Sleep

Last night, I did not sleep well at all! I was so frustrated! I woke up at 3am. I didn't know why, but as I laid there TRYING to fall back asleep, I realized I was hot. I got up and turned off the space heater, which I was mainly using as a noise-maker. Happy with myself, I laid back down and thought I could fall back asleep....until our German Shepherd body-slammed herself down on our hardwood floor, scaring me half to death. NOW, I was awake. WISHING I had the "noise-maker" back on, but I'm too hot. We have a fan in our room too, but its BELOW ZERO outside and thought that was ridiculous to turn it on....so I tried to calm down and just go back to sleep. I have to go to the bathroom. Get up. Remember the water is off upstairs b/c the pipes have been freezing. So, I go downstairs. Go to the bathroom and back in bed. Finally fall back asleep. Wake up at 5am. I'm cold (remember, below zero!!!!! I think on my way to work it was -12 or -15 degrees...depending on who you ask). I get up. Turn the heater back on. Toss and turn for 45 minutes. Can't get comfortable. As soon as I doze off, I realized that the covers aren't on me anymore. My mind starts racing as to why I haven't had a GOOD night's sleep in awhile. I finally get out of bed at 5:45am. I NEVER get up before 6am! Hate it! I decide to go downstairs and get in the guest bed. I warm up pretty quickly and spread my body out over the queen-size bed. Ahhhhh....comfort! However, my alarm is set to go off in 15 minutes. I laid in that bed for 45 minutes. My mind still racing. I realized that when I was single had a specific way that I slept. I realized I need "perfect" sleeping conditions!

When I was single, I shared my bed with my French Bulldog, who only took up MAYBE 1/4 of the bed....and he got situated AFTER I was comfortable. I slept with the TV on. The volume was so low that it made noise, but you couldn't hear what was being said. My house was the perfect temperature. I knew exactly how to set the thermostat for all the seasons so that I could sleep perfectly. Oh how I miss those days!!!! It seems that as soon as I moved in with my husband that all my "perfection" I had created disappeared. He's easy to sleep with...he doesn't move a lot and usually I have plenty of covers. What has changed is the house and an added dog. When we lived downstairs, I was generally okay with the temperature...except in the winter b/c the wood-burning stove gets our 1st story SO hot that it would keep me awake. Plus, the German Shepherd has this constant habit of licking her paws, which also wakes me up. Ken also worked days and weekends then. So, on Saturdays he would get up and get dressed at 5am. I would be awake from the time he got up until he left around 6:40am...alarm, then the bathroom light on (which shone directly into the room), and he would dress in the bedroom, and "roller" the lint off his uniform....every morning. I'm sure he tried to be discreet, but why is it that every noise is annoyingly amplified when you're sleeping? Now that we are upstairs...it just depends on the season as to how hot I get when I'm asleep. On some summer days its so hot that I would move downstairs at 3am. And in the winter....well, we don't really need the space heater, but I like to use it for noise....and then I get too hot. The German Shepherd has now decided that she likes to pace. She now moves from her pillow to the hard floor MULTIPLE times a night. If I don't have some kind of noise-maker, I hear it every single time....and don't forget the licking! And....now the panting. Licking, panting, pacing....all night long.

I think its time for a king-size bed. I used to have the queen all to myself. I would just like to stretch out once again and not be concerned, in my sleep, about staying on "my side". And, Ken has been wanting an air-purifier. I think its time to bite the bullet and buy it!!!!! It will be a wonderful little noise-maker that will block the dog out! As for the seasons...I have no answer. I think that's why I'm frustrated. I can't control the temperature in this little, old country house of ours like I could in my single-life-home. Still frustrated. :( I thought I wasn't supposed to have sleeping problems until I had kids. What has happened????

Anyone else out there have sleep issues once they got married?