Sleep is one of the most important components of health, yet many people never get enough of it. I am one of those people.

Sometimes I'll stay up late (at work or even at home) thinking, "I have so many things to do, let's see if I can finish some more!" Sometimes I'll force myself to sneak in a quick workout before bed, but I'll never finish. And sometimes I go, "OK I'll take a quick nap..." and end up spending the night on the couch or in my clothes.

I've been doing better lately, but one late night (read: midnight or later) at work is enough to mess me up. Last Tuesday I stayed until the wee hours of the morning, and my sleeping patterns the rest of the week were irreparably messed up.

I especially hate the feeling of sitting on the couch and waking up again at 7am, just in time to leave for work, and realize I didn't even brush my teeth!

My goal is to realign my sleeping patterns. In bed by 11am at the latest, with my face and hair washed, teeth brushed and flossed, and in my sleeping clothes. Up at 6am every day, which gives me a comfy 7 hours of sleep at night. For the most part I've been able to stick to this, but it still annoys me that occasionally I will mess up and slip into bad patterns of behavior again.

The clock is ticking... let's see how well I can do!

I should be asleep right now, since its 2 AM here, but instead I'm browsing LW....

Shall I enlist you on my journey to better sleep, Indy?

I'm totally like that, though. I know I should be going to bed, but I can't resist one... more... click....

I like looking at the older LW threads from before I joined. It's fun to see all the threads about new Legion books coming out when viewed in retrospect.

I've also had a problem of sleeping through my alarm on occasion. Last Wednesday, I slept through my 10 AM class!

I would sometimes sleep through classes, but usually only after exhausting all-nighters. Bad habit to shake...

I went to bed relatively early last night, 11.30, still not my target. And now I find myself awake at 4am. Not cool. Heading back to bed after a drink of water and a gargle.

I'm looking at my sleep patterns too. I was more disciplined years ago than I am now. So, I've set a simple set of night habits that will get me away from any distractions and into bed.

It's not that I turn into a pumpkin at midnight, but I sure feel like one the next day at work if I've been up late.

I feel like one now. Sigh. I hate that when I go to bed early, I also tend to wake up too early to start my day.

Perhaps I should also make it a point to disconnect from my devices earlier in the evening.

But if you disconnect earlier, then how will you talk to all of us here on LW?

Delayed messaging?

That's what I find works. After a while a routine will fall into place. At that point, I stay up late to show I'm the one in control and not the routine. Then I fall into the routine again.

I need to get back into the routine...

So disappointed in myself. Got home late. I knew I should make a beeline for the bathroom to do what I have to do. But my body is so tired I say, oh I will just have a nap on the couch...

Next thing I know it is 6am. Ugh!!!

As sad as it sounds, I found an evening over overcompensating worked for me. Have nothing planned with the exception of getting to bed. Then the following night get closer to the routine I want. It seems easier that way.

The downside of this is that it probably stopped me watching TV. I used to turn it on at around 10 if I was going to. Once I got out of that habit, that was it.

I would love to try that, it sounds like a good tactic. Problem is those days where I leave the office late and get home after midnight. I'm just so exhausted sometimes I don't make it to bed.

I need to stop making pit stops at the couch on my way up.

Yeah, late office nights are a pain. Assuming you're not also taking work home, some ideas...

- move the bed to where your couch is. Simple solution!
- Prep things the day before, so you don't have to go near the couch. Depending on the layout of your home, avoid the room where the couch is. Kitchen then to bed. If you stray to the couch while food is being prepared, prepare it the in the am/ night before in batches so it's a quick reheat and stay in the kitchen/dining area.
- if you watch TV, put a TV in the bedroom. At least you'll be used to being in bed and you can then wean yourself of any TV so you don't stay up late watching that. Ideally just read a book/ Legion comic instead.

#2 is extremely helpful. I actually made it to my bed last night, yay! Thanks thothy!

I also regularly manage to prepare the things I need the next day - that is, the night before, all my work clothes are laid out and so on.

Now I need to make sure I do everything else - wash my hair, for example.

Slept right the last couple of nights! I'm feeling great

In the Karmic balance of things, I woke up at silly o'clock the very night I posted advice here. Since, The Cat of Terror/Cuteness has been waking me up lots.

No good deed goes unpunished. But thanks again for the advice, thothy.

I read that sleeping with pets does tend to lead to poor sleep quality. I used to keep our dog in my room. A little noise and he would bark and wake me up in the wee hours of the morning to help darken the circles under my eyes...

I'd close the doors, but she just launches herself at the handles until they open. So it's an extra 10 minutes of disturbance listening to that, and then I get pestered anyway.

Kind of like what my folks go through. They keep the dog out, dog scratches on the door all night.

Utterly pestered last night. Now with a growing trend of getting pawed in the face when she's bored.

I still have had tons of work this week, but for 3 nights out of 4 I brought some home. Which means I was able to work out twice, wash my face, etc. I am feeling good about that.

I've been pretty bad about keeping a good sleeping schedule this week since I had three midterms within the span of two days. Hopefully I can catch up on rest when I go home this weekend for spring break.

Hope you have an enjoyable (and restful ;)) spring break, Indy!

Last night I was sitting on the couch when I felt sleep come on. I managed to pull myself off the couch and head up to my room. I know it's silly but I am quite happy about that.

well done on breaking out of that habit, Ibby.

thanks, thothy! I still have a ways to go - I missed washing my face once this week - but I was successful 4 days in a row, which is already a big victory.

I was OK until this thread started. Late night last night, followed by movie, followed by falling asleep without turning the TV properly off. Oh, and asleep at the wrong end of the bed.

Which irritates the cat who then has to travel to the other end of the bed to slap me awake

Perhaps bad habits are transferable

Seriously though, I do think it's the late nights. When I have a late night at work, I still try to do all the personal errands I didn't get to go - and sometimes fall asleep in the middle of them.

I've been sleeping well more often than not now. I'm aiming for a clean streak up to May - here's hoping!

Glad to hear it.

"Come sweet slumber, enshroud me in thy purple cloak."

Using my willpower to drag myself up off the couch and to the bathroom makes me feel good.

Now if only I could use my willpower to make myself fly.

Be sure to start learning to fly using the willpower method from the ground. It's an easy mistake to make. Often made only once.

I'm not planning to crash into any planes, either

Tee hee Oh and take mittens. Good advice for most things, but it's bloomin' cold up there, and we'd not you to become an Ibbsicle.

Thanks, thothy! I'll take goggles as well. Jack Knight had it right when he thought about the glare and the cold

He really should have tied the staff to his wrist too. One thump from a villain up there and it's time for another entry in the Starman legacy.

But those aren't ordinary mittens! In a Secret Wars/ Amalgam tie in - Jack Knight versus the venomous Mitten Marauders!

I hope Brainy also made the flight rings non-magnetic. Else Magno Boy of all villains could destroy the Legion!

Those mittens aren't going to come to life and eat my hands are they?

So, it's 3 A.M. here in Atlanta and I still haven't gone to bed...

Aw Stalgie. Sleep in tomorrow!

I'm surprised the mitten marauders even allowed you to post,now that they control your hands.

Oh, well, I now lead the Mitten Marauders...

But wait! The Mitten Marauders have teamed up with the Sock Supremes! Now who leads whom?

I command them all!

Even the mighty...



>Gasp<

I think you only think that you're in control there, Ibbster.

That makes me want to go to sleep and never wake up. *shudder*

Be sure to take your socks off before bed. You'd not want them to control your dreams too, now would you?

You're trying to turn me into a paranoid mess, aren't you?

I'm thinking being on my computer is not helping ...

Probably not

>hastily moves across the podium<

Unless it's Legion World of course. > nervous chuckle<

Because of you are on you're computer and there are other stresses keeping you awake, Legion World will help you think of something else long enough to relax you and get you off to sleep quicker. I'm sure Ibby's post was accidentally truncated after "probably not" there...

Actually, not

I have read that it's best to stay away from phones and the Internet an hour before going to bed. Of course I don't follow my own advice

Tee hee. I've just listened to an hour of politicians cover their own butts and hastily back track, so I couldn't resist

Don't worry, I don't plan to cover my butt

Today, the All-Butt party announced their manifesto: "Work Those Glutes Baby!"

"We're behind you all the way!"

Let's hope the new MPs get along and we don't get another Rump Parliament debacle!

Oh, you know politicians. Always making asses of themselves.

A quick ass-essment of the thread shows little sleeping related posting this page

But I got a whole 6 and a half uninterrupted hours of snoozing in. Huzzah!

My sleep has been wonderfully good recently too. High five!

In the last two weeks I've only had poor sleep once.

Well, after more than a month of relatively good sleep and no overtime, I stayed in the office until 11pm last night for no good reason. Things needed to be done yes, but I could have left more than an hour earlier if I had stuck to the truly urgent things.

I ended up collapsing on my bed at home.

A bit of a backslide. My goal is to have good sleep for an uninterrupted month....

Late nights - long days and feline interrupted sleep (Not the eyes! not the eyes!), when I do get it have made me constantly tired recently. I crash out when I get in for an hour, which ruins my sleep later on.

So, sharing your fun there Ibby

We are having so much fun thothy A little ale should make it even more fun!

This is why, even though we have tons of dogs, I don't let any sleep in my room.

I was trying a few more darker ales on Friday. They are generally a lot stronger, so I have to be even more careful to know my limit (and to not pass it by too much ) Not the sort of thing I'd be drinking on a long night out.

As for the cat (currently on mu lap, supervising my typing) I'm not the one in charge (cat on lap purrs in agreement at this). She has the run of the house. I'm aware she's very much an inside cat (not too comfy going out much), so inside is her territory. When not having the run of the house, she howls for ages and opens doors by herself. Then she gets the run of the house anyway. Just letting her get her way is easier all round

Besides, we have a new thing. I'm not getting interrupted in the middle of the night. She's waiting for me to drop off, then wakes me up. So, getting to sleep is tougher, but once I do I get some peace.

Perhaps she insists on giving you a good night kiss

Thanks for making every night from now on creepy Ibby.

I also note that the only response to one of my posts in the Archives thread, was your comment about spanking Lana Lang.

I'll see you over at Dr. Gym'll's Therapy Thread.

In IB's defense, "spanking redheads" is one of the better uses of ones time I can think of off the top of my head...

I think you shall be my future classmate, considering how much attention you have been paying to these clues

It can be fun

I could be there for lots of reasons Is kinky OCD one of them? possibly...

Maybe you and the cat can have couples' counseling too

Cat Couples Counselling: Session 2

Dr. Strange: Well done thoth lad. Now that you have agreed to pander to your cat's every passing whim at whatever time of day, while being utterly ignored in return, you should get along just fine.

Except for that mandatory good night kiss.

Yuck! Cat food breath! And that's just mine

You know the cat disapproves of ooor hygiene

it's futile to try to keep up with a cat's standards in anything.

She did pick you though. Even if you think you picked her.

Even cats have off days

Aw you are so humble

one of the first things to go with cat related sleep deprivation is an ego

Dogs, on the other hand, tend to inflate egos

I could never get past people who shout commands at things.

Getting up early for walks can't be good for sleeping. Nor would the barking. But you'd get more exercise.

Dogs also have a way of waking you up at the worst times, alas.

I tried sleeping with our puppy in my room once. The noisy little thing kept scratching and digging half the night. Eventually I placed him back in the garage with the others.

You could have left him at it, to see if he would dig you out a Bat Cave*. He could have become Ace, the Bat-Puppy.



*results may be less if you sleep on a floor higher than ground level.

He does show quite a bit of acrobatic potential.

Hmmm...

And that would solve the sleep problem. Batman doesn't need sleep.

The washboard abs would be a good perk too.

Now all I need is a fortune...

..and a washboard if you can't be bothered to put in the actual exercise.

Fake abs are an in thing now.

And sleep > exercise if I have to choose.

Rubbish sleep update...

Bed at 11:50pm woke up at 5:30. Couldn't get back to sleep and had a sort of zombie sleep where I'm exhausted but unable to do anything. Then alarmitis (that knowing the alarm is nearish/ unconscious fear that if you fall asleep now, you'll miss it) kicks in around 6:40 and that's that.

Zombie sleep is a thing for me in recent times. Other trends are falling asleep early in an evening, only to wake up later, stay up for a few hours and then grab a few hours rest. Not great.

Oh, and when I'm really knacked, I'm aware of the dark pull of a certain deeper sleep, which is just a sign of super sleepiness.

On the plus side my applications to join the Legion as either Monitor Miss or Biorhythm Boy are going along quite well.

Maybe you are adjusting to a new sleep cycle. Hope it resolved itself soon thothy.

Or your cat could be trying to kill you.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/31/cat-lion-psychological-traits/74941388/

I think not having a cycle, sleep or otherwise, may be an issue.

I saw Aunty Monitor's Beeb's version of that story. "Mankind discovers that other sentient organisms are just as emotionally deep as it is, but struggles to build this into its superiority complex shocker."

I'm now waking up before the traditional cat interruptions. I think she actually misses the bit where she pawed my face until I was awake.

I read too that having a regular sleep cycle solves a lot of problems. Hope your body adjusts soon.

Bah! I hate the thought of having a "bedtime"

"Oh, look it's 10:00. I better have a cocoa and go to bed." Bah!

Yeah, I prefer going to sleep based on the number of things I have accomplished. "Ok I have organized my sock drawer as I said I would, I can sleep now!"

If I slept only when I'd completed things, I'd never sleep at all!

You would be extremely efficient though

For that brief time before I burned out completely.

Well no plan is perfect

Same again today, but I felt a lot less shattered during the day. It's starting to get dark early here now, so hopefully I'll get to snuggle in a bit more of an evening.

Hope the change in seasons will help you adjust, thothy

At least it's the weekend now. Nothing planned for tomorrow morning except sleep.

Of course, now I have a little toothache that won't be seen to until after the middle of next week. Fingers crossed it doesn't develop into proper grownup toothache between now and then.

Alas. I am fearful of getting toothaches as well.

My sleep quality is improving a bit. However I am 8 hours behind my normal time zone and will be so for two weeks so... let us see.

I wonder if there's Time-Lag from using Time Bubbles?

You keep thinking you're in the 25th century for the first couple of days back in 1950s Smallville.

And then you get surprised when you see flying cars

It looks like I will finally get over my jet lag today.

Okay, so I am still not over it. Ugh.

I was finally able to sleep through the nght! One long uninterrupted sleep!

I used to be able to sleep really well as a kid, these days it's extremely difficult even when I am completely exhausted. Insomnia is a regular visitor for me. It doesn't help that most of my neighbors are loud at all hours.

I feel you AL. There are so many factors that affect sleep sometimes I don't know what to do. Last night I went to bed at 11pm only to wake up at 2am for no apparent reason. I spent the day like a zombie.

Last night I listened to a comedy show for 30mins and fell asleep around 7. I woke up around 9:45 and got up for a productive few hours before going back to bed. Woke up at 5 and tried to sleep but it was that kind of thing when you know you're not really asleep, so there's no gain from it.

It's a good thing you manage to be productive after a nap, thothy. Usually with me, I spend the post-nap hours just getting ready for bed and for work the next day, maybe a few other errands, but mostly just plodding along like a zombie. No brains eaten either.

I went to bed around 1 AM last night so it wasn't too bad. I'm trying to force myself to stick to a tight schedule with schoolwork and other obligations so I can get my body used to a regular sleep pattern.

I'm trying to do the same. The hardest part is the early or mid-evening naps. Sometimes, I go to bed as late as 10pm and still wake up around 2am!

I've stopped taking naps as they're really bad if you don't properly complete your REM cycle when you wake up, which take about 45 minutes - 1 hour depending on the individual. When I wake up too early, I feel more tired and groggy than I did was before the nap.

Yeah, I am trying to stop them too. What's tough is when I go to bed early-ish thinking that's it, and end up waking after a few hours.

It's a fairly recent thing for me, and it's linked to starting to listen to certain radio shows at 6:30. If I'm relaxing while I'm listening, I'll generally nod off. It's always a good nap. The cat will have been pandered to before the show, so it's uninterrupted in that respect too. Spoiled by the phone a few times though.

Sounds blisfful thoth.

With me sometimes I just feel extremely tired from work. If I am sitting at my desk in my bedroom I can stay awake. If I am sitting on the couch, especially if one of the dogs with its warm and fluffy body is beside me....

I have been sleeping longer lately. But part of it is because I am sick. Down with the bug. The coughing wakes me up sometimes.

I try to accomplish too much, that's why. So I end up sleeping late.

Some bl00min' van goes up my street at 5:45 in the bl00min' morning. I'm too tired to get up to get it's license or confront it. No vehicles, apart from the odd cleaning or police one are allowed up the front of the buildings where I live. The former certainly not at that time.

I did note that his battery went flat this morning nearby. Several failed attampts at the starter. A tow truck picked it up between me getting back to snoozing and getting up.

So remember that your will is a powerful thing. I'm going to work up from causing flat batteries with my new superpowers to having it catch fire and melt.

What a blooming...

Maybe have the driver's hat catch fire too.

Got meds from the doc. Hope this prescription does the deed once and for all.

You get back to normal soon Ibbs!

Although we settle for abnormal here just as easily

Thanks thothy The good kind of abnormal though. I don't want this horrid cough (that sounds like I'm being choked) to be my new permanent abnormal!

Something else else is horrid? Outside the Nasty Genie thread? Not allowed. Antibodies? Work Harder! This is an order!

got home tonight and just zonked out. Hopefully, a bit more sleep will help me focus more, which has been a recent pain in the rear.

Thanks, thothy. I hope my antibodies will obey your commands!

Hope you are able to get more sleep. Hope it isn't the cat waking you up in the middle of the night. Madame Cat, thoth has been good, let's let him sleep, okay?

How do I get to sleep?

You guys should be thankful for not being to sleep! Those kids on Elm Street are very jealous.

Gee, I never thought of that!

What kids on Elm street? Oh, you mean those bodies over there...

Don't look! You might not be able to sleep with those images in your head!

My sleep has been a lot better lately. I actually manage to get workouts in now too

That it's 2 in the morning here would suggest some outstanding issues ...

Perhaps you are turning into a vampire

The terrible heat has been hurting my sleep lately. By the time I get home I feel so drained. There are times when I fall asleep without air-conditioning on, and I wake up feeling exhausted.

Not after my latest trip to the dentist, I'm not. A filling came out and it was a bit of a mess really. No more toffee for me.

Vrykos never had days like that...

"Look Mordru. I'd love to consume the Daxamite powers of Laurel Gand. You know that. But I've got a check up booked for this afternoon..."

Ah, perhaps stick to tastier treats like raw spinach or boiled tofu. Good for the teeth too.

(Hope the teeth are OK thothy!)

I am lucky, despite missing the occasional flossing at night I still floss at least once a day, meaning no new cavities this paat year and minimal plaque build up.

I've been experiencing a lot of waking up in the middle of the night lately. Sometimes I'll wake up 3-4 times a night! I know it's just unnecessary stress keeping me up, but man does it suck in the morning!

Aw man are you having dreams about stuff that stresses you? I've had instances like that when I've had really pressing problems.

I'm suffering form Alarmitis. If I wake at any time from 5am onwards, I'll not get back to sleep. Something else else to do with a nagging doubt that I'll reawaken if the alarm goes off or something. Which makes for a really tiring day.

My problem now is I haven't been feeling well lately, which means I need more sleep. But the amount of work hasn't decreased so...

Blaze has had a very bad cough lately, which has also affected his sleep. Thank goodness we finally got some good medicine for him

Yeah, I have! The worst part is that sometimes I'll have a great dream where I get this internship I wanted and then I'll wake up and realize that I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

Anxiety is a pain, my friend.

I have recently had dreams like that, maybe twice this past month, because I have been feeling overwhelmed. But thankfully, only twice.

The later sunsets here in Europe have been messing with my sleep. Just knowing it is light outside tricks me into thinking I have so much time left.

I usually have 8am classes so it has been a pain. I would trade an hour of lunch vreak to be able to wake up later.

I also have had a cough this week, which messes with my sleep quality. Getting better thankfully, but not fast enough

I can't think of a time when my sleep has been so poor. I'm sleeping for an hour to 90 minutes before jolting awake. That's when I get to sleep which takes ages. And there's alarmitis at the other end to look forward to as well. I'm not even going near the dream thread until I have a half decent one. It can only mean one thing. I'm trapped in a reality created by Universo, and my super powered Coluanesque mind is struggling to break free. Just embracing the simple, straight forward reasons can only be a good thing.

Aw thothy have there been any physical conditions that are making you wake up?

As for me, I think my cold is slowly improving, but emphasis on SLOOOOOWLY...

Yeah, my eye kept twitching as if it wanted to hold a monocle. That's when I realised Universo was behind it.




Good to hear. We had bright sunshine with hail today, so the weather is having one of those tricksy periods where a lot of people come down with chills.

I hope Universo doesn't Rond Vidar you.

Went to the doctor today, and he suspects spring allergies. Grife. I think that's harder to deal with than a cold.

Someone mentioned allergy related sniffoos to me earlier today. Fortunately, I don't seem to be as badly affected as a lot of folks. Although I did get thumped by it one year, so I do keep an eye, or rather nose, on it.

There's no spring where I am from, and few flowering plants. So all this pollen is tough.

Spring forward, fall on your face as the old clock changing line goes. Or something.

You could also fall on your back, then have a nice nap.

ah no, fall back is part of the other clock altering line. Fall back against the autumn of the Time Trapper! or words to that effect.

Falling back on behalf of the Time Trapper... is going to be quite the alteration.

A lot of us have been having sleep problems lately. Thought I'd bump this up.

I've been sleeping better lately. But I need to adjust my cycle - go to bed earlier, wake up earlier.

Waking up at 6:30 to get up for work hasn't been fun lately.

It's even worse in the evening since I feel the need to soak in as much free time as I can before the next day, which ends up making me stay up till 12 or 1.

I also feel the bees to make the most of my time after work. Which results to tiring myself out on weekends too!

I fell asleep on Friday evening. Then couldn't seep at all during the night. As a result I caught up on it last night, and I slept in for the places I was supposed to be this morning. Grrr...

I am finding that I'm unable to fall asleep for longer periods at the moment. Even the insomnia hotline had gone for a nap when I phoned

I also wasn't able to do a lot of chores because I overslept this morning. it ain't easy!

nope it ain't >yawn & cat like stretch< Settles back in the garden with dwink and book...

Sleep is for the weary, and not just for the wicked

Sleep is for the sleepy.... and those too tired to come up with idioms...

I slept at 11.30pm, then woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep until 6.30... and my alarm goes off at 7am...

Since my last post here, I've had practically full nights with no sleep. That results in short naps the following evening, that then affect my nights. Getting to bed early simply means I wake up four hours later and can't sleep for the rest of the night, affecting the following night too. Rubbish really.

Sorry to hear that, thothy.

I'm similar, if I go to sleep too early, then I wake up too early and can't sleep anymore.

Darn these forces of habit!

Thoth, Ibby,

I sympathize with you both. I've had problems sleeping for more years than I've been able to count. I honestly don't know why I haven't posted in this thread before (maybe I did long ago, but I don't feel like going through every page right now.)

I do hope it might help if I share a couple recent experiences of my own which have improved my sleep somewhat:

- Better eating habits (meats only before 3 p.m., nothing fried after dark, sweets in moderation.)

- Meds for stress and anxiety (I know not everyone responds well to meds, and I've had my ups and downs, but I've come to believe that a good psychiatrist -- the kind who wants their patients to be HAPPY, not just FUNCTIONAL -- is worth their weight in gold.)

If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

Thanks for posting Anfie. My diet isn't great but I do meet (meat?) all those criteria. I don't take red meat anyway, fried food is a treat and not after dark (Fear the Chip Shop Vampires! ) and my sweet tooth is kept firmly in check... we have the dieter's thread for that so I can stop on that one...

Real Life is entering a very tough month or so ahead, so I may be around a bit less (or I may post binge. It'll be one of the two ). After that... well, I can post here again now that Actor Lad has reminded me to do so.

I find, but don't really do it as often as I should:-

Walking
Going to an open air event (I'm choosing local football at the moment)
Reading (often binge reading. Not just a few pages, but a few hours)
Mantras (nothing too involved. Just something simple and embedded.)
I often have a comic related thing in my head that helps me to drop off. This last week, it's been combining the Alan Moore X-Men with the Claremont/ Romita Jr era. I can switch off a little and I've got a beginning, middle, fake end, end and follow up in mind by doing this.

Just things to switch off to.

"There's a vampire down the chip shop swears he's Elvis..."

Sounds like a Desperate Character to me.

'Course the one thing ah like t'do on the Poor Sleeper's thread is ramble...insert Steve Martin's Rambling Man tune... 'cause that's what you do in the late hours...

I don't eat much in the way of take out food. It's something I never got when I was growing up, and that's stayed with me. So, left to my own devices, if I'm to get something, it will be from the local Fish and Chip shop. A fish supper was quite the treat as a kid.

I just happen to live very close to the bestest fish supper maker on Earth. I think the shop has changed ownership at least once or twice, but the taste of their fish suppers has remained and is fantastic. I once thought that it was just my taste buds responding to the salt and things that I don't usually have. But having visited a few other establishments, purely in the interests of scientific research, this isn't the case. Or my local one has some way of tailoring their additives to my DNA through some sort of nefarious villainous scheme. As a comics reader, this can't be ruled out.

Which segues nicely into what my point was going to be. One of the reasons why I probably have fish suppers once in a while is due to a comic book character called Alf Tupper. He was called the Tough of the Track. He appeared in some weekly boy's comic, probably for the most part well before my time.

I read an about him in a comic called Red Dagger. It probably collected a few months of his weekly strip. Alf had a tough time. I seem to recall him having a (looking back) really abusive relative and not much prospect in the area he was raised in. What he did have was a prodigious talent for track running. At the end of his adventures, or sometimes just for much needed fuel between gruelling races, Alf would have a fish supper.

Today's athletes shun such things. But a lot of them suffer from various medical complaints or have to pretend to have asthma to get an edge. None of that for Alf!

Learn More about Alf Tupper here

I've just realised his surname rhymes with supper, but I don't think that was ever used as a catch phrase.

Key Points:
Fish Suppers *must* come with an outer wrapper of newspaper.
Special Fish Suppers are weirdly more expensive and have coatings of breadcrumbs. Instead, buy the slightly cheaper battered fish for a much better taste.
Running 10 000 meters like Alf should be done *before* getting the fish supper reward.

As my liking of Fish Suppers is influenced by Alf Tupper...
My liking of Macaroon bars is clearly from Enid Blyton's Five Find Outers series.
My liking of Turkish Delight comes from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Surely, as following posts will reveal is not at all unusual...

Thanks for sharing your tips, Fanfie and thothy

hot milk and relaxing music are still my go-tos

Have you gone to them tonight? It's pretty late.

I have, but they turned me away. too soon, they whispered...

Accidentally crashed-napped a few hours ago for approximately 30 minutes, consequently I more than likely won't be able to get much (if any) sleep tonight.

My sleep has improved recently. I'm sticking to a more consistent schedule now.

Sometimes though, that consistent schedule involves sleeping on the couch...

Glad to hear it Ibby. I'm waking up with the first ray of light coming into the room. If only I could get to bed earlier to compensate for it.

I've noticed that my energy levels perk up at around 10:30. It's probably always been like that, and may have something to do with my eating habits and metabolism. On a couple of occasions I've gone to bed before that, and fallen asleep really quickly. After that time though, it's a real struggle to stop what I'm doing and wind down.

I told my dentist that I'd woken up suddenly and felt that I had just been grinding my teeth. She said that would explain why I was in for treatment. I'd been putting pressure on a filling. She said it could be stress related. I gave that some thought after several cups of coffee and running around trying to do everything at 100miles an hour and went "nope". I'm more perpetually anxious than stressed. After a difficult start to the year, I can't really moan.

I switched mostly to tea now. My work now has a little kitchen area, rather than a canteen. So, it's easier to get rid of the teabags. Besides, I was taking too many cups of actual coffee at work. In my old place, I used a free vending machine. The closest to real coffee that the stuff coming out if it had been, was seeing the picture on the front of the vending machine.

We don't get autumn here now. We get Rainy Season. Since I'm not a fan of it lashing the house, I put on some audio stuff. One thing was this relaxation audio. First night: out like a light. I've heard the whole half hour of it since. I think it's Australian, but if you're Australian, just imagine drifting off to someone speaking in an accent that's very different to what you hear each day. I get a little smile *and* drift off to Nodland. Occasionally, I'll catch myself thinking "noooowheeere to beee and noooonee to pleeeease" as slowly as the voice in the audio, but in a rubbish attempt to replicate the accent.

Unfortunately, I got a nap earlier on this evening. So, it's coming up to midnight and I'm still awake. I didn't get my morning walk today either, which isn't going to help.

I had to make an overnight run to VA friday. Naturally, it set off my insomnia cycle. Been dealing with that for decades now. Trick is to find the right time to sleep to get back the natural rhythm of my sleep clock.

The past two weekends, I have been so exhausted that I spent much of my Saturday sleeping.

Sigh. So much for doing a lot of fun stuff on the weekend...