Last night was one of those nights. I got up five times to go to the bathroom. Five times! Not exactly the recipe for a restful night’s sleep.

But something interesting happened after the fifth interruption.

I had the distinct feeling that my alarm was still an hour or more away. A few months ago, I would have looked at my watch to see what time it was. That would have started the mental calculations. How much sleep had I gotten? How much time remained? Would I be tired tomorrow?

Not this time.

I resisted the temptation to check the time. Instead, I deliberately turned my thoughts to the coming day and some of the things I would be doing. Nothing particularly stressful. Just ordinary thoughts about the day ahead.

Within minutes, I was dreaming. And I was sufficiently aware of what had happened to realize that my little trick had worked.

I slept until the alarm sounded.

A Little History

A few months ago, I wrote about discovering that looking at clocks or watches during the night was a remarkably effective way to ruin an otherwise decent night’s sleep. The Night I Stopped Watching the Clock.

My solution was simple: Don’t look.

Then, a few weeks later, I wrote another post called “Just One Look.” You can probably guess what happened. I looked at the time during the night, and my mind promptly went to work. Another night disrupted by unnecessary thinking.

Apparently, knowing better and doing better are not always the same thing. I’ve encountered that lesson elsewhere in life!

But last night felt different. I was tempted to look at the time, recognized the temptation, and deliberately chose another course.

It worked.

A Busy Month

I’m writing this on Monday morning, several days before this post will appear on Saturday. The coming week will bring the conclusion of an unusually busy and somewhat stressful month.

Tomorrow, I fly to Oklahoma City for the second trial in which I’ve been involved this month. I expect to testify later in the week. By the time you read this, I should be back in Daytona Beach with both trials behind me.

I’ve also been preparing a sermon on gratitude for The Living Cornerstone on Sunday, November 1. The sermon is written, the PowerPoint is ready, and we tested the presentation equipment at church yesterday.

Both the trial and the sermon are important to me. I’ve prepared carefully for each, and I feel ready.

There isn’t much to be gained by worrying about either of them at three in the morning.

A Small Victory

This morning, my Hume Band gave me a sleep score of 91, which it considers excellent. My Garmin was less impressed, awarding me a 63, or fair. The two devices rarely agree, and Hume generally seems more consistent with how I actually feel.

And this morning, I felt well-rested.

The important thing wasn’t either score. It was that I had experienced a disrupted night without turning it into a bad night.

My sleep scores have generally improved since I stopped checking the time during the night. More importantly, I feel rested almost every morning.

I realize that learning not to look at a clock might seem a rather modest accomplishment at 78. But perhaps that’s part of the point.

As we age, living well isn’t always about making dramatic changes. Sometimes it’s about recognizing a small behavior that isn’t serving us, changing it, and learning to stick with the change.

We can’t always control when we wake up during the night. We can exercise some control over what we do next.

Last night, I did.

And I’m grateful for another good night’s sleep.

As always, be well, and age gratefully.

Chris

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