Everyman comes back easy as pie

Wow. I’m really amazed. Though I guess it makes some sense, that getting your “normal” sleep schedule back after being sick would be easier than when you fall off it while healthy…apparently the body stores the “normal state” somewhere for reactivation when the Viral Hell is over with. Or it could be something completely other; I’m the last person to assume I know how things work with this weird meat robot I’m trapped in.

But regardless, “re-adjustment”, if you can call it that, is turning out to be no big deal at all; nary a yawn yet. I was pretty sick right up through Sunday, but I wanted to be able to work yesterday (Monday), knowing that the whole world had probably piled up on my desk over the weekend (I was right). Because I’d been having trouble falling/staying asleep due to snot and/or coughing, I took some NyQuil Sunday night and went to bed at ten, basically hoping that I’d be able to wake up by five (NyQuil affects me like I imagine horse tranquilizers would). But again, I wasn’t willing to push things, because the last thing I need is to *stay* sick.

In any case, my eyes popped open exactly at four (yes, with no alarm) and I felt totally rested after my six-hour snooze. I went to work, took my naps — missed the evening one; I laid down for it but couldn’t fall asleep, which, if I’m going to goof up my schedule on any normal day, is usually what happens — but other than that, slept great and wow, a few naps during the day is JUST what the witch doctor ordered for sick people returning to work. I’m not sure I could have kept going all day without it! Since I was still coughing, though, I didn’t go back to Tai Chi…really wanted to, but I knew they wouldn’t appreciate it. Hopefully I can by Wed.

Anyway, last night I went down about 12:30. Set two alarms, one for 4:00 and one for 4:10, and actually almost said a prayer that I would hear them. ;) Well, not only did I hear them, but I heard the first one — the quieter one — and leapt right out of bed for it with not even a yawn. No tiredness on the drive to work, nothing. Feel lovely, other than the lingering snot.

I bet tonight I can sleep my three hours with no problem. Oh, FYI, too, the way things shake out, if I get all three naps, I can sleep three hours, sometimes even a bit less, with no problem. (I actually try not to sleep less, because it’s the 3-hour core that lets me stay awake for 6-7 hours during the day.) If I miss a nap (usually the evening one), then I’ll often get tired earlier and go to bed by 12:00, thus sleeping 4 hours. For some reason, four a.m. is just an easy time for me to wake up; if things are normal, I almost never sleep past it. And I totally have all the hot water I want in the morning for my shower. ;)

I see that Day 120 of my schedule was actually an even two weeks ago — sorry I missed announcing that deadline! But it’s nice to be able to report that, even after four days of sleeping my butt off, Everyman is a peach to re-adopt. You’ll remember that it was harder for me to re-adjust when I slept “normally” for two days and wasn’t sick, so, like I said, maybe there’s something special about being ill that doesn’t knock you off your wagon as badly…but either way, I was awake & loving it at midnight, and awake and loving it at four a.m., and I totally wouldn’t give this up for the world. ;)

-PD

P.S. — I also realized in the elevator this morning that, if I had to get a 9-5 job (i.e. one that wouldn’t let me work 7-5 and take two naps), I could still probably swing this, needing only one nap! Why? Because with the 3-hour core, I can stay awake from 2-3 in the afternoon to 8-9 at night. So I could take a nap at 8 or 8:30, before starting work, take one during the afternoon, and be good until I got home. Pardon me for gloating, but finding a version of this schedule that may work with a “regular” job (one like mine, but without the clout to demand naptimes) feels like having stumbled on the Holy Grail. Yay and more yay.