March 18: Contentment / Daylight Savings Time, Getting a Good Night's Sleep

NOTE:  I changed my blog colors for spring. Hope you like the new look!  :)

CONTENTMENT SCRIPTURES

Eph. 4:31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. 

Matt. 5:43-44  “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

Mark 11:25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 

Bitter Isn't Better

There is no torment like the inner torment of bitterness, which is the by-product of an unforgiving spirit.  It refuses to be soothed, it refuses to be healed, it refuses to forget. There is no prison more damaging than the bars of bitterness which will not let the battle end.  (Charles Swindoll)

[excerpted from Contentment: A Matter of the Heart 
by Karen Horsey / Karen's Kreations]

===================================================

Is anyone else having trouble adjusting to Daylight Savings Time besides me?  I have been tired every morning this week.  It usually takes me several weeks to get used to the change.  Going to bed at the usual time of 11:00 p.m. isn't working.  It's been a bit darker in the morning due to cloudy weather here so I'm not waking up as easily.  Light wakes me up more than sound.  I have actually slept through the  sonic boom of the space shuttle returning to Cape Kennedy,  babies crying, helicopters flying overhead, thunderstorms and sirens.   If I have to rise early in the morning I will set the alarm clock but I extremely dislike the loud sound when waking.  I prefer to gradually wake up and always give myself plenty of time to "ease into" the morning.  A jolt to the system leaves me grumpy and more tired than if I have ample time to do whatever I need to do. Usually the bathroom light of my husband getting ready is all I need to wake up easily.   I hit the ground running once I get up and often throw some laundry in the washer at 6:30 a.m., then sit with my husband while he has breakfast, make the bed, clean the bathrooms,  walk,  and work a little on the computer before 8:30 a.m.

As I get older I am realizing that getting a good night's sleep is a blessing that many do not have.   My husband (and multitudes of our friends) do not sleep well at night.  He gets to sleep but then wakes up after a few hours, often missing REM sleep, and then can't get back to sleep for hours.  I don't know how he functions at work or even drives there (45 minutes each way).  I would be physically sick without enough sleep at night. He has tried all kinds of remedies from melatonin, to antihistamines, white noise (a slightly noisy fan), and  a snack before bedtime. There is a new organic product he's trying now, recommended by a good friend which seemed to work great at first--Invigorest.  I hope this helps but I really don't like the idea of him "taking something" every night to sleep.

I fall asleep within about 15 minutes of lying down on our bed.  I don't let myself take a nap  or rest much during the day though and I generally exercise some every day as well.  Not being so full of food each day helps my digestion tremendously which may help me sleep.   I also have the same routine most nights.

• 6:30 p.m.  Eat a moderate dinner with the family (no food after 8:00 p.m.)
• 7:30 p.m.  Clean up the kitchen
• 8:00 p.m.  Watch an hour or so of  TV with the family and/or read or write
• 9:00 pm.  Have a hot drink, usually coffee or tea (caffeine does not bother me at night) / family time
• 10:00 p.m.  Take a warm shower and put soft cotton PJ's and fluffy slippers  or massage socks
• 10:30 pm.   Read or work on a project staying away from bright lights i.e. laptop computer
• 11:00 p.m.  Be in bed by this time, earlier, if tired

Sounds pretty boring but that is my regular weeknight routine.  I don't have any trouble sleeping and I think that this may be part of the reason.    I change the linens on our beds every 2 weeks.  I used to do it every week but we all take showers both in the morning AND at night, and the linens stay fresher longer.  In the summer I wash the pillowcases each week and sometimes the sheets as well.  Our mattress is from the  Sleep Number company which is very comfortable.  If you have a good solid frame for the bed you do not need to buy the entire Sleep Number bed which saves a lot of  $$.  They go on sale periodically.   For the last few Christmases I have bought everyone fluffy new pillows.

Several men that we know have sleep apnea which can be serious.  Your body actually stops breathing for a time and then is jolted awake by a loud snore.   Again, REM sleep is often missed.   This can be helped with a breathing apparatus worn at night.  I have heard excellent reports from people who use this.

Your body also may not deal with stress very well.  We all have certain amounts of stress every day but each copes differently.  Keeping your body strong from the inside helps deal with it and although this is not health blog, eating right and a little exercise really does help by increasing your metabolism and strengthening your heart so that the stress does not affect it as much, which in turn can affect everything else in your body.

I hope and pray that if you are one of those who has trouble sleeping to do some serious research and ponder if there are underlying currents why you are not.  Eliminate the obvious reasons--uncomfortable bed, teething or sick children--and see if there is a physical or psychological reason why you do not sleep well at night.  We all need our rest especially in these trying times.

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, 

for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.