I only took half an hour to fall asleep last night. Admittedly, I was late getting to bed (11pm.) At least I didn't keep waking up... and I managed to get to the early-morning Mass at Blackfen. The headache has gone. However, I'm still feeling grouchy, though that might have something to do with the fact that we've been trying to help students squeeze out the last few extra marks for their coursework... because these are the students who didn't bother to do any work when it was originally set. That is now at an end, though, as the final marks have to be sent off to the examiners tomorrow.I'm now fantasizing about tall glasses of iced coffee... with scoops of vanilla ice-cream. And cans of Coca Cola.
Good luck! I have gone caffeine-free for Lent in the past, but it is too difficult to sustain.
ReplyDeleteI quit drinking coffee for Lent 2006 and have not had another cup since. It can be done....I happen to endure chronic daily headaches ( i am on medication for this) even without the coffee and had hoped they would subside a little ( they didn't) but the real reason for giving it up was because i drank so much of it and was so dependant on it to help me stay awake and focussed, besides which, i didn't want to take an easy Lenten penance option....I can say hand on heart, that by the end of that first Lent without it, I didn't crave it at all.
ReplyDeleteHang on in there, girl!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you`re doing brilliantly. 10 days to go.. and you can start having it in moderation. Well done. When it gets unbearable, make it a kind of fasting and offer it for a specific intention. (PS the HFE bill is at a crucial stage).
ReplyDeleteYou are saving lives. Well done, Mac.
Saw this and thought of you:
ReplyDeletehttp://bloomingathome.wordpress.com/
I'm sure you'll come round to the virtues of the heroic minute eventually!!
11 pm is early! I have to say that once my head hits the pillow I'm generally "gone" right away.
ReplyDeleteI drink lots of caffeine too. I guess it affects different people different ways.
Thanks for the encouragement, folks!
ReplyDeleteBernadette - good idea... I'll (try to) offer it up.
La mamma - LOL, thanks... the heroic minute is what I'm aiming at, but as my SD points out, there's little point trying if I'm not allowing myself enough sleep!
Karen - I really need at least 7 hours' sleep a night, minimum (on a regular basis... I can survive on less for short periods) and as I need to get up at 6am in order to have time in the morning for prayer and getting to work, I need to get to sleep by 11pm. At the moment I'm having problems disciplining myself to go to bed before 11pm, and if I do, then I don't fall asleep... and my large caffeine intake has been suggested as a possible cause for the last bit... hence this little experiment.
Just a thought, about 9, do some stretching. Isometric stretching and deep breathing. Touch the floor, stretch way back, side to side, etc. Work up to 10 minutes or so if you don't already...your muscles should ache a bit but not hurt. See if that helps.
ReplyDeleteKaren