30 April 2012

Z is for Zeitgeber

I moved last Monday, and I have had to adjust to the large amount of light that shines into the rooms.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love natural light.  That is one of my favorite things about the new place.

But, the light is a zeitgeber that is messing with my system.  The light is serving as an external agent that wants to regulate my biological clock.  Unfortunately, it is doing so in a manner that I am not wanting to have happen.

Who needs a light emitting alarm clock when you have the sunshine?
Not only is there a lot of natural light, but the lights in the parking area keep it nice and safe; there are a ton of them and they are super bright.  In the night, they are so bright that I can still see pretty well in the bedroom without any internal lights.

I normally wake up a few times during the night before my alarm goes off at 5:08.  With the light acting as a zeitgeber, when I open my eyes I feel as though the sun is rising (especially since the light is orangey), and it is hard for me to go back to sleep until I look at my cell phone clock to make sure I didn't sleep past my alarm.

This has happened each day since Monday.  And each time, I feel like it must be daylight so I have to check the clock which makes me more awake and makes it slightly harder for me to go back to sleep.

And on Sunday, the one day I get to sleep late with no alarm, I was up super early first with the street lights, and then with all the natural light that flows in through the mini-blinds.

I absolutely love natural light and not needing internal lights, but, I need to invest in some curtains or something to help block the zeitgeber in the bedroom so I can sleep better.

This is my last post for the A to Z Challenge.  I have posted on each letter of the alphabet.  I have also posted each day this year so far.  I can't believe this is four months of daily blog posts.  It is more than I posted in the last 2 years previous and it has become second nature for me to write on my blog.  I almost feel lost until a post is up for the day.  I think I'm going to keep at it for the month of May.

Why stop now?
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14 comments:

  1. Julie Daines30 April, 2012 10:47

    Oh, all that light during the night would drive me crazy. You definitely need some black-out curtains or blinds. Congratulations of finishing A to Z.

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    1. a.eye30 April, 2012 22:31

      It's starting to get to me... I'm sleeping with the blanket over my head for now. A-Z was fun!

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  2. Judy30 April, 2012 11:16

    I think I'm gonna have to go look up zeitberger! Congrats on finishing the month - it's been fun!

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    1. a.eye30 April, 2012 22:33

      It was a blast and stretched my writing ideas. Congrats to you, too!! Food for each letter must have been a real challenge.

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  3. Joy30 April, 2012 13:20

    5:08? : ( I'm sorry. Congratulations on the challenge!

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    1. a.eye30 April, 2012 22:36

      It is as horrible as it sounds to wake up that early... but I am getting used to it. Though in four years of doing it, I haven't gotten used to going to bed earlier which leads to tired afternoons.

      Congrats to you on completing the challenge, as well!

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  4. Dawn Storey30 April, 2012 13:35

    Congrats on finishing A to Z! I didn't do that challenge, but I've been keeping up with NaBloPoMo so I am in the same position as you - 4 months' worth of posts! Definitely something to celebrate. And I am definitely in for another month, as life just wouldn't seem right without my daily posting habit! :)

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    1. a.eye30 April, 2012 22:36

      Thanks! Congrats on NaBloPoMo for these four months!! I'm joining back up for May, so I'll see you over there! It really has become a daily habit, hasn't it?

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  5. Patricia Stoltey30 April, 2012 20:47

    Yay for finishing A to Z. I love your "Z" word, which was a new word for me. We solved our bedroom light problem by closing the mini-blinds the wrong way...but that hasn't solved the Katie Cat internal alarm issue. How she knows when it's 7:00 AM, regardless of the outside light, I'll never figure out.

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    1. a.eye30 April, 2012 22:39

      Glad I introduced you to the new word. I have learned some new ones with this challenge, too. Thanks for the idea with the blinds. I will try that out tonight. Sorry your cat has some sort of a zeitgeber that keeps her waking up early each day. Perhaps you can slip her some melatonin at night. ;-)

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  6. JCov30 April, 2012 22:39

    Congrats on completing this challenge and for not missing one day of blogging in 2012, you are a serious blogging Rock Star!!

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    1. a.eye30 April, 2012 22:43

      Thanks! It has become so regular that it really didn't seem like it had been that long until I sat to write this post and realized it has been four months!!

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  7. Jeremy Bates01 May, 2012 03:25

    Oooh, I have one of those Z things, too! I moved to a safer, much more secure apartment in Manila (I'm here on sabbatical). The security lights make 2:30 a.m. appear like my last 6 a.m., thus when I see the the light, my brain says, 'Time to get up'!

    Congrats on finishing A to Z and for being a perennial blogger! See ya around soon.

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    1. a.eye01 May, 2012 22:27

      Thanks!! And good luck with figuring out how to hide that security light! What a great place to spend a sabbatical. Good luck with your book, as well!

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