is is so funny.  It is reversed in my house. I fall asleep at the drop of a hat. I put my head down and a bomb could go off I sleep through everything. My husband on the other hand, wakes up if a leaf falls off a tree 50 feet from the house LOL. When my kids were babies, I kept them close to me - it was the only time I ever got up and functioned immediately...guess what though, that same whatever, worked with grandbabies too. Good thing cause my daughter had twins so you know how crazy those feedings were.  Sandi http://journal.aol.com/sdoscher458/LifeIsFullOfSurprises

Anonymous said...

Just stopped to get some fuel and thought I would check on you while I drink a cup of coffee.  Reminds me of the time I was in bed and Deco got up to take the dosg outside in the middle of the night, I woke up enough to hear her say are you coming.  Well I thought she was talking to me so I got up, got dressed and went outside.  As I went out the door she was coming inside.  I thought she was getting me a cup of coffee so I lit a cig. and sat down.  About an hour later I decided to go look for her she was in bed asleep.  Said to me,"Where you been".
Dwayne and Dude

Anonymous said...

I have a son like that. I on the other hand sleep lightly and wake even if I think something is wrong!
Mary

Anonymous said...

Can you say narcolepsy?...LOL!  Nothing worse than an insomniac and a narcoleptic in the same house!...I know. ;)  C.  http://journals.aol.com/gdireneoe/thedailies

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I am a chronic insomniac. Can't sleep for anything, never could... unless DH is home. If Jimmy is in the house, doesn't matter where, I sleep. It's an amazing thing. I have a t-shirt that says, "Be safe. Sleep with a soldier." I think it works.

I'm sorry you're battling insomnia too. I have always been jealous of the people who could just sleep. What's up with that? How do they do that? My college roommate could sleep anywhere, anytime, and I just didn't get it. Still don't.

Hugs,
Susan

Anonymous said...

Lately I have had some of the best sleep of my life, since going on Zoloft.  I have slept for 18 hours straight at least 3 times in the past 6 weeks.  Now if only this work thing didn't interfere with my sleep:)

Chris
http://journals.aol.com/swibirun/Inanethoughtsandinsaneramblings
http://journals.aol.com/swibirun/MyJournalJarSaturdaySixetcanswer

Anonymous said...

OMG!! LOL!!! LOL!!! what a wonderful humorous story about someone who loves to sleep...anywhere! LOL!! so this is what you did one evening..telling all about it while he's asleep and you-wide awake! LOL!!!
I hope you've gotten some good sleep though..and yeah..that bottle thing...where's the bay and all..OMG soo funny!! LOL!!
Gem :-D

Anonymous said...

How very very funny! love ,natalie