Photo by @dannyg on unsplash.com
My friend Stephany recently blogged about a really fun topic: sleep! It’s something that we all have to do (at some point), but that nobody talks about, but I always love to learn random things about people. So I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and tell you a little bit about my sleeping habits.
How Much I Sleep
I think I fall right into the recommended sleep group for adults. I am pretty happy with around 8-9 hours of sleep, but can get by with 7-8. Anything less than 7 hours is doable, for a short amount of time, but it usually means I’ll crash at the end of the week and then sleep 10 hours on the weekends. I know they say that you can’t really “catch up” on sleep, but my body definitely will take any little bit more on the weekends that it can get.
What I Sleep In
In the winter, I need to sleep in long pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt. Sometimes, I wear my socks to bed (*gasp*), because I dislike nothing more than cold feet (oh, maybe I do, ‘hot’ feet are the worst!) and I often have cold feet in the winter.
In the summer, I wear a tank top and shorts to bed.
How I Sleep
I’d say that I am a side sleeper (with my hands tucked under my chin). Sometimes, I will sleep/lie on my back as well, but I am probably 85% side sleeper.
Pillows, Blankets, & Sheet
I sleep with a fitted sheet, a duvet (we have a winter and summer duvet) and two pillows (a flatter, firmer one on the bottom, a fluffier one on the top).
That’s it. Nothing fancy.
Top sheets (I know, a topic of contention) have never been a ‘thing’ in Germany, so I didn’t grow up with them and I find them useless. The only time I’ll sleep with a top sheet is at a hotel (because top quilt by itself = gross!), but I have to make sure it’s all untugged from the mattress, because I can’t have my feet restricted like that. Usually, unless it’s really cold, I’ll routinely stick one of my feet out for temperature control.
Oh, and I always need a blanket even in the middle of summer. I cannot sleep without anything covering my mid-section. I will opt for a sheet, when it’s really, really hot, but I usually prefer a little bit more weight to my blanket.
How I Fall Asleep
Luckily, I don’t have problems falling (or staying) asleep at all. Reading a chapter in my book before I turn off the light will usually put me right to sleep. When I do have the odd night where I toss and turn and can’t seem to quiet down, I get really upset, because regular insomnia must be the worst (form of torture!). I feel bad for people with sleep problems, I really do.
Napping
I generally like the idea of naps, but I nap very rarely. I must be really tired to take a day-time nap. Usually, I am much too “busy” with other things to take naps and much rather opt for an earlier bedtime instead.
Do you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping through the night?
Eli@CoachDaddy
March 21, 2019 at 10:21 amI usually crash hard after a long day – and most of them are long. Have you used sleep apps? Mine depresses me – it says I’ve averaged 5 hours, 9 minutes of sleep for the past few months. Ugh.
I agree with you, that your body can catch up needed rest! Mine usually happens if I get sick. Which I rarely do, even with such little sleep. My dad was like this, too.
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:36 amOh man, how do you function?
Charlot
March 21, 2019 at 12:42 pmOh I loved reading this! Also can I ask—legit what is the use of a top sheet? I always untuck them from hotel beds and never found much purpose for them. It’s not like they add any warmth?? I heard once that only serial killers sleep with socks on ( 🤣) but I wear mine in the wintertime, too!
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:38 amI don’t know what the use of a top sheet is. My only guess is that you have a top sheet when your blanket (quilt/comforter) doesn’t have it’s own cover and that you want to avoid having to wash the comforter regularly?
Tanja
March 21, 2019 at 1:04 pmI’m right with you under the Pillow, blanket, sheet section !!! Need a blanket, never to used to the top sheet situation, hate when everything is totally tugged in and have to have one pillow and my “kissi”
Unfortunately I wake up quite often during nighttime and therefore have trouble getting into the deep sleep phase – this has always been that way and I’m used to it. Therefore I like to nap if there is nothing else going on at the weekend. However, that barely happens :)
Luckily falling asleep and falling back to sleep has never been a problem.
While I was a night owl in what seems to be a previous life, one might call me know an early bird. I just can’t sleep in anymore, even though it would be nice once in a while!
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:39 amI am sorry you wake up so many times at night. Would drive me crazy!
ShootingStarsMag
March 21, 2019 at 3:24 pmI almost always sleep with a fan, even in the Winter when it’s cold. Part of it’s the sound, I guess, and partly because I get hot in the middle of the night sometimes. I love naps- I don’t take them too often anymore, but they are great. I don’t always sleep well at night – either falling or staying asleep, but I’ve been better lately so yay!
-Lauren
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:40 amOh wow, I try to avoid sleeping with a fan at all times, even in the summer…. I don’t like any air blowing on me.
suki
March 21, 2019 at 10:17 pmi usually wake up in the middle of the night. :( but i also cannot sleep with socks on… lol
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:40 amUgh, I’d hate waking up every night. Do you fall back asleep quickly?
Stephany
March 22, 2019 at 12:39 pmSo fun to read your answers! Sleep is such a fun topic to talk about. I usually fall asleep rather quickly but every now and then, I find myself tossing and turning. I’ll usually get up and take a dose of melatonin (3mg) and that helps dramatically!
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:40 amThank you for the post suggestion – sleep is an interesting topic indeed ;)
Akaleistar
March 22, 2019 at 3:17 pmI have to have a blanket all year round, too :)
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:41 amYou’re my kinda girl :)
To ia | craFtaliciousme
March 22, 2019 at 11:23 pmI might be a tiny tiny bit envious of your sound sleep. I usually fall asleep easily but sleep very lightly. So any noise, light change or movement can quickly wake me up and falling back to sleep then is tough. So I use ear plugs and never open my eyes when awake at night and walk around blind. It helps most the times. But once I have too many thoughts or dreams uughhh
theinbetweenismine.com
March 23, 2019 at 11:42 amOh that must be hard to be a “light sleeper”. I do get woken up by light or noises usually, but that’s why I keep my bedroom door closed :)
Anthea
March 24, 2019 at 11:57 pmI’m the same with sleeping with a sheet even in summer. I have to have something covering some part of me unless it is a super hot evening. I get my best sleep in winter under our thick duvet :)
Lisa of LIsa's Yarns
March 25, 2019 at 7:28 amI’m team top sheet! But I grew up with one so it’s what I”m used to, and Phil is as well. We don’t wash our comforter, though. So it seems a little more sanitary to use a top sheet as that gets washed every other week? I guess it’s just what you are used to, though!
I used to have the worst insomnia. I saw a doctor about it back in 2014. It has gotten much better. I had to go through sleep training basically. That meant getting out of bed if I laid awake for more than 10 minutes. I would get up and go to a different room and read until I felt tired. I was getting so little sleep during that time. It was the worst! I’ve never been a great sleeper but it’s gotten so much better, especially since having a baby. I think I’ve been so exhausted that my body just lets me sleep instead of fighting it. I’ve also become a napper since having a baby, but I only do that if I am really really exhausted. But when Paul was up 3-5 times a night, naps on the weekend were a necessity!
I’ll have to do a sleeping blog post sometime soon, too!