A Touch of AADD

It’s possible I may have a touch of AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder). Right now, I’m typing on a laptop, flipping back and forth between email and Facebook, and watching a TV show recorded earlier (fast forwarding through the commercials).

I tell people I get bored easily, but the truth is … well, that IS the truth. I DO get bored easily.

Then, after a day of fast forward, I expect to fall asleep instantly, and sleep soundly for several hours and wake refreshed. Ha! Impossible. 

My son told me the problem is the laptop and TV …something in the light interferes with the production of melatonin, preventing sleep. Is that true? I didn’t ask him to cite his source … he’s a 30-something kid, what does he know about the sleep patterns of his elders?

He does have a point. I do keep the laptop on until the last minute before bed. Could it be?  Time for an experiment ....

For the last couple weeks, I've been doing things a bit differently.  I don't watch the news on TV before bed, or any TV show.  I turn off the TV and the laptop at least 30 minutes before going to bed, and choose one of the 6 or 7 books I keep by my bedside to read for 30 minutes. When I turn out the lights finally, instead of tossing and turning and watching the clock, I make a mental gratitude list … just think of all the things I’m grateful for, usually starting off the list with “warm comfortable bed.” I’m starting to fall asleep instantly. If I wake up, I return to the mental gratitude list until I fall back asleep again, and try really hard not to look at the clock at all.

And it’s working! I’m falling asleep quicker than ever, and waking up in a pretty good mood (all those gratitude lists does something for my emotional state.)

Have trouble sleeping?  Try an experiment ... turn off the TVand the computer. Read a book instead.  You might find that simple change in your routine makes a difference.

Of course, I still crave a nap mid-afternoon. But that doesn’t count.