And SRS reminds me of a sleep issue I had a HELL of a time sorting out. I sorted out the worry side. I sorted out the not-enough-exercise side. I sorted out the too-warm side. I sorted out the pre-per-post- menopause side. I sorted out the caffeine side. I sorted out the full-spectrum lighting side. ALl these were good for me, but there was still a sleep issue....

I had forgotten to honor my body's demand for calories. After an hour of trying to go back to sleep I'd realize I was hungry. But with a timely, tiny health-snack-- I dropped right back off.

Not dysfunctional, stay-fat calories. Calories I'd rushed past in the busy day, that left me short on the new, higher activity level.

Hardi was having the same trouble, from a different metabolic starting point.

For both of us the solution was mini-meals (I've written about them before). We divided the small, planned dinners in half. Half at dinner, half at bedtime. Weight loss AND sleep occurred.

NOW the only sleep issue is a spiritual one-- something will be tugging at me to grow/learn/stretch. Not a worry. An invitation to explore something without distraction. So the other sleep aid is an MP3 player left waiting by the spare bed, where I can curl up for my latest spirituality book, and drop off or not, as the spirit moves me. Very productive time, that. I understand human beans left to their own devices often DO divide up their sleep, just like we now divide up our calories-- wisdom time, magic time. In dark or dimmed lighting, like a smoldering Native campfire in the teepee in he long, dark winter.

But this can leave me dangerously short on sleep-- I still have to live in the normal world and at least attempt to shadow Hardi's insanely non-predictable ministry schedule-- SOMEbuddy has to feed him when he forgets to eat, and he's T2 diabetic now on top of it.

So to make full use of that wisdom time, I also had to solve a vision issue. Turns out a good portion of my mentally-scattered thing, post-stroke, has had to do with a wandering eye that uses far more brainpower than normal vision does. Fixed that best I can-- it's not an exact science-- and now I can do fine for a night or two of short sleep before catching up. Used to were, a short night left me absolutely nuts. Pretending to have a working brain. Very dangerous way to operate!!! :~)

Better to "fix" than to "cope." :~)

~S~