I have been watching Planet Earth II lately which got me thinking some strange thoughts. I remembered that I had all ready written about similar weird thoughts several years ago. So I thought why not rework that post?
While just a few of you have all ready seen this, I was saddened to realize that most all of my commenters back then are no longer blogging today. I miss them and hope they are well and happy.
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I am not sure I have a healthy mind but I do have an active mind. Sometimes I get the strangest thoughts.
I have been grousing lately about the weird winter we have all been having when one of those off the wall thoughts entered my head for a romp.
Some of you know that I wrestle with sleep. Four hours is my guaranteed nightly sleep. Sometimes I get lucky and kill with 7 hours but not this night.
Some of you know that I wrestle with sleep. Four hours is my guaranteed nightly sleep. Sometimes I get lucky and kill with 7 hours but not this night.
So as I was lying here wide awake at 2:00 AM, I started wondering. What happens to the champion of all sleepers-- the bear -- when things don't go well in the sleep department?
I have always been a wee bit envious of the bear. These creatures are big enough to be almost the top of the food chain. If it weren't for those two legged pushy types with guns and cars, they could feel pretty invincible.
Not only are they big and powerful but they are built to eat all they want, the sweeter the better. Packing on the pounds is a sign of intelligent design, not laziness nor gluttony. Then when they are good and jiggly fat, they get to sleep for months.
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| Obviously not my picture |
They even give birth in a state of half asleep groggies. No need for moaning in pain. No late night feedings that they are aware of. No walking the floor with a colicky infant strapped to their shoulder.
Instead, they just roll out of their den in the Spring thinking,
Well lookie there. It appears I had a pair of really cute cubs this winter that are now almost three months old and ready to go. Yawn.
Well lookie there. It appears I had a pair of really cute cubs this winter that are now almost three months old and ready to go. Yawn.
Of course there is that cranky and hungry part upon waking but that can be easily cured by over eating again.
But then I had my stranger thought. What do they do when the winter temps go from 18 degrees one day to 70 degrees the next followed by several days, even weeks of unnaturally warm, Spring like weather? I can't help but think they are having a pretty restless hibernation this year and must feel menopausal with those daytime sweats.
What if the weird temperatures make sleeping so light that they wake up fully aware of giving birth. Yikes. They will have no idea what is happening. They would be so confused.
Thinking about the addled bear, I felt a bit better about my wakefulness. Unlike the poor bear, I have options. I can adjust the thermostat, turn on the light, read my Kindle, play on the computer, watch TV, or I can just lay in my comfortable bed in the dark and think strange thoughts.
My tip for sleeplessness is podcasts! The more interesting they are, the quicker I drift off.
ReplyDeleteOut to Pasture,
DeleteHum, I would think interesting would keep me awake. I'm easily stimulated. So glad you have found a remedy.
Love your bear "wonderings" and I didn't know that they give birth half asleep. That's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI used to have trouble falling asleep then I got a sleep mask and it makes a huge difference.
Jean R
DeleteWouldn't it be wonderful if birth and the first three sleep deprived months didn't exist for us?
I do use one on occasion. I have no trouble going to sleep, just staying asleep.
FaceBook. Seems to have taken over blogging. I use both as I am not comfortable doing long posts on FB. I figure if readers are really interested they can go read my blog.
ReplyDeletesmartcat,
DeleteSo that is where you have been going. Always like hearing from you. Good idea to use the both. Not sure I could ever be brief enough for FB.
I think this a perfectly reasonable thing to be thinking about!
ReplyDeleteOlga,
DeleteThank you. You are my kind of thinker.
If you read my blog you'll know that most of my thoughts are weird (but not while I'm hibernating)!!
DeleteInsomnia is not a problem now that I am retired. With nothing I have to do in the morning, I get to stay awake late and sleep until whenever. Kind of like a bear.
ReplyDeletejoeh,
DeleteOh I wish I were a night person. I am a life long morning person. Don't think I've ever slept past 6 AM. Enjoy your bear-hood.
I've read that if we are awakened during REM sleep, it can result in feeling agitated. I imagine that is multiplied many times if it is a hungry bear!
ReplyDeleteI cherish a good night of sleep and feel grumpy without it! Fortunately most nights I sleep pretty well.
Carole,
DeleteSo happy you enjoy a restful sleep. That is a goal of a lot of us. You make a good point about an agitated AND hungry bear. To be feared.
Oh great! Now on top of everything else, I have to worry about the bear.
ReplyDeleteAnnie,
DeleteHa ha, sorry about that. Just relax and let me do the worrying.
I am blessed to have few sleep problems. But I do wake in the middle of the night sometimes and have strange thoughts, too. It doesn't bother me, and I usually fall right back to sleep afterwards. Love your bear picture! :-)
ReplyDeleteDjan,
DeleteIsn't that just the sweetest image? I envy your being able to go right back to sleep. After my 4 hours, I am completely refreshed and return is usually accomplished but is difficult.
I don't think about weather a whole lot. Some years are hot and some are cold. For instance, this winter they say, has been the most snow and coldest winter we've seen in 40 some years. I probably still couldn't make it to my garage without snow shoes. Lily's had to leap up in the air
ReplyDeletewhen she travels in the snow. It tires her out real soon and I like that. LOL
Belva,
DeleteWe here in the lower states just keep getting hotter and hotter. I wish not I hadn't stopped so soon in search of snow and actual seasons.
You ought to post a video of her leaping. Bet it is cute.
I don't sleep that well either. I fall asleep quickly but wake up sometimes a few hours later and then if my mind starts working overtime then I can't get go back to sleep. I have to say Bears aren't one of the topics that have kept me awake at night. :D
ReplyDeleteJoey,
DeleteHa ha, Leave the bears to me. I do the same thing. Go to sleep easily but 4 hours later I am wide awake. Sigh.
Wow! Even when you're not getting enough sleep, you write such fun, funny, thoughtful posts. I hadn't thought to envy the bear, but now I do. They can eat as much as they want and sleep. Sigh... Granted they can't eat Sees candy either.
ReplyDeleteKay,
DeleteThey have seemed to have cornered the market on two of our greatest desires. at least two of mine. I'll have to check out Sees.
We've also been enjoying Planet Earth II. Like you say, if it weren't for human interference it might be interesting to be a bear.
ReplyDeleteStephen,
DeleteIsn't that a great series? It was seeing the mama bear coming out of her den with her twins that started my pondering. Their life has a lot of pluses, even more when you remove man.
What a fun post! I am ready to be a bear right. I just don't want to wake up with cubs.
ReplyDeleteLinda R,
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed. I thought about that also, especially since they seem to come in twos and threes.
I have no trouble at all falling asleep. In fact I'm out within a minute of my head hitting the pillow. However, my internal alarm goes off at 3:30 AM (EXACTLY) and I am awake. I'm not sure why, as I would love to sleep for another five hours, but my sleep is done.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your former blogging buddies, it's sad to see blogs go dark, but I guess life interferes and people move on.
Dave,
DeleteWe suffer from the same affliction but we are not alone. For me, I go to sleep easily but 4 hours later to the minute I am awake and ready to go. Grr.
I guess having life interfering can be a good thing. I have too much time on my hands so I just keep blogging.
Night Patti. I do enjoy your weird ruminations...:)
ReplyDeleteTB,
DeleteThank you so much. I am happy you enjoyed.
Hi There, I don't think the bears worry about things like we do.. They (and most all wildlife) just work hard constantly with no complaining --while just trying to exist the best they can... I watch my birds most of the time --and they just do what they can to live. AND---no matter what happens, they still SING..... I just choose to think of the bears the same way... They can sleep no matter what since that is their only option..... Sometimes we humans know too much, care too much, worry too much, etc. etc. etc. It's no wonder we can't sleep like the bears do !!!! ha
ReplyDeleteI do both blogging (but only once a week or so now) and facebook... Love both of them for different reasons. Blogging takes more time and Facebook can be a quickie whenever..... Many of my old blog friends are on FB now.
Hugs,
Betsy
Betsy,
DeleteI do hope they can sleep through the really warm year we have had. I haven't seen any prowling the yard so maybe you are right.
I also become sad when I see so many of the early bloggers that I once "knew" are no longer blogging. I am so sporadic with blogging lately, that I understand how one finally just quits writing.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the bears go - We live in bear country. Just a mile or so up the road is a known den. We see them in the neighborhood on a regular basis. I worry when we have a warm few days, such as we had in February, that Mama Bear will be awakened and won't be happy about it. It has happened around here. This year, despite the many warm days, I haven't heard of her nap being over, but I watch out when I am walking just in case.
Sally,
DeleteDo be careful. A hungry cranky bear is bad enough but a mama one is scary. Hope you walk in a group.
I have missed you and know that some of us are scaling back. I am down to once a week. I don't mind if they burn out and go on without blogging, I just don't want them to be ill.
i started blogging in 2009 and then inevitably took break for two years ,when i restarted i found that my older online friends are no longer active in blogging .
ReplyDeletei LOVED and ENJOYED reading your INTERESTING thoughts about sleep problem .i get hardly a six or seven hpour sleep and to get it i have to make myself tired otherwise i feel hard to sleep or hardly for five hpours.
i too feel envious for beer but to be honest sometime i enjoy being awake and observing LIFE around me as time for LIFE is too short though
I actually WISH I'd have interesting thoughts like yours when I wake in the middle of the night! I was thinking about bears as I walked today. We've had temps into the 50's for several weeks (snow melting too rapidly) so I presume they're getting some fresh air. I try to stay alert - moose are around all the time so I do like winter when the bears sleep.
ReplyDelete