Dear LPG readers,

I read with interest what IC of Lewisham wrote on the subject of shortening that time gap between when you first open your eyes in the mornings and when you actually get up (►►►), and noted her request for answers.   I know that it is not a problem unique to the writer of that message.

I am no expert but I think that the answer lies in having something that motivates you and that you really want to do with your days.  I am not talking about all the things that we have to do which also have to be fitted into our daily schedules.  I know that the youngsters in our families think that retirement means that we suddenly acquire years full of days with nothing to do, but they are mistaken.  I know that many of my friends find themselves with increasing GP, dental and hospital appointments, not to mention pain and illnesses that can often make the prospect of actually getting from a horizontal state to a vertical one first thing in the mornings progressively more challenging as we get older and, if we are not careful, it can be a time when life in general can become a reality that we would prefer to escape. 

Then there are the difficulties that loneliness can bring to compound the problem.   A younger person who lives alone and works has not the time to subconsciously do their best to escape reality, but many people find themselves lost without the time dictates that a working routine forces on them.

I think that we elders really need to make sure that we have something to be involved with.  I am talking about the mission that really will fulfil and make reality something we really want to focus on; where you want to be.

In short, if all medical reasons have been ruled out, it all comes down to motivation again.

GE, Dulwich