Sleeping in…a retirement luxury

[Teacher Terry]

I don’t set my alarm unless I’m seeing a client or have an appointment. I don’t make any before 10 am. I usually get up between 6-8am depending on when I went to bed and how long I can sleep that night. My dogs are happy to sleep with me and not wake me up.

 

[DrRoy]

+1, although I usually get up +/- about 15 min of the same time. We will very occasionally set an alarm to get up for a flight, or to go out and shoot photos of sunrise.

 

[Jerry1]

And this morning I realize that once a week I have to get up early. Garbage day. Everything has to be to the curb by 7am or risk getting passed on by. Though they never come until later, it’s not worth the risk. I’d leave it out the night before but we have too many critters around here. Picking up after a critter tears through my garbage would be worse than getting up early. Nap today for sure as I didn’t sleep well last night either.

 

[athena53]

My dogs are happy to sleep with me and not wake me up.

My friend has two cats that typically wake him up by bouncing on his head, sometimes at 5 or 6 AM.

Glad I don't have cats.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I find myself waking at the same time or often even earlier... never with an alarm. I am more motivated to get out of bed than I was when working because the day is mine and I'm excited to enjoy it. If I stay in bed too long I feel like I wasted my day. Definitely a morning person!

 

[JoPeter57]

I don't get the big hatred on alarms clocks. Go to bed at a decent, regular hour. Being in the Navy for 20 years, try sleeping for two hours, then going on watch for 4 hrs...back to bed for an hour or 2..then work a full day (obviously this was not everyday). IMO, those who "don't use alarms anymore" aren't golfers.

 

[Trailwalker]

I use an actual alarm clock only when I have an important early morning obligation. In the summer, I wake up at pre-dawn without an alarm clock. This time of year, I occasionally sleep until 6:30 a.m. If I'm not awake by then, the dog is my alarm clock.

 

[CaptTom]

And this morning I realize that once a week I have to get up early. Garbage day. Everything has to be to the curb by 7am or risk getting passed on by. Though they never come until later, it’s not worth the risk. I’d leave it out the night before but we have too many critters around here. Picking up after a critter tears through my garbage would be worse than getting up early.

Identical situation here. 7 AM is my target for "sleeping late," after years of getting up at 5:15. It's taken me a long time to get to the point where I actually can sleep that late sometimes, but not on garbage day! That one day I put it out late will be the one day they show up early.

 

[MarieIG]

Unfortunately, I'm on a medication that has to be taken every 12 hours. I was on 8am/8pm but have switched to 9am/9pm. I don't have a problem getting up, but it would be nice sometimes to just roll over and go back to sleep. Thankfully, there are always mid-day naps.

Jerry, are you able to keep one dose of your meds, with a glass of water next to your bed, in case you want to sleep in?

 

[MarieIG]

My friend has two cats that typically wake him up by bouncing on his head, sometimes at 5 or 6 AM.

Glad I don't have cats.

Yes, when I had kitties, my senior kitty was very regimented with my wake-up schedule and she would sit on my head and tap my cheek.

 

[Venturer]

I am usually up by 7:00 am at least. we go to bed between 10 & 11m. I'm usually woke up between 3 and 4: am by Nikky girl to go outside and do her "cat patrol" and ensure we are not being attacked as well as doing her business. I also take her out 1st thing when we get up and let my DW sleep in. I always make my DR. or Dentist appts. as early as possible so I can get in and get out to get on with my day. My DW is just the opposite and gets hers in the afternoon. Usually she has to sit waiting because the Dr. is "running behind''again, the later the appointment the
longer the wait.

 

[Midpack]

I don't get the big hatred on alarms clocks. Go to bed at a decent, regular hour. Being in the Navy for 20 years, try sleeping for two hours, then going on watch for 4 hrs...back to bed for an hour or 2..then work a full day (obviously this was not everyday). IMO, those who "don't use alarms anymore" aren't golfers.

I'm sure most of us still use alarm clocks some - just not every weekday anymore. I play golf early in Summer, later in Winter. And we choose when we start our days, not MegaCorp. Big difference IME.

 

[Jerry1]

Jerry, are you able to keep one dose of your meds, with a glass of water next to your bed, in case you want to sleep in?

No. Especially not in the morning. Must be taken with food. Tried to skimp on the food part because I had an early golf commitment and that didn’t work. Had to eat a little and then take snacks to eat on the golf course with the medication.

I can go a lot lighter on the food in the evening because dinner is still in my system. A little apple sauce works fine.

 

[MarieIG]

No. Especially not in the morning. Must be taken with food. Tried to skimp on the food part because I had an early golf commitment and that didn’t work. Had to eat a little and then take snacks to eat on the golf course with the medication.

I can go a lot lighter on the food in the evening because dinner is still in my system. A little apple sauce works fine.

Ahhhh, got it. The "with food" is a deal breaker for sleeping later in the morning.

 

[Calico]

Yes, when I had kitties, my senior kitty was very regimented with my wake-up schedule and she would sit on my head and tap my cheek.

After years of having multiple cats, I am down to only one at the moment.

She is a 17-year-old orange tabby. She and one of her sisters were my "foster fails" 17 years ago. Sadly her sister died in January of 2022.

As she ages she is getting feisty(er). In the mornings now, when she decides it is time to get up and fill the food bowl, she will start chewing on either my fingers or my nose to communicate this to me. Compared to being slowly gnawed to death, a tap on the cheek sounds positively civilized!

It's always good to be reminded of who is really in charge in this household!

 

[2HOTinPHX]

After years of having multiple cats, I am down to only one at the moment.

She is a 17-year-old orange tabby. She and one of her sisters were my "foster fails" 17 years ago. Sadly her sister died in January of 2022.

As she ages she is getting feisty(er). In the mornings now, when she decides it is time to get up and fill the food bowl, she will start chewing on either my fingers or my nose to communicate this to me.

It's always good to be reminded of who is really in charge in this household!

Have you thought about getting an automated feeder for your cat?

 

[Calico]

Have you thought about getting an automated feeder for your cat?

I thought that's what I was describing?

It's a good thought, and I have heard that it works for some people.

Seriously, though, after being owned by eight cats over a 40-year period, I have pretty much mastered the ability to get up, fill the bowl, and go back to sleep almost without ever completely waking up.

Also, the only food she can (literally) stomach now is baby food (I add Taurine to it several times a week) and I'm not sure how that would work with an automatic feeder.

 

[MarieIG]

After years of having multiple cats, I am down to only one at the moment.

She is a 17-year-old orange tabby. She and one of her sisters were my "foster fails" 17 years ago. Sadly her sister died in January of 2022.

As she ages she is getting feisty(er). In the mornings now, when she decides it is time to get up and fill the food bowl, she will start chewing on either my fingers or my nose to communicate this to me. Compared to being slowly gnawed to death, a tap on the cheek sounds positively civilized!

It's always good to be reminded of who is really in charge in this household!

She sounds like a character!

Nope, she's not going to let you forget whose in charge.

 

[Teacher Terry]

One of my dogs needs her heart medicine 12 hours apart and it must be taken on an empty stomach. To avoid serving dinner later at night I keep it in a shot glass in the bathroom. I usually wake up around 4 to use the bathroom and then give it to her. That way when we get up they don’t have to wait for breakfast and can eat dinner at 5.

 

[Calico]

She sounds like a character!

Nope, she's not going to let you forget whose in charge.

Yup, she's a character all right!

It's good to know where I fall in the hierarchy, that's for sure.

 

[jollystomper]

My sleeping pattern is not too different from when I worked. As long as I am asleep by 1 am, I seem to naturally wake up sometime between 6 and 7 without an alarm. I set the alarm when I must be awake by a specific time. For example, my summer golf tee times are usually at 7 and I try to be at the course by 6:45, so for that I will set the alarm for 5:45. However, those days I tend to get to bed earlier, so half the time I am waking up before the alarm sounds.

DW has always been an early riser, usually wake up by 6. I can tell when something is bother her if she is not up by then.

In retirement I enjoy getting up early. For me it just seems to make the day longer and more enjoyable. Whether or not I actually always get out of bed when I wake up is another, too personal to reveal, story...

 

[FedRetired50]

Too funny.

 

[friar1610]

+3 <dogs>
One is a special case. She's blind, has Addisons, gets steroids daily and is hungry and thirsty, and needs to be carried outside or else.
In for a penny in for a pound when it comes to our pets, so regular sleep is not to be had some mornings.
I give her trazodone every night and she is doing better with sleeping in.

We have a senior dog who wakes up early and wants to go out. I learned the hard way not to ignore him. So I get up, take him to the basement, hook him to a chain and let him out for 5-10 minutes. Then I go back to bed for an hour. But before I do, being a “senior dog” myself, I generally replicate what he’s just done, albeit not in the yard. Makes us both happy.