In Trying To Sleep, A Learning Curve Steep

Nature often knows best. It doesn't know best about everything, as we have certainly improved upon it in some areas. Also, I would hate to see it develop a big ego, so it's best to be measured in issuing praise, but it often does know best. One thing that happens well naturally is sleep. When it's dark, it's a whole lot easier to sleep than to continue on with waking activities, and it's naturally easier to do the reverse when it's light out.

If you sleep when it's easy to sleep and stay away when that's easier, you're bound to be well-rested and productive. Unfortunately, someone had to go and invent both shelter and artificial lighting. We've been messed up and muddling along ever since then, and no one has the nerve to suggest we go back. I'm no different than the rest. I have a terrible sleep cycle, because it's all too easy to go against the natural way now.

There are limits. It occurred to me the other day that I must never had tried to take a nap at the hour of 6PM, or at least I had never done so at this time of the year. That's no surprise, since by then I've either gotten through the low energy part of the day or I'm very tired prepared to tough it out a little longer. In any case, this time I was tired enough to sleep and at liberty to do so, so I tried indulging myself. It didn't work like I'd have wanted.

The thing is that I have a window perpendicular to the head of my bed, and this window faces north. At just this time of the day, the light streams in at just the right angle to evade my blinds and dapple the area of my pillow with unrelenting sunlight. It's terrible. Sunlight is not my friend at any time, and least of all when I am trying to sleep. I resolved anew to get blackout curtains for my bedroom, and cursed the vagaries of astronomy for dooming my easy rest.