Sleep . . . And How To Get Some
You really need at least eight hours.
Sleeping is a wonderful thing. When I was young and until I got pregnant at eighteen I could not sleep. Either that or I woke up really tired. When I got pregnant right out of high school I learned I could sleep anywhere and it was the most wonderful thing. I felt I had missed out on something that was enjoyable and fulfilling.
I don’t know exactly why I could not sleep when I was younger, Oh! maybe it had to do with the constant arguing late at night, especially on the weekends, that my mom and dad did. He had a bad temper when he drank and she would come into our room and get in bed with us to keep him from hitting her. It did not keep her from hollering back at him, which woke us up.
When I was small I also suffered from constant headaches which eventually turned into migraines in my adulthood, but that’s another story.
When you are a kid you seem to bounce back quickly from most things so I assume that was why I felt okay even when I did not sleep well.
There was no sleep hygiene at my house. My parents had eight kids. I think they (mostly Mom) tried to get everyone to bed on time. I faintly remember getting to bed around 8:00 p.m. every night so I could get up for school the next day. She always made us do that and she always kept us clean. We had clean beds, clean bodies, clean pajamas, and clean rooms so maybe there was some. I remember getting spanked because I was out of bed at one point. I think I had to go to the bathroom. She didn’t care about the excuse. Spanking was her thing.
So as an adult and pregnant, I was able to sleep when I wanted to and it was bliss. Then, after the baby was born, I didn’t get much sleep but I was able to handle it better since I was more rested.
I have been pretty active all my life raising additional twins when I was forty-four. They were a handful and kept me busy. By the time my head hit the pillow I was out. So for another twenty years I slept well.
After that I never had a problem sleeping until I retired.