I’m a night owl and my preference is to stay up til at least midnight and finally go to bed when I can’t hold my eyes open any more but Vince is usually in bed by 10. I’ve been trying to go to bed when he goes to bed but I toss and turn and think of a million things to tell him. Sometimes I wait and sometimes, I wake him up and tell him, though I know he doesn’t listen or remember what I’m saying.
Last night he was already asleep and after I had awakened him several times, he took his CPAP off and said “Have you ever looked up pain in the a** in the dictionary? I’m sure it has your picture!” He was laughing but he was about tired of me waking him up.
Here’s how it went . .
We got in bed. I kept talking and talking . . which happens every night. Then, my back started itching so I asked him to scratch my back. He swore he was asleep and I woke him up but I don’t think he was. But he said I woke him up so we’ll count that as the first time I woke him up.
When Vince was re-arranging stuff around the computer yesterday, he stacked a bunch of things on top of the tall chest in the bedroom. We were both still reading and I looked at all that stuff stacked up and I said “That looks like an avalanche waiting to happen.” He assured me it was fine. About the time he got to sleep and I was getting close, all that stuff slid off. I’m not sure what I did but it scared me and I woke him up. Second time I woke him up but totally not my fault.
While he had been working in the bedroom yesterday, the smoke alarm went off. It wasn’t the chirp that it makes when it needs new batteries but it wasn’t the wailing it does when I’ve burned something on the stove. He wasn’t producing smoke so he took it down and was going to change the batteries but then it stopped so he put it back up and it seemed fine. As I was trying to be quiet and be still, and scratch my own back, I thought about the smoke alarm. Maybe something’s wrong with it. I decided to go take the other one down that’s in the hall and bring it in the bedroom but I couldn’t reach it even standing in a chair. I debated whether I should wake him up and ask him to stand on the chair, knowing waking him up a third time would probably not be a grand idea, I remembered we had a new smoke alarm that I bought to take to MO so I got it out, opened it, put the battery in it and brought it in the bedroom. All that woke him up. Third time.
Then I got back in bed and was almost asleep and there were papers in the printer and the fan was causing them to make noise so I had to get up, get those papers out of the printer, put them under something so they’d stop making noise. Fourth time I woke him up. By now, it was after 2 a.m.
This morning he was telling me that he saw on TV yesterday . . coincidentally, that some huge percentage of married people don’t sleep together. I said “Are you trying to tell me something?” No . . just saying! 🙂
He did say earlier that he felt like he needed a nap. I think that’s quite understandable.
Susan Nixon says
That’s hilarious. I think you are better off just staying up, and so is Vince. Paul and I liked that. I had alone time in the evening, and he had it in the morning when I slept three hours after he got up. It’s a good thing. =)
Donna says
We do the same thing. Sleeping apart has pretty much saved our marriage. I’m a night owl too, and Louis gets up cheerful as a happy bird.
Judy Laquidara says
I don’t really like sleeping by myself and Vince waking up early never awakens me but he’s a much lighter sleeper and if I come to bed late, he always hears me.
vivoaks says
Hubby and I still sleep together…we really don’t have a choice. There’s no place else in the house to sleep!!! He can get up in the middle of the night, crawl over me to get out of bed, and it usually doesn’t wake me up. Now when he gets back into bed he usually puts his knee into my leg – THAT
Judy Laquidara says
That’s how I am. Once I’m asleep, nothing wakes me up. Until I’m totally asleep though, I hear everything and there’s usually a vivd story in my head immediately and I have to wake Vince to investigate.
vivoaks says
Sorry…hit something wrong. Anyway…THAT will definitely wake me up!!! And if I’m not in bed, he keeps sliding over to my side – he wants to lean against me all night – so if I’m away he ends up on my side of the bed by morning!! 🙂
Karen says
I’m laughing. I think you should give up going to bed at the same time and just stay up until you can’t keep your eyes open:)
Judy Laquidara says
That works best for me but Vince doesn’t like it. A few more nights like Thursday night and he may have a change of heart.
Dorothy Matheson says
Yes that is the way it works for us. Actually I worked nights as a nurse so we didn’t sleep together but two days a week.
Retirement and I am the night owl and he is so not. I stay up and read and am quiiet and he sleeps; He gets up and watches the small TV in his office and I sleep.
Well now I am caring for my Mother and living in her house. I have to try to go to bed on time so I can get up by 8 am to get her medications and breakfast. ( I am glad to do it and my husband is glad I am doing it.)
Judy Laquidara says
Bless you! I know your mom appreciates it!
We all have to find what works for us and through the years,things do change.
Linda in NE says
My laugh for the day! You might as well stay up late, you’ll both get more sleep.
Judy Laquidara says
You’re right. I always think if I go to bed, I’ll go to sleep but no, it doesn’t happen. Last night we went to bed about midnight and I read til after 2, but I read quietly and didn’t have any issues that involved waking Vince.
Mary M says
OMG woman! You would be banned from the bedroom if you woke me 4 times in one night! Of course, I’m the night owl in this pair (generally) and i seldom wake hubby because he sleeps so soundly once asleep. I am also awake before he is so I have time to myself both at night and in the morning. I sleep 6-7 hours, he sleeps 10-11 hours. He has learned to not wake me unless he is bleeding or the house is on fire. All other problems are his to figure out if he is awake for some reason when I’m not.
Judy Laquidara says
That’s exactly what I always told Chad – do not wake me or interrupt my bath unless there’s blood or smoke. Living here, I would have to add “snake” to the approved reasons for interrupting.