It’s more of a doze

There are people my age, no doubt, who sleep soundly for several hours every night. There are those who can wake up in the night to go to the bathroom and easily go back to sleep. I’m not one of those people.

I never was a great sleeper, never could sleep in on weekends. It used to irritate me that my college roommates could sleep until noon on weekends, while I was awake shortly after dawn no matter how late I had gone to bed.

My routine now is bedtime at 10 p.m., a bathroom run around 1:30 a.m. and I still wake up around 4:30 to 5 a.m. I haven’t set an alarm in years.

I don’t feel sleep deprived, and morning is still my favorite time of the day. Possibly, I am sleep deprived because dozing is now second nature to me. My sleep habits haven’t changed; it’s my stay-awake habits that have changed. I used to go all day and into the night without napping, but nowadays, napping comes far too easily.

I saw a meme the other day that was apropos. It was a cartoon of Snoopy saying, “As I get older, I don’t really sleep anymore. It’s more of a doze between pee breaks.” Snoopy is right; sleep now is more of a doze.

It’s much easier for me to doze during the day than it is to sleep at night. The best rest is in my recliner during naps, which are usually fairly brief. I literally never feel a nap coming on. Without having felt particularly drowsy, I find myself waking up abruptly, a book having fallen out of my hands, or perhaps 10 minutes of a movie has passed, or as frequently happens, I am in the midst of writing a column and have fallen asleep with my computer perched on my lap.

I can’t believe how easy it is to fall asleep during the most exciting parts of a movie or program. I’ve even dozed off briefly during ballgames and missed an exciting play or terrific athletic feat. Thank goodness for replays.

Sometimes, during the night when I can’t fall back asleep after awakening, I’ll get into my recliner, turn on TV to something like Aerial America and gently fall back to sleep.

My poor sleeping habits are probably not unusual. Aging can affect sleep patterns, often resulting in lighter sleep, less deep sleep and more frequent awakenings.

But it’s a misconception that the elderly require less sleep. Much is written about the need for seven to eight hours of restorative sleep for good health, and that includes older adults. We’re told it’s also necessary to fall into deep slumber for at least two hours in order to truly benefit from sleep and to be fully restored.

Since dozing never lasts very long, it can’t really be classified as restorative, although it definitely makes one feel refreshed.

Deep slumber can be hard to come by. I can awaken instantly at the slightest sound, although running a fan does help. I nearly always hear others in the house if they’re up. If my granddaughter’s cat meows, even at the other end of the house, it wakes me up. I’m like a good guard dog.

Sleep experts warn against long daytime naps for the elderly. They say it’s important to manage naps so they don’t disrupt nighttime sleep. That makes sense. Briefly dozing off for a few minutes in one’s chair is not nearly as disruptive as a two-hour afternoon nap would be. The key is to never crawl into bed for a nap – which is never tempting for me. I don’t return to my bed after rising – even at 5 a.m. - until 10 p.m.

Restorative sleep is said to be essential for older adults to maintain cognitive function. It’s important for emotional health and helps resist disease. Restorative sleep supports physical recovery from injury, surgery and illness.

I used to worry about being a poor sleeper but, apparently, since having reached the age I’m at now, restorative sleep hasn’t been all that essential for me.

More than 70 years ago, one of my farm chores as a teenager was milking cows - 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., every day, 365 days a year. I often joke that my early rising habits must have developed then.