Some time ago I joked about RVers who have been diagnosed with the Early Bedtime Syndrome. But actually, sleep is too serious a matter to joke about. If the problem were merely one of rising too early in the morning, that wouldn't be so bad. But the real issue is that going to bed too early also detracts from the depth and quality of sleep.
This problem becomes even worse if you need to camp in some noisy campground or city; there you need to stay up as late as possible, so that the din has a chance to die down some.
Currently I'm basking in a week of success at overcoming this dreadful scourge, so perhaps it's time for an update. The long days of June are certainly the time of year to get serious about beating this sucker.
My earlier theory was that the Early Bedtime Syndrome was brought on by not running enough lights at night. The good news is that the LED lighting revolution has come to our rescue -- even for late adopters! Unfortunately I've found the benefits of more light to be somewhat smaller than hoped. Still, let's be happy to make progress one small bit at a time, if necessary.
Recently I was mooch-docking on a friend's driveway when a long overdue idea finally popped into my head: maybe people in normal houses are less prone to the Early Bedtime Syndrome than RVers because they walk around in their houses at night. Even a couch potato has to stand up during commercials and walk a certain distance to the refrigerator. But in an RV it is easy to stay glued to one piece of furniture, and thus be pulled into the abyss too early.
So I've started doing more housekeeping late in the evening. It helps quite a bit. Besides, it's pleasant to wake up in the morning and realize that all those dreary chores are already done.
One more suggestion. Don't get into bed to watch a movie; sit up in an office chair and watch the movie, if you must. You can't literally fall asleep sitting up in an office chair (as opposed to an easy-chair.)
Now consider what van-campers -- or tent campers -- must overcome! I admire their toughness, but don't think I could make it work for me.
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| Snuggling in early on a winter evening, in front of the catalytic heater. |
This problem becomes even worse if you need to camp in some noisy campground or city; there you need to stay up as late as possible, so that the din has a chance to die down some.
Currently I'm basking in a week of success at overcoming this dreadful scourge, so perhaps it's time for an update. The long days of June are certainly the time of year to get serious about beating this sucker.
My earlier theory was that the Early Bedtime Syndrome was brought on by not running enough lights at night. The good news is that the LED lighting revolution has come to our rescue -- even for late adopters! Unfortunately I've found the benefits of more light to be somewhat smaller than hoped. Still, let's be happy to make progress one small bit at a time, if necessary.
Recently I was mooch-docking on a friend's driveway when a long overdue idea finally popped into my head: maybe people in normal houses are less prone to the Early Bedtime Syndrome than RVers because they walk around in their houses at night. Even a couch potato has to stand up during commercials and walk a certain distance to the refrigerator. But in an RV it is easy to stay glued to one piece of furniture, and thus be pulled into the abyss too early.
So I've started doing more housekeeping late in the evening. It helps quite a bit. Besides, it's pleasant to wake up in the morning and realize that all those dreary chores are already done.
One more suggestion. Don't get into bed to watch a movie; sit up in an office chair and watch the movie, if you must. You can't literally fall asleep sitting up in an office chair (as opposed to an easy-chair.)
Now consider what van-campers -- or tent campers -- must overcome! I admire their toughness, but don't think I could make it work for me.
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