It is so easy to praise September and October as months of paradise, and for the most part, it is true. Ahh but there is trouble in paradise: this is the time of year I want to go to sleep at 730 pm.
I knew somebody once who used the 'natural' argument: that you should go to bed when it gets dark, regardless of what "o'clock" it is. He was wrong.
Going to bed too early destroys your sleep patterns, and sleep is just too important to play games with.
So what is a camper to do? This is one of those conundrums that will only lend itself to partial solutions. As usual, a person pines for a giant or perfect solution instead of a combination of smaller solutions.
1. Run more lights at night.
2. Blink more frequently.
3. Avoid reading books. Only do easy things with the eyes. Write rather than read.
4. Permit yourself just about any activity as long as you are conscious.
5. Shift your evening entertainment to the ears.
6. Do household chores. Get set up for tomorrow so you don't have to waste time in the morning.
7. Talk or text people.
8. Cook beans, rice, squash, or potatoes for the next couple days.
9. Do stretching or flexibility exercises that can be done indoors, perhaps on the floor.
If only I could lengthen the list! Then again, maybe a person should just adjust to long hours of sleeping in winter, like a dog.
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| From the archive: sleepy dogs in front of the heater, on a long winter night. |
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