Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Do You Sleep Eight Hours a Night?

 

evening star

 

I counted every star in the evening sky while telling myself to go to sleep.

Who would have thought that sleeping in ones own bed would not have been easy?

Blame it on those wires and straps of the testing equipment.

Yes, I had the Apnea test done at home. 

The entire night passed while I concentrated on not holding my breath. Instead of dream land I was in mindful land… which actually sounded like a a warped mantra:

"I do not want to sleep the rest of my life with a mask and a machine next to me, breathe Breathe in – breathe out. I do not want to sleep the rest of my life with a mask on my face, breathe …" 

 

guardian angel

Thank you for your concern and wishes.

Caring even when far away and through the internet is like a modern day guardian angel.

…

The results will come soon, and I will let you know.

 

angels never take a break

 

Angels never take a break.

Are you a deep sleeper?

Do you sleep eight hours a night?

What is your bedtime routine?

Do you sleep with PJs? A nightgown? In the nude? With a tee shirt?

I like to sleep with the window open, in a nightgown, next to French Husband at my side.

xxx

Comments

39 responses to “Do You Sleep Eight Hours a Night?”

  1. Bev S.

    I wish that I could sleep 8 hours a night. Most of the time it is around 7 hours but it really depends. If I’ve had a stressful day or a night meeting, I’ll fall asleep and then wake up 3 hours later and I am done for the night (that was last night, unfortunately). I am a nightgown type of girl but with the hot flashes, well….

    Reply
  2. martina

    Haven’t slept a solid eight hours in years. Usually it is 4-6 hours. If I am stressed will wake up frequently during the night, sometimes impossible to get back to sleep.

    Reply
  3. jackie

    King size bed, 2 dogs, one husband, open window (just a crack) and I always, always start the night with headphones on, listening to a guided meditation. I usually get about 4 hours in before I wake up and have to start again. Did I say this yesterday???

    Reply
  4. Toni

    i like to sleep in the t shirt my husband wore that day because it smells like his cologne. I don’t sleep 8 hours except on weekends when i sometimes sleep 10.

    Reply
  5. Marilyn

    I hope with the results they can help you.
    I like to sleep 8 hours a night, but that is rare.
    I go to bed and read about an hour to relax, then I
    go to sleep fairly easily. My problem is I wake during
    the night and can’t go back to sleep for a couple hours.
    I am realizing it is because I have arthritis in my neck
    and not moving I have the most pain during the night. I am hoping this will be resolved in the next month. I sleep in pjs, love the window open a little, love snuggling down in the covers on a cool night.

    Reply
  6. cynthia

    Four to six usually. Cooler weather helps.

    Reply
  7. carol

    Oh Corey! My good friend has sleep apnea and she uses her machine and sleeps much better. I have seen a smaller, supposedly more comfortable one advertised on tv lately. I hope you get good results. I usually get 5 – 6 hours of sleep, but I get up a couple of times during the night. Usually, I can go right back to sleep. I get more on the weekends, but it seems I can never get to bed early enough on work days! I would love 8 hours a night! PJ’s and nightgowns!
    Hoping for good results for you!

    Reply
  8. Barbara Snow

    I’d give anything for 8 hours a night. Or seven. Or six. Most nights it’s sleep an hour, wake up for half an hour or more. About every third or fourth night I do better – I chalk that up to extreme exhaustion.
    Best of luck on your test. Hope you find relief, but at least you have FH at your side…:)
    Barb in Minnesota

    Reply
  9. suzanna

    amazing Corey, I have to do this test too! And I do not want some wacko mask to sleep in either…..they never mentioned at home for me, wow, only that they wake me up, if I sleep ha ha, at 5AM to go home. I wonder if I will sleep at all! I wear whatever stricks me, birthday suit, big clean white T shirt, and other things maybe not mentioned….hee hee…….soon I shall be in this study too…..crazy…..they say it relates to indigestion at night…..xo

    Reply
  10. Ann

    A good night’s sleep is essential for good health and I work at getting 7-8 hrs. of restful sleep. My biggest set back is a mind that doesn’t shut down easily.
    I sleep in a pretty short nightie. I spend about 10 min. in prayer right before hitting the pillow. I don’t over eat at dinner, a cup of herbal tea helps to relax. I try to go to bed at the same time every night.
    And for those nights when it looks as if I will never fall asleep, I call on the “Angel of Sleep” to help me relax and sleep. I don’t think there is such an Angel but I made her up and it seems to work every time.

    Reply
  11. Linda G.

    After years of interrupted sleep because of my husband’s restless leg syndrome and severe sleep apnea, I made a reluctant decision to sleep in another room. It was SO hard to leave him alone, but once I had just one night on a bed that didn’t shake every 2 minutes, I never went back. He now sleeps with a CPAP, and takes a med for the legs, so he’s sleeping better than he has for years. (Yes we still make time for cuddling in one bed or another!) And I snuggle under my down comforter, right in the center of a queen mattress, with all the covers staying in place and no noise except the soft whir of my little fan. I always used to dread going to bed and now I actually look forward to it.

    Reply
  12. Leslie in Oregon

    Getting enough productive sleep on a regular basis is probably the single best way to maximize your health. What that means is, do whatever it takes to be able to sleep long enough, and well enough, to awaken refreshed. Using an auto-CPAP machine with a humidifier for several years made a huge difference in my health, and my life, by doing that for me. And getting sufficient good sleep at night restored enough focus and energy to enable me to “cure” my sleep apnea by changing the way I eat and exercising more. My CPAP machine, in other words, put itself out of business! So please, if you have sleep apnea (even if you are told it is a mild case), do not be afraid to use a CPAP machine…it is not necessarily a lifelong endeavor, and it may just save your life! And be patient: it often takes a bit of experimenting and practice to find the best mask style for you. Best wishes!

    Reply
  13. Francesca

    8 to 9 hours a day, in the nude always – but I wear socks in winter 🙂
    I do hope you don´t need a CPAP but, as others have mentioned, it is a device that can save your life.

    Reply
  14. XiijnTEXAS FRANCOPHILE

    Usually 7 hrs in a nightgown with sweet snoring hubs by my side. I would prefer sleeping with my head elevated, therefore in the market for adjustable bed. Would love to sleep with window open once it cools down, however we live in the city so that would not be a safe choice. When we checked into our hotel room in Seillans the lady raised the window and insisted we sleep with the window up. It was in Oct and we loved it!!!! Please use the Cpap if prescribed as it will save your life. They make them small enough to fit in a brief case now. Good luck. Xoxo

    Reply
  15. Dd

    A friend has it and says he sleeps great and feels so much better in the am

    Reply
  16. Jude

    I get up at 5:15am and put in a long day. By the time I get in bed, usually around 9:00pm, I’m exhausted, but I stay awake until around 10 or 10:30. I have to sleep in all white bed linens, white t-shirt and white cotton gym shorts. I’ve become a sort of more warped Emily Dickinson. I love to sleep, but I don’t get enough.
    Wishing the best for you, Corey.

    Reply
  17. teresa cesario

    Thinking of you Corey, praying for you. Will be waiting to hear more of how you are doing with it.

    Reply
  18. Robin

    I hope you don’t either! I’ve always been aware of the passing of the night but I never worried about it. We go to bed at 9:00 and wake up at 4:30. Room dark, window open a crack, no night clothes. I have to read a book to help shut my mind off. Always non-fiction, usually history. Fiction keeps me awake.
    BTW, in Medieval times people went to bed early but usually woke up around 11 – midnight. They would eat, go visit neighbors, etc. Then go back to bed until sunrise. It was called 1st sleep and 2nd sleep. The time between “sleeps” would be about an hour. Maybe humans aren’t meant to sleep solidly for 8 hours?

    Reply
  19. suzanna

    Corey, I have “blackout lining” on my windows a big plus and in Florida helps in hot summers for utility bills, also, if I have to get up in the middle of the night for the powder room it is dark and light doesn’t hit my eyes to wake me up again. I also believe in 100% wool mattresses, a wool bed topper if a mattresses can’t be bought yet….it breaths, no dust issues, stays warm in winter and cool in summer. Also keeping fresh cool air is nice as you mentioned, I love that with windows open…..or no higher than 70 degrees at night. I sometimes listen to Tibetan bowls video on youtube that is so soothing and comforting. Soon I go to a sleep study! I wonder, why are so many of us having this going on? Routine bed time is important too for me! xo

    Reply
  20. Judy

    Do I sleep eight hours a night?
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
    Not since my kid was born 26 years ago.

    Reply
  21. Laurie

    Hi Corey,
    Thinking of you and praying for the best. My husband had all of this done too and he was so bad he had his uvula removed because he didn’t want to use the machine either. This made a huge difference in both of our sleepless nights. He quit snoring and shaking the bed and I got to move back into the bed with him. He slept better and woke up rested as did I. T shirt and as cold as possible is my preference for a 6-7 hours deep sleep.

    Reply
  22. labergerebasque

    Our days on the farm are endless and in the next month the Sheepfarmer will have surgery to correct what radiation had damaged so generally sleep is NO PROBLEM. I sleep 8-9 hours, nude, next to my nude Sheepfarmer with the window open and shutters closed…all year. No heater, plenty of quilts in wintertime. Lately (stressful sleeping) I wake and worry and try to talk myself into letting God worry for me… How am I going to get it all done in the months the Sheepfarmer is convelessing?!!! I will keep you in my prayers too.

    Reply
  23. Franki O

    I think I have been a long term insomniac….since college orientation week in 1963 when seeing in the dawn of the new day was cool and I was somewhat younger. Favourite attire? Doirissimo!,
    Corry, I hope that regular, restful sleep and sweet dreams will soon be yours.

    Reply
  24. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    How could you sleep with all the stuff hanging on you? I am sorry that you have to have this test, but you will live longer ya know, if you have sleep apnea and have to hook up to a mask. Not breathing is hard on your big heart!!
    I know several, beautiful, women that sleep with this mask. The are still beautiful when they wake up in the morning, so don’t fuss. We all want you healthy and writing, and sharing your life. xo

    Reply
  25. Karen Carson

    We know so many people who have sleep apnea and use “the Machine” and are so glad they do…no more snoring and they now truly rest as they sleep. But I’m sure the prospect is daunting…
    We sleep au natural, window wide open, eventually joined by our two tuxedo kitties. I have no trouble falling asleep but wake up several times during the night to change position because of my bad back. Sigh…we all have a story, don’t we?

    Reply
  26. Merry

    I sleep with a mask user … took some trial and error to find the best one for him, but so worth it. He now uses a BiPap … smaller, better fitting, more effective … for him.
    Whatever the results, Corey, be glad! So much more is known now about this whole issue and the very negative effects of this disorder if there is no intervention. The equipment is improving and still evolving. And if you don’t need it … well, even better!
    I’ve never been an 8 hour person but I think my sleeping patterns have changed … I tend to wake up too early and sometimes can’t go back to sleep. I also can be counted on to nod off while watching almost anything on TV later in the evening, due to lack of sleep … or boredom … it depends! The mask has helped, me, though … I don’t have to listen to some pretty horrific snoring, and no longer have to use my elbow to stop breathing pauses!
    Wishing you sweet dreams, Corey … and FH, too!

    Reply
  27. Janet with Eiffel

    A good friend used the machine for a while
    and it enabled him to “learn to sleep”.
    He’s sleeping with out help now.
    As for me, I don’t believe I have ever
    in my life slept more than 2 or 3 consecutive
    hours in one night.
    Nothing to do with apnea, just can’t turn
    off my mind.

    Reply
  28. Lisa

    Corey,
    So sorry you cannot sleep! Praying you will get good results and sleep.
    Blessings, Lisa

    Reply
  29. Kiki

    Corey; how very bizarre – you were so much on my mind but because I have very bad eye sight, I only read blogs every now and then. But we passed the marché d’Ouen last Sunday (by car so no stopping there… 🙁 sadly) and I said to Hero Husband that you were very present – if ever we get a chance to have a real in-depth talk about faith, prayer & church-going that would be great. And now I read that you’re all cabled and wired up for your sleeping patterns. In a way I do envy you because I am a notoriously bad sleeper and I can’t remember the last time I slept more than 4hrs in one go. Right now I’m such a mess that I can’t sleep at night and can’t seem to be fully awake all day long.
    Hope you’ll get ‘good marks’ from your tests and that things can be done for you. What I do in my sleepless nights, for hours: Thinking and praying for all I know with sorrows, problems, uncertainties and I can even take the time to call their names… It doesn’t do anything for MY sleep but I’m quite sure it does something for the souls I’m thinking of fondly!

    Reply
  30. Gracie

    I’ve been tested too, and it seems I have apnea on my sleep for about 20% of time. They said it’s hard on the heart so I should sleep with a breathing machine, but I don’t want to. I slimmed down 12 kgs and it helped a lot, no more snoring, but now I’ve gained them again….so if I wont’ be forever attached to a machine during the night, I have to stick very hard to a diet again…will do it, I just have to.

    Reply
  31. Tessa~

    Dear Corey,
    Typepad will not let me comment on your blog. After all these years.
    I am trying to see, if I can “comment” by leaving a Repy, to an already posted comment here.
    Happy Autumn,
    Tessa~
    “Here there be musing” blog

    Reply
  32. Tessa~

    Oh good grief!
    Today, I can comment here!
    Yesterday, I could not!
    ???????????????????
    Whatever happened, it seems to be “fixed.”
    To answer your questions, I sleep 9 hours a night, and well. My son had this testing, and he wears the necessary thing, and he is so much better.
    Best wishes to you.
    Happy Autumn,
    Tessa~
    “Here there be musing” blog

    Reply
  33. Liz

    Am an early to bed, early to rise gal. Need to be in bed by 10 30pm. Read a bit sometimes, and generally go to sleep okay. Haven’t slept through the night for probably 29 years [yes coinciding with childbearing years]. It’s annoying as am always so tired, work full time, stressful job etc etc. Wake up every couple of hours :: too hot / need the loo / thirsty/ too cold. Secret weapon :: audio books on CDs next to my bed. Sometimes hear 2 CDs during the night. The stories have to be pretty simple, and pleasant, or they don’t work. They stop my mind whirring on work or worrisome issues.

    Reply
  34. Liz

    yup! When pregnant for the first time I remember thinking , how can I go six weeks with broken nights? [there was a common myth 29 years ago that a baby sleeps at 6 weeks, ho ho ho] Four kids later, don’t think I’ve slept through since late in that first pregnancy. Youngest is now 21 so haven’t got a sleepless child to wake me, but sleep is never solid. I posted below before seeing your post. It’s actually quite amazing we survive, isn’t it??

    Reply
  35. Rhonda

    Oh yes I do love to sleep. Even with all I want to create and accomplish during one day, one week, one month, I get in our comfy white bed and I’m fast asleep. My routine is a glass of ice cold milk before I crawl into bed – works every time. I believe cutting out caffeine after 2:00pm helps.

    Reply
  36. Andrea

    Eight hours? Ha! No way. I REEEEEAAAALLLLLY hope you don’t need the CPAP although those who have it say they’ve gotten used to it. I should have the test done but haven’t. I’m claustrophobic. Can’t do it.

    Reply
  37. tammyCA

    I wish I could get in 8 hrs a night but it’s more like 6 with little cat naps during the day. I love sleep so I will sleep in on weekends. I sleep in vintage silky nighties or tees and pajama pants. Lawdy! Never in the buff..what if there’s an earthquake?! Horrors.
    Btw, I have several family members who have to wear the mask for sleep apnea, including my dh..I nagged him for years before he would get the test and sure enough. It has helped him a lot.

    Reply
  38. Franca Bollo

    8 … oftentimes 9 … occasionally 10. I am a master sleeper. I’m pretty sure I was a cat in an earlier life. purr …

    Reply
  39. Kristin

    Bonjour from Canada! My reluctant, manly boyfriend has been using a Cpap for several years and he is a huge convert. It took him some patience and about a month to her the hang of it. We even have a special battery so that we can still go car camping. I’m thankful that he accepted it as it will help ensure his health and (our) longevity. Bon chance.

    Reply

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