Do you know that there really is such a thing called Human Hibernation Syndrome? It's true! It seems that just like bears, human also enjoy sleeping a bit more when it comes to avoiding the winter. When the temperature drops and the days are shorter, the human body slows down a bit and we start to see changes in our mood. We tend to want to sleep more and eat more as well. I know I have certainly slept and eaten more in just these last three days of being enclosed in my "cave". It is the shorter hours of daylight that seems to make the difference. Light is a very important thing for humans. Our brain needs light in order to be working at its best. If there isn't enough light, you can become sleepy or just sluggish. This explains why it can be so hard for many people to get through the winter - we always seem so tired when the days are shorter and darker. It was very tempting to stay up late watching movies and then sleep in late each morning as we were not required to get up, get dressed, and head out to the workplace during these three days. However, we have made a concentrated effort to go to bed and arise on our usual schedule. By going to bed on time, we have discovered that we did not have to set an alarm clock. We awakened naturally after 7 or 8 hours of sleep. The trick was to resist the temptation to snuggle back down under those warm covers for a few more hours. Getting out of bed and turning on all the lights first thing was paramount to maintaining a good mood and energy to get the day going. It has turned out to be a very nice mini-vacation, but now we are ready to start crawling out of this hibernation cave.
In the midst of our forced hibernation, we have not forgotten to take care of the little birdies.
This is a view of the hill in front of our house (photo taken from standing on my front porch.... brrrr).
This is all good info, Patsy!!! The short days and cooler temps seem to affect hubby more than me, but they DO have an affect - and I'll start feeling it more in February!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE retirement! Like you, I go to bed at a reasonable hour. I'm still getting up between 5 and 5:30 am but hubby sleeps until 8 or so. I use that time to take care of things that irritate him (facials - hair conditioning, etc) or just enjoying time with my Maker. Those little conversations tend to smooth out my day and makes them more enjoyable! Of course, during the spring/summer, I converse with Him while I'm enjoying His delightful palate!
I'm sure that you've caught up on a lot of 'roundtuits', but I did notice that you didn't say anything about your garden planning. ..which I KNOW you did!
So sweet of you to make it easy for those little birdies to find something to eat! Want some acorns from S. GA?
We were frozen in for about 3 hours.. .as soon as the sun came up on Monday, we began to thaw and did not refreeze. But it's been cold and windy! Oh how I look forward to a stroll around the yard!