Sleep is Overrated

Any excuse to use a Ren and/or Stimpy picture is OK with me (Nickelodeon)

I'm tired right now.

You'd think I'd wisely go to sleep but, oh no, not me.

Not yet.

But I know the routine (times approximate)...

11 p.m.: Lights out

1 a.m.: Wake up, rollover, maybe glance at my phone, rollover...rollover again...go back to sleep

4 a.m.: Probable bathroom break, sit in bed, look at phone, change position to put my head where my feet were to be next to the cat, who otherwise dominates the bed.

Then toss.

Then turn.

5 a.m.: Fall asleep again.

7 a.m (no later, to be sure): wake up.

Interspersed in there might be playing solitaire or some other game on my phone, turning on the TV (which I don't do as much as I used to), and reading.

Oh, during the day, I might fight my eyes closing, such as around 5 p.m. after the show is over. There's the potential for a catnap in that spot, and it's been known to happen.

And if I'm in a meeting? Well, all bets are off on my staying awake.

But the overall theme here is that sleep is not my best friend. I'm not sure where exactly this started happening, or even why. There's no question that stress plays into it.

I used to sleep like a rock but those days are over. Most of the time, any little noise on my phone will wake me up.

Which begs a question I've wanted to ask: when did it become acceptable to contact people at literally any hour? I grew up in a house where ringing the phone after 9 p.m. was cause for scorn (or worse). Now we don't think twice about texting, messaging, and calling at just about any hour.

Is it purely a smartphone/internet thing?

As a single dad, and someone who has believed in being available 24/7 to some, this phenomenon intrigues me.

A final note: I had a great interview with Anthony, Will, and Charlie Capalbo today on Doubleheader. If you don't know their story, listen to the interview and all will be explained.