BLOG 216—Sleepie Time?

With my words, I hope to throw some oblique light upon your life.
I want to inspire you to see life differently and/or better.

*** To read past blog posts, go to >> kitsummers.com/blog/
*** If you are reading this through Facebook, check out my blog on my website.
*** Thanks, my wife, Beth, for editing and adding to each weekly blog.
*** I was hit by two trucks, one involving a 37-day coma.
*** The happiness I am experiencing in my life is a marvelous thing!
*** I will have places to show you and tales to tell.
*** Secrets to unfold and good news!

BE TAKEN AWAY WITH ME
ON WONDERFUL ADVENTURES!

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TOPIC FOR THIS WEEK—A Good Sleep?

Hard to imagine; I once took a nap for 37 days. After my accident and long nap after, I thought I would get right back to where I was. But, brain injuries can change a person, completely.

At first, I was awake only briefly during the day and night. As time went forward, I found that I was functioning for more extended periods and did not need the sleep. But, I would forget when I slept because of my brain injury.

In fact, at one point, while living in Sharp Rehab Hospital in San Diego, I often told therapists that I did not sleep at all most nights. A group who worked with me got together and purposely came and woke me. They laughed at my being asleep. A good joke performed by friends.

At this point, I function well on only about five hours of sleep each night. Part of it is that I think sleep is a waste of time (we do need it, though), and because I always have projects to work on.

About 35% of American adults get less than seven hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control, which, they say, isn’t enough. We often either can’t get to or think of sleep as wasted time. What actually goes on while we’re lying there?
Why are we designed to do nothing for a third of our lifetimes?

The answer is that our bodies are doing the necessary work to keep us going when we’re awake. But, really, scientists still have plenty to learn about how.

I’ve always been a curious sort. We sleep every night, adding up to thousands of nights. I wanted to witness the point where my mind shut off, and I would go to la la land. Of course, in working on this, I would think I would not get to sleep. Kept me up many nights. Will you be trying this?

What Is REM Sleep
In 1951 (not that long ago), a graduate student at the University of Chicago and a doctor there hooked up his 8-year-old son, Armond, to a device that tracked eye movements and brain waves. After Armond fell asleep, Aserinsky noticed from another room that the eye-tracking “pens” were swinging back and forth.

Thinking Armond must be awake and looking around, Aserinsky went to investigate. He found the boy was sleeping deeply, with his eyes closed. Aserinsky’s paper, published in 1953, was the first time REM sleep had been described; before that, scientists had believed that the sleeping brain was more or less turned off.

We now know that not just humans but all land mammals and many birds undergo spells of REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, sleep. In those spells, the heart rate speeds up, breathing becomes irregular, and brain waves are more variable. Significant muscles that we usually control can’t move.

Are you getting enough REM sleep?

And, what is Sleep Paralysis?
A young person waking up again, looking at them-self. Sleep paralysis is an inability to move that sometimes happens briefly as you fall asleep or wake up. The mind is awake, but the body lags behind for a minute or two. This often happens with people who are in a coma, too.

Although the feeling is bizarre and often scary, sleep paralysis is not rare or even dangerous. It occurs most often in young people, beginning in the teens, and in people with other sleep issues, including narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and nighttime leg cramps.

It is more common in people with brain injury, post-traumatic stress, or panic disorder. In those moments of paralysis, some people feel they are falling, floating, or having an “out-of-body experience.” Others hallucinate a presence in the room, hovering nearby, and may conclude they have been abducted by aliens or visited by ghosts.

According to one theory, people who feel outside their own bodies or sense ghostly presences might be experiencing a glitch in their mirror neurons, the part of the brain that fires when we observe activity in other people.

A few times in my life, I kept awake all night, such as when I once flew to Europe and, not being able to sleep on a plane, I didn’t. Although losing an entire night’s sleep zombifies many of us, there are exceptions: Some people feel much happier or calmer after not sleeping. That’s probably because the jolt is a reset for their body clocks, which might have been out of whack

They say eight hours is the key to good sleep, but ideally, we’d all have a sweet interlude. Just don’t turn on your lights or use your laptop or phone. Never worry about not getting enough sleep. Your brain knows what you need and will be there for you when needed.

What new stories are you ready to write?

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WORDS TO INSPIRE YOU! >>
Inspirational quotes and motivational sayings have a unique ability to change the way we feel about life and can change our thinking.

I find them so interesting, challenging, and essential on our path to joy and happiness and finding ways to inspire ourselves and others.

Inspirational quotes and ideas give us a quick and timely burst of wisdom to get our focus back, offering the inspiration needed for the day or occasion.

I hope to inspire you with my words.
Words have power.

Are you accomplishing what you want before your eventual death?
At any age, you can (and should) make changes to make your life better.

How you think and feel about yourself, including your beliefs and expectations about what is possible, determines everything in your life. It all derives from your quality of thinking.

WHEN YOU IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR THINKING,
YOU CHANGE THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE—SOMETIMES INSTANTLY!

Just as positive words can make someone smile, and/or a well-timed amusing quote can make someone laugh, your thoughts react to the world in real time. You have this control!

You have complete control over only one thing in the universe — Your Thinking — and that’s where motivational quotes come in!

To keep your motivation, you have to use each day as an opportunity to improve and get closer to your goals. It might sound like a lot of work—and with your busy schedule—next to impossible. But you can do it!

Self-talk is so essential—THINK RIGHT!
Motivational words, yes, they’re just words.
But they’re positive words; they will keep you on track.

EVEN IF YOU START LATE, ARE UNCERTAIN,
OR ARE DIFFERENT –
YOU CAN STILL FIND SUCCESS!
Don’t forget that you are only as young as the last time you changed your mind!
Keep your thoughts and self-talk fun and productive, and always reach for more advancement.
REMEMBER, VERY LITTLE IS NEEDED TO MAKE A GREAT LIFE.

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I HOPE THE FOLLOWING WORDS ABOUT SLEEP INSPIRE YOU >>

True silence is the rest of the mind and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment, and refreshment. — William Penn

There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest than in all the alcohol ever distilled. —Edward Lucas
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. — Irish Proverb

Your future depends on your dreams, so go to sleep. — Mesut Barazany

A day without a nap is like a cupcake without frosting. — Terri Guillemets

Sleep is the best meditation. — Dalai Lama

Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. — JoJo Jensen

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. — Phyllis Diller
There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep. — Homer

Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it’s time to get up.
Laugh, and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone. — Anthony Burgess

If you’re going to do something tonight that you’ll be sorry for in the morning, sleep late. — Henny Youngman

Never waste any time you can spend sleeping. — Frank H. Knight

A well-spent day brings happy sleep. — Leonardo da Vinci

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow. — Charlotte Bronte

No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap. — Carrie Snow

COMPOSE A NOBLE BOOK AND WRITE A BEST-SELLER.
YOU ARE AMAZING—PLAY YOUR PART!

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MY DAILY JOTTINGS >>
Each week goes by so quickly, don’t you think?
And time seems to be going faster all the time.
Do you keep track of what you do each day?
Do this for a few weeks, and you will see your time differently.

4/8—Currently reading the “Lord of the Rings” 3 book series, by JRR Tolkien. I read these back in Jr. High, loved ‘em then, and love them now. As I read, not many books “take me away”; these do. Books by Dan Millman do the same, “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” is fantastic; have you read this book? If not, you must.

Rain and bad weather, all day. I went up to the attic to look for leaks and saw a couple of places needing work. I will be back when the weather is better and warmer.

4/9—What a perfect Easter! Two people came for rabbits today. When the mother asked one of the little girls if she wanted a bunny, the little girl cried with happiness. It reminded me of when we first got rabbits for Jasmine and April, my daughters.

Then, later, we realized that rabbits are going away quickly. We played Easter Bunny and delivered three buns to a good home today. What a perfect gift for Easter Day.

4/10—It turns out that I am very allergic to rabbits. So, we will only be keeping the little fur balls outside from now on. Beth loves her rabbits, but I do have to breathe.

4/13—Needed pallets to build the one last garden for the front of the house. I went to Lowes to see what they had. When you acquire pallets from Lowes, they are free, my kind of price. Look to Lowes for your pallet needs.

You can see how our gardens are turning out—fabulous! Have you started work on yours, yet?

And, Tractor Supply Store has good pallets, too.
The cost is only three bucks a pallet, well worth it.
Find a Tractor Supply here >>
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/store-locator

As you have read before, I cut the pallets down to 22” and then use two inch screws to hold them together, top and bottom. Finally, I put a 2×6 board on the top and put in two inch drywall screws to hold everything together. The side supports are painted green, and I stain the boards on top.

We plan to grow much food that we can consume and not depend on stores to have what we need. Broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, zucchini, raspberries, strawberries, carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, spinach, cilantro, to name a few things.

Then, to finish things off, I mount a six-foot bamboo pole to each corner and put spinners in to the openings. When there is good wind, and they are all spinning, it makes a fabulous yard.

4/14—Friday once again. Each week much of the blog is put together. Just some minor editing on Fridays. Are you enjoying the read?

Is it time to “make” things happen and live a fuller life?
“Make” a great week for yourself.

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YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK > >

While laying on the ground, get up to standing without using your hands or arms in any way.

Now, get up without using your legs at all (just kitting around, again.)

Do something new, daily, then keep doing it for the rest of your life.

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NEXT BLOG

Plants are growing much. You will learn more of the garden of edible vegies.
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THIS WEEK,
MAKE YOUR LIFE
SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN
WRITE ABOUT!