Sleeping Patterns

Todd: So Sarah, let's talk about sleep. How many hours of sleep do you usually get every night?

Sarah: Usually, at least eight. It depends on how late I stay up but usually about eight hours, I try to get every night.

Todd: And you are pretty consistent, like even on the weekends, you get eight hours.

Sarah: Yes. Even on the weekends. Sleep is very important for me to feel normal and energetic.

Todd: Now, do you need an alarm clock to wake you up or you just wake up naturally everyday?

Sarah: I definitely have to have an alarm clock. Even though I wake up very easily, I don't wake up at a routine time easily. So I usually set two alarms and that will usually get me up.

Todd: Oh wow. I actually have this kind of weird mental ability. I thought that everybody can do this but I found out it's not the case, but I can wake up exactly at the minute I want, any time. So like, if I have to get up at 5:43, before I go to bed, I can say, "Okay. Get up at 5:43." And I'll wake up at 5:43, exactly.

Sarah: That's amazing.

Todd: Yeah. I don't know how – I guess your brain just can keep time. When I tell people this, sometimes they think, "Oh come on, that's not true." But really, ever since I was a kid I could just tell myself what time I want to wake up and I'll wake up exactly at that time.

Sarah: That's really quite amazing. I wish it was that way for me, but it's not.

Todd: Yeah. You know what's weird – because I don't use alarm clocks. And I can't – like an alarm clock – the idea actually, I can't have a deep sleep if I know that it's going to ring and wake up, like it's going to jolt. To me an alarm clock is like somebody throwing cold water on you, you know. So yeah, I don't use alarm clocks at all.

Sarah: Yeah. I'm always paranoid about being late so that's why I set two just in case like one doesn't go off. But I can sleep anytime of the day. Like it really doesn't matter what type of day, it's very easy for me to fall asleep for as long as whenever. So that's why I have to have an alarm clock because I could sleep 12 or 14 hours and not wake up.

Todd: Wow. That's like you do like sleep.

Sarah: Yeah.

Todd: So do you take naps?

Sarah: No, because then I feel really like groggy and really like irritable if I take naps because I just want to sleep longer than that amount of time. So I don't take naps.

Todd: Like can you sleep with the light on?

Sarah: Yes.

Todd: Yeah, I can't. Actually, that's why I always wake up so early. As soon the light comes through the window, I wake up. I can't sleep if it's not dark.

Sarah: I can sleep in any situation; light, noise, sitting up. It doesn't matter. I can sleep.

Todd: Oh wow. So you're a deep sleeper. I'm so jealous. Like just a little bit of noise or a little bit of light and I can't sleep. And actually, I probably only get an average six hours a night. But I do sometimes take naps.

Sarah: Oh OK. How long do you usually nap for?

Todd: Usually an hour. I found out if I go over an hour then that's the danger zone because then if you sleep like two or three hours, then you wake up and you're just groggy for the whole day. Like you can't – it's like you've been drugged, you know. So yeah. Forty-five minute nap is about it.

Sarah: Yeah. When you were a child, did your parents make you take naps?

Todd: They did. And oddly enough, when I was a kid though, I couldn't sleep, like, you would cry, "I don't want to take a nap" you know. And you'd be like you conk out. But yeah, I do remember.

Do you remember having to take naps in school?

Sarah: I didn't go to school actually. I was home schooled.

Todd: Oh really.

Sarah: I remember taking naps when I was really little but beyond that and like school-age, I never had to.

Todd: Oh wow. Anyway, all these talks are making me tired. I think I'm ready for a nap.

Sarah: Sounds good.