Dear LPG,

I have just learned something, and that is even though it has been ten years since I joined the band of pensioners of the UK; there is one thing that has never changed for me.   I get up at between 04:00 and 05:00 every morning. 

It interested me to learn that, according to an online website I found while Googling early one morning recently, a Daily Express article offered some research to support the fact that we oldies sleep in late, and go to bed earlier than our younger counterparts. 

Apparently I am one of the 10% of older early risers though, and this is most probably because I spent a working life doing shift work and sleeping during the day.  This means that light and dark is not an integral component of a good night’s sleep for me, and (though many other aspects of getting older have slowed me up) working in artificial light, with darkness outside the windows, does not affect my productivity.  I have to say that I am aware that I depend on my body clock to wake me and have never found an alarm that can do the trick.  In fact, I recently bought myself an amazon echo which I set up so that it announces, very loudly, that I need to get up at 04:00 every morning, and in the three months I have had it, I can honestly say that I have only ever heard that message when I am already awake.    I think that the other thing I have learned over the years is to get up when I wake up and not spend too much time just lying there and thinking… but that is just me. 

Questions on the subject that I have asked my peers have led me to believe that the research I Googled is not altogether accurate because many of us oldies find ourselves waking during the night to interrupt our REM cycles with activities like early-hour trips to the loo, or to satisfy a need for a midnight snack. 

But I found some information which, though it appears to be targeting youngsters of working age, might help to inspire older people to get more productive and hope that readers enjoy.

AH, Ladywell

AH offers us an article showing some research about how our sleeping habits often change as we get older and also a very informative video that may help those who would like to use their mornings more efficiently.

(►►►)   (►►►)