I am so grateful for my ability to sleep on command. I have always been a good sleeper, from my earliest days, or so my parent's tell me. I relish sleep, revel in it. I actually love to wake up in the wee hours of the morning just so I can enjoy going back to sleep. Does that make any sense to anyone but me?
I am a well-honed sleeper. I can roll into and out of sleep with grace and aplomb. I do it almost effortlessly. 15 minutes to sleep? Why yes, thank you. I'll take you up on that. 15 hours to sleep? Awesome too.
I love dreaming, both day and night and effectively use the space to work on anything that is troubling me. I riddle out and puzzle over all facets of my life in the darkness, snuggled deep under the covers, snoozing happily.
This ability to sleep so easily has been a great asset as a second-time mom. With my first, I got into a deficit somewhere and even though I was able to sleep easily, I was still mastering the ability to sleep lightly, with a baby nearby. Always a heavy sleeper, this took some accommodation. By the second, I knew what I had to do. I had to let myself sleep the way my body needed me to. This meant lying down for quick naps with the baby, using my ninja sleep skills to wake up, nurse, change diaper and roll back into slumber as fast as possible - my very own baby pit crew moments.
Now? While I always considered myself someone who needed 10 hours a sleep a night, I have learned to survive on 4-6 a night. Occasionally, it stretches to 7. But I have held onto the quality of sleep with this baby. That has made a tremendous difference.
And as I talk to other folks, watch those near to me struggle with sleep issues, I recognize just how grateful I should be for this apparently genetic ability to sleep well with ease, to be able to go back to sleep so fully, to sleep on command. Sleep is a near and dear friend to me. It is a magical, redemptive place and I cherish it.
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