18 November 2005

The Joys of Sleep

Last night I got almost eleven hours of sleep. That is highly unusual and usually impossible on a weeknight. I was able to get this sleep because I woke up yesterday with the nagging feeling I was getting a cold. The throat was a little tickly, the nose a little sniffly and the ears a little itchy. I did not want to get a cold. So, armed with Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea lozenges left over from the last time I got sick, I went to work. It was an uneventful day but the unfortunate possibility of a cold hung over my head. Deciding the best defense is a good offense, I left work early, went to the store to load up on more cold-fighting supplements, and went home to my waiting pajamas.

By ten o’clock I had taken as many mega-doses of those cold-fighting supplements as were safely recommended and went to bed. I had arranged to come in late for work, so I set my alarm for two more hours of sleep. When I woke up, sunlight was streaming through the cracks in the blinds and I still had 20 minutes until my alarm went off and I had to get out of bed. The sensation of laying there, somewhere between asleep and awake, just conscious enough to luxuriate in the warmth and the comfort was perfect. As I rolled over to hit snooze on the alarm clock, I realized something. The tickly throat, the sniffly nose, and the itchy ears were gone. I don’t know whether it was the supplements, the sleep, or a false alarm, but I do know I might have to come into work late more often.

4 comments:

Missy said...

Ahhh, sleep. :) I have to admit that I have been sleeping about 10 hours plus nap, (when the kids nap). All in all I think I get about 11-13 hours of sleep a day. *blushing* :)

Scully said...

But it is probably broken up into 3 and 4 hour increments, which doesn't really help with the REM requirements your body needs. Plus, now that you know you are expecting, you can totally blame it on that.

Unknown said...

don't say false alarm ~ jk, I know I mis-read things, makes me think of pregnancy tests! ;)I've been reading too long today, and make up entertainment for myself!

Panini said...

That's lucky; I've been fighting something off too and think it will work...same story with my roommates. Must be a low-grade virus that we can all conquer.