The Pillow Lift

Of course it happens to me……

Nice gent arrives at my door with a pillow lifter for me to try, as I am having problems getting to a seated position from laying down. He goes to the bedroom and I can hear him placing it on the bed. Everything goes quiet for a while, no sound of motors whirring. Hmmm.

Gent then comes back to the lounge “I’m having a bit of an issue, you might see where I’m going wrong” he places the mat on the floor and holds up the cotton cover “this cover goes on this mat, but I cannot see which way it goes”

We both glance from mat to cover to mat to cover. The cotton cover was about a third smaller in width and length than the mat, there was no way it was going to fit. Plus there was only one, cannot exactly guarantee to wash and dry and remake the bed within one day.it depends very much on which carers come at what times.

He checked the label, of the mat, then checked the label of the cover.

“Ah-ha!! The cover is for a leg lifter”

So everything had to be uninstalled and head back to the depot to be resorted to try again another day.

🤦‍♀️

 

Sleep per chance to ……….. fat chance!

As many of my readers might already know, i enjoy some clinomania, frequently, often .. well to be absolutely honest to the definition, I try to be a clinomaniac.  My sleep pattern has been screwed since my age reached double figure, no idea why.

The thing is this, I get snuggled in bed, too tired to do anything but rest but the dropping off the edge into sleepfullness eludes, for anything up to hours.  Too tired to stay awake and too awake to go to sleep.  Then when I do drop off the edge I will wake fully consciously in order to move, and thus we begin again, the waiting waiting for the Mr Sandman, Major Soporific, Senîor Siesta to do their thing and this cycle will continue until I eventually reach a time to get up [usually because I need a pee, or someone is visiting].

With my hovel being all on the ground floor having a window open and curtains parted is really not an option, with the recent muggy nights, hormonal hot flushes, the itching of fresh bites [thank you Mrs Gnat, i really needed another nibble at the nicker line] there has been even more to disturb the disturbed patterns.  I have tried sleeping with an osculating fan but the drone of the motor and the draft of the fan causes more problems than it cures.  I cannot stand drafts, having fresh air is one thing, feeling it across my face or up and down my back has other intestinal disadvantages.

With the recent weather I have been fine, windows open, doors open, curtains part closed, happily going about my day to day stuff, but when I get up off the sofa to go to bed I am drench in clammy heat, getting to bed feeling a sticky muggy mass, a damp down with the flannel refreshes but just the exertion of doing so feels like a battle.  

So after clock watching until 1.30am waiting to ‘drop-off’, then glancing again at 3.19am, and looking again at 4.08am .. the rolling rumble at thunder at 5.11 was neither a disturbance or a relief.  I lay there thinking, ohh goodie entertainment, then when the rain started, it was ohh goodie some refreshing air temps, some lack lustre flashes of lightning did little to energise, it seemed the weather was suffering from its own mugginess.  The ‘storm’ lasted til 6.30am.  I rolled over and ‘boxed the compass’ clock and anti clockwise, tried to think of a to-do list for today and then it was 7.45am and my upstairs neighbour was starting his washing machine while he whistled a happy tune.

So I reckon, I’ve managed, in lumps and clumps, around four hours sleep across a period of ten hours, not a good nor healthy ratio.

I really must try and retrieve most of the duvet from the floor, it insists on sliding off the bottom corner – I think it like the rest of us is melting.

 

Sleep perchance to shuffle and toss

Sleep and I have fallen out .. rather harshly too.  I am shattered, lethargic and unrested, which is not a good combination when you need your wits about you to function in every day ways.

Usually, I head for bed because I am tired, but by the time I have struggled to my feet, waddled to the bathroom, waddled to the bedroom, undressed, collapsed and thrown the covers over, I am wide awake again.  Thumb twiddling for over an hour and closer to two before eventually dropping off into a disjointed sleep pattern of regular waking into full consciousness to adjust position and then wait ages to drop off again.  I would guess that to get 6 hours of decent sleep would take 12 to 16 hours to achieve.

I purchased an iPad – loving it – with the tv catch up app and iPlayers, this is brilliant for me.  I go to bed earlier, so all the energetic waddling is done, I watch some tv for an hour, switch off iPad, turn over, sleep arrives within the hour … a sounding result.

However more recently even this has failed to work. I turn off the ipad and turn over and toss and turn and huff and count dots, clouds, sheep, recite the alphabet forwards backwards, box the compass clock and anti clock wise, sleep makes a half hearted appearance some four hours later, leaving me about three hours to sleep disjointedly before the next day beckons.  This does not a happy bunny make!

Last night, I was in bed by 9 because I felt exhausted and staying up longer could render me too exhausted to physically do the struggle and waddle.  I got comfy and no, nothing, not a hint of a yawn or droopy eyes.  I went online, tweeted, read, watched tv until midnight and still more awake than at any point in the day! Turned over and determined myself to slumber, spent the rest of the night travelling the bed to find the cool spot, travelling the bed to find the warm bit, travelling the bed to retrieve the duvet slowly sliding off the bottom corner, tossing turning shifting because which ever way I lay it caused something to go numb, something to go ouch or something to cramp.

Patience thoroughly tested and that too now exhausted.

So for the rest of the month, it is kill or cure time.  Strict routine for bed, no excuses, no tardiness on my part [stop sniggering].  Bed … tv 1 hour, take herbal sleepy helpers, read 1 hour, turn over and SLEEP.