Not-so-Healthy Sleep Habits

My best friend Brandy recently read and started using the Healthy Sleep Habits approach to getting her little one, Hannah, on a regular sleep pattern.  She said that in the first day she can see huge changes.  It made me wonder...maybe they should write a similar book for adults.  We spend so much time reading, researching, talking and worrying about ways to do what's best for our kids but we totally disregard the advice when it comes to us.  Or maybe it's just me...

When David travels, something inside me happens.  It's like a switch gets flipped and in an instant, I'm convinced I'm a 19-year-old college student.  I make plans like there are 37 hours in a day, stay up late doing who-knows-what and eat like I have metabolism to spare.  By the time he comes home, I'm exhausted.  This week was no different.  I was up late one night catching up on past episodes of Bones, when I finally forced myself to shut the laptop and try to sleep.  Problem was, I couldn't sleep.  Apparently I'm not the only one in my neighborhood who thinks we're in college.  I could hear my next-door-neighbor's TV, music, video game or something.  I couldn't tell what it was, but I knew I didn't like it.  At first it was annoying.  Then I realized it could wake Brynna and I was mad.  So what did I do?  Yes.  At 2am, I marched my 105 lbs. out into the cold to bang on the door of a grown man about 4 times my size.  I'm not saying it was smart.  But seriously.  "You wake her, you take her" - that's my philosophy.  It took about 12 times of alternating knocking, banging and ringing the bell, but I finally got him to answer the door and he turned it down.  What was it, you ask?  Jersey Shore.  Because you need to listen to that so loudly the walls shake.  You don't want to risk missing a single word of that.  I know what else you're wondering and no, there was no apology.  Even the drunk kids across the hall at OU could slur out a "sorrrry."  But, I digress.

Point is, I didn't go to bed before 2am most nights this week and now, at 9pm on Saturday, it has all caught up to me.  I'm so tired.  After a fun evening with friends, I am ready to call it a night before prime time television ends.  I've gone from college to the nursing home!

I recognize the error of my ways.  I know these are not healthy sleep habits and I'm not a healthy child.  I can't guarantee it won't happen again, but I do know this...I'm about to put on some pajamas and get comfy before My Super Sweet Sixteen starts next door.