I'm having a fabulous time on my New Orleans vacation- even without alcohol.
One of the biggest changes for me over the past nearly-four-weeks has been sleep. Judging from the other blogs, that seems to be a universal theme for early sobriety.
Before (i.e., with alcohol) my typical night involved 4.5-5 hours in bed. Much of that was poor-quality sleep, disturbed by metabolizing the large amount of alcohol in my system when I went to bed. Although I occasionally remembered dreams, I doubt if I regularly got much REM sleep at all. This has been my pattern for a couple of decades at least.
From day #1 of this challenge, I have been craving more sleep. I've been tracking my sleep times in my journal, and note that I've been getting 7.5-8 hours of sleep most nights. Since I get up at 5:30 almost every day, this involved astoundingly early bedtimes, like 9PM. And yet it feels very nourishing.
On the two nights we've been in New Orleans so far, I have been in bed an amazing total of 12 hours or so a night. And most of that time was actually spent sleeping, lol! I feel so relaxed, so calm, so full (and not just full of the wonderful food that flourishes here- also full, as in fully charged, ready for any activity or fun that comes along).
It really does feel like I am getting the amount of quality sleep my body needs, finally. Like I am making up for a many-year sleep deficit, and getting to the way a person should feel, rested and full (not just full of the wonderful food that flourishes here, but also full, as in the energy tank is topped off, restored to factory settings, so I am energetic and enthusiastic about whatever comes along!
Hurray for sleep!!
One of the biggest changes for me over the past nearly-four-weeks has been sleep. Judging from the other blogs, that seems to be a universal theme for early sobriety.
Before (i.e., with alcohol) my typical night involved 4.5-5 hours in bed. Much of that was poor-quality sleep, disturbed by metabolizing the large amount of alcohol in my system when I went to bed. Although I occasionally remembered dreams, I doubt if I regularly got much REM sleep at all. This has been my pattern for a couple of decades at least.
From day #1 of this challenge, I have been craving more sleep. I've been tracking my sleep times in my journal, and note that I've been getting 7.5-8 hours of sleep most nights. Since I get up at 5:30 almost every day, this involved astoundingly early bedtimes, like 9PM. And yet it feels very nourishing.
On the two nights we've been in New Orleans so far, I have been in bed an amazing total of 12 hours or so a night. And most of that time was actually spent sleeping, lol! I feel so relaxed, so calm, so full (and not just full of the wonderful food that flourishes here- also full, as in fully charged, ready for any activity or fun that comes along).
It really does feel like I am getting the amount of quality sleep my body needs, finally. Like I am making up for a many-year sleep deficit, and getting to the way a person should feel, rested and full (not just full of the wonderful food that flourishes here, but also full, as in the energy tank is topped off, restored to factory settings, so I am energetic and enthusiastic about whatever comes along!
Hurray for sleep!!
Yay! Sleep is amazing, isn't it? I was like you when I drank - up half the night drinking and very little time in bed. It's different now, and the sleep feels restful. :)
ReplyDeleteYup!! We are learning to Love Sleep- and I am feeling like you, that this is a key piece of the Early Sobriety puzzle- that is provides the base and the energy for all the other changes we are so busily making!! Onwards and Upwards! (are you a fan of the Narnia series by CS Lewis? I remember this phrase from one of those books!!)
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