On sleep

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?

  1. I 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.

  2. Oh 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!

    1. I 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?

  3. I’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!

    1. I am sorry you wake up so many times at night. Would drive me crazy!

  4. I 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

    1. Oh 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.

  5. i usually wake up in the middle of the night. :( but i also cannot sleep with socks on… lol

    1. Ugh, I’d hate waking up every night. Do you fall back asleep quickly?

  6. So 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!

    1. Thank you for the post suggestion – sleep is an interesting topic indeed ;)

  7. I have to have a blanket all year round, too :)

  8. I 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

    1. Oh 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 :)

  9. I’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 :)

  10. I’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!

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