Simplest ever fruit cocktail.
In each pint jar:
1/3 c peaches
1/3 c pears
1/3 c pineapple
1/3 c grapes
Add extra fruit to the 1/2 inch head space if necessary.
syrup to fill, make sure all air bubbles are out.
Water bath 25 minutes.
________________________________________
Sleep. Most people take it forgranted. We sleep (or don't) on a regular schedule without thinking much more about it.
In the last few months a lot of the things I've always done have disappeared from my view. I never thought that working nights would play such havoc with my life.
You're awake when everyone else is asleep
You're asleep when everyone else is awake
Your social life is limited to an hour or two a day, depending on your schedule
You can't do anything noisy, smelly, or social during the night hours
You can't do anything outside that requires light
Your circadian rhythm gets all messed up
It throws off your eating schedule
What you used to eat just feels wrong because your brain knows it's not breakfast/lunch/dinner time
You need blackout curtains
If you need to do anything during your "normal" sleep time, you have to adjust again
People who are awake during the day call you without thinking
The doorbell should be outlawed
People come to visit and you never know
The "tech team" isn't available during your work hours
You can't rely on the sun to wake up
You lose access to vitamin D
Everything you used to do in 18 hours now has to be done in 5
I've been doing a lot of canning, because that's something that can be done at night. My garden suffers, I never see my friends, many of my hobbies are out of bounds because they're things that need to be done during the day. I can't use a hammer or do laundry when everyone else is asleep, movies are OK if I watch them in my room (and I inevitably fall asleep). I can still read, and write, so that's comforting.
Oh, and I just got my proof copies for Spirit and Dark Spirit! So I finished the first (and possibly only) batch of fruit cocktail. Tonight I can cheese, sour cream, butter and cream cheese, and tomorrow I read. :)
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep. Show all posts
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Sleep disorders
A while ago I had a friend contact me regarding what she thought was adult onset attention deficit disorder. She asked a bunch of people about drugs, and I promptly responded with alternatives. Of course.
Attention deficit disorder mirrors the effects of a number of other problems, most of them related to sleep. Several studies have made a connection between ADD and the inability of the brain to turn off the dreaming function when a person is awake.
Most of us go through periods of inattention or distractability. This coincides, in many cases, with an inability to sleep or a lighter sleep cycle, where we don't get all the REM sleep our brains need to stay in top shape. Our brains respond by trying to drop into REM sleep while we're awake. If we get enough sleep, everything works better.
While there are other possibilities, I tend to work with what I can affect. The simplest solution is getting enough sleep, but who has time for that? :) Meditation and exercise increase endorphins and wake up the brain. Many people who exercise enter a state similar to meditation without even thinking about it, a sort of resting state while fully awake.
I learned many years ago that if I could force my brain into a resting state I could make myself fall asleep.
When you're right on the edge of sleep your brain starts to run at random through images, sometimes sounds or snippets of conversation. Almost like a sorting process. One second you're looking at a field of sunflowers, the next you're listening to a snatch of Mozart. Then a child's face pops up, or a conversation overheard. In essence, your brain goes into an ADHD state where anything could be noted and called up. Everything becomes significant.
I found that if I could duplicate this form of random thought, never keeping my mind on anything for more than a second or two, I would drop into sleep without a problem. It does take practice (rather like my technique for getting rid of headaches) but if you're not sleeping well it's worth a try.
If you have random periods of inattention, or find yourself wondering who this person is you've been talking to for the last hour (You know you were introduced, but the name, the name!) it very easily could be a sleep problem.
Sometimes this happens during the day. The trick there is to force the brain to focus on one thing--it usually brings my attention back, and generally it is a clue that I didn't get enough sleep the night before. A fifteen minute power-nap may be helpful.
A tea made of equal parts of catnip, valerian and lemon balm usually helps me to calm down as well, but don't use the valerian if you're taking any kind of chemical anti-depressant or for more than a week at a time. If I need to relax but don't need to sleep, I skip the valerian or go for a smaller dose.
LR Note: YES, catnip is a human tranquilizer. Maybe it affects us differently because cats are alien...or maybe we are.
Additions to your calming pharmucopeia:
Most mints
chamomile
turkey (triptophan)
lavender
Attention deficit disorder mirrors the effects of a number of other problems, most of them related to sleep. Several studies have made a connection between ADD and the inability of the brain to turn off the dreaming function when a person is awake.
Most of us go through periods of inattention or distractability. This coincides, in many cases, with an inability to sleep or a lighter sleep cycle, where we don't get all the REM sleep our brains need to stay in top shape. Our brains respond by trying to drop into REM sleep while we're awake. If we get enough sleep, everything works better.
While there are other possibilities, I tend to work with what I can affect. The simplest solution is getting enough sleep, but who has time for that? :) Meditation and exercise increase endorphins and wake up the brain. Many people who exercise enter a state similar to meditation without even thinking about it, a sort of resting state while fully awake.
I learned many years ago that if I could force my brain into a resting state I could make myself fall asleep.
When you're right on the edge of sleep your brain starts to run at random through images, sometimes sounds or snippets of conversation. Almost like a sorting process. One second you're looking at a field of sunflowers, the next you're listening to a snatch of Mozart. Then a child's face pops up, or a conversation overheard. In essence, your brain goes into an ADHD state where anything could be noted and called up. Everything becomes significant.
I found that if I could duplicate this form of random thought, never keeping my mind on anything for more than a second or two, I would drop into sleep without a problem. It does take practice (rather like my technique for getting rid of headaches) but if you're not sleeping well it's worth a try.
If you have random periods of inattention, or find yourself wondering who this person is you've been talking to for the last hour (You know you were introduced, but the name, the name!) it very easily could be a sleep problem.
Sometimes this happens during the day. The trick there is to force the brain to focus on one thing--it usually brings my attention back, and generally it is a clue that I didn't get enough sleep the night before. A fifteen minute power-nap may be helpful.
A tea made of equal parts of catnip, valerian and lemon balm usually helps me to calm down as well, but don't use the valerian if you're taking any kind of chemical anti-depressant or for more than a week at a time. If I need to relax but don't need to sleep, I skip the valerian or go for a smaller dose.
LR Note: YES, catnip is a human tranquilizer. Maybe it affects us differently because cats are alien...or maybe we are.
Additions to your calming pharmucopeia:
Most mints
chamomile
turkey (triptophan)
lavender
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