A few nights ago I was in the middle of getting ready for bed when I decided I should turn on my little portable fan that sits on the floor and blows cold air on me all night. My entire reason for turning it on a little early, as opposed to right before I actually hopped in bed, is because in my quirky thinking I just knew that the 10 minutes extra it would blow would cool down my room to the perfect temperature. Listen, when you have two roommates, you all have to make sacrifices and compromise here and there. So while turning down the air conditioning would be my preference, I’ve decided it’s best not to freeze out my roommates.
Anyway, this is getting really long. And so far I’ve only discussed turning on my fan.
What I’m trying to get at is that when I turned the knob to “on” all it did was run its puny little motor and almost caught fire. By almost caught fire I mean it smelled a little like smoke so I freaked out, turned it off, and unplugged it right away.
Immediately following I announced to my roommates and to the world that my fan had just died. My faithful, portable fan of nine years that lulls me to sleep every night. Yes, I am co-dependent on my fan and not the least bit ashamed.
It may have died of old age and over-use, or all the dust in the motor, but I’m just going to believe its time was up.
Needless to say, I slept in silence with only a ceiling fan. Thankfully, I was so tired that I feel asleep pretty quick, but I did wake up nearly every hour both sweating profusely all the while wondering if the noises I was hearing was somebody trying to break into our apartment, or just normal, nightly noises.
My white-noise producing fan is my best friend.
I didn’t wait 24 hours before I marched myself to Target and stood in the “fan” aisle for nearly 30 minutes while researching every last portable fan. Eventually, I threw the “Vornado” in my basket, purchased it, and took it home for a test drive that evening. I have labeled it the Lexus of all fans. Listen, y’all. I have issues.
But if I know one thing to be true, I know that we here at LPM are serious about our sleep.
Although I am a big fan of sleep, I also tend to be a night owl and am one of those folks who can run on five or six hours of sleep, but it’s obvious I tend to be a snob about my sleeping situations.
I got so tickled about all this fan drama that I decided it would be fun to publicly display our quirky sleeping patterns. We know we all have them.
For instance, on top of the must-have oscillating buzz, I also have a ceiling fan that runs all night long, and I sleep with a total of three pillows, one for my head and two on either side of me. It’s so complicated, y’all. And we all know there are things I’m keeping to myself. You’re so welcome.
I know you know what’s coming next.
What are your MUST HAVES for a good night sleep? Do tell. I’m dying to know. If only to make myself feel so much better about my drama this week revolving around a little fan. Grin.
Oh, and happy Friday. May your weekend be full of sweet, uninterrupted sleep.
This is the best topic ever! I love everyone’s sleeping issues! I always thought it was only me! First, there is a wall of king sized pillows (4) between my husband and me (he snores). This is in addition to our sound machine on LOUD. I sleep with a scented eye mask and hold a little pillow in my arms that I’ve had since birth (several replacements through the years). And I love it cold! I can’t believe I’m writing all this.
OK my fan goes on trips with me…..I even bought one to leave at my in-laws. But I have a fan on every night. I point it under my dresser in the winter. All our neighbors have dogs (BARK?) and I too have to have it totally quiet and dark!! My husband takes the silence until it wakes him up and he goes to the den to sleep with the tv on:(
I need my playlist of fifteen worship songs, although I fall asleep before the first song is finished; my St. Bernard and Bullmastiff snoring on their beds; and the hope of a beautiful sunrise in the morning!
Ha ha, Lindsee… was that pun intended; “I’m a FAN og good sleep”?
My 14 year old son has slept with a fan on every night for the past 8 years. A Vornado, on high. But the clencher is that we live in Washington state and it gets very cold in the winter. Still, his fan is on high, but so is his heater blanket. His room is frigid, but he can’t sleep without it, lol.
My quirk is that I have to have the foot of the blankets tucked in, (difficult when you’re married to a non-tuck kind of guy) and the top of the sheet folded over the blanket so at no time does the blanket touch my face. Its not a germ thing, but just I just prefer the coolness of a sheet next to my face.
Its been fun reading and realing that we all have our quirks!
(Sorry… OF good sleep… not OG)
That was not a pun! But good catch! Ha ha!
No white noise here! I love it dead quiet and dark, and of course my small dog somewhere on the bed!;) quiet ceiling fan in summer. Now, what about morning routine. Must haves? Blessings to y’all!
My husband and I have slept with a ceiling fan and a box fan on high for 20 years of our 35 years of marriage. Before smart phones we would turn a hair dryer on the cool setting and on high while traveling by plane. Now we use the white noise app on my tablet. I also take 3mg of melatonin each night and 1/2 zyrtec (for allergies) to aid in sleep as well. My ADHD husband has never slept better!
Fun topic!
To get the best night’s sleep…
+ I’ve had a productive (usually busy) day in which I’ve actually accomplished something tangible, incl. exercise.
+ Everyone else is in bed and all relationships are A-OK…no bedtime drama, etc. (2 teenagers and a preschooler).
+ I’ve gone to the little girl’s room JUST before slipping into bed.
+ Immediately before the potty I’ve brushed/flossed my teeth (and sometimes brushed again).
+ CHAPSTICK!!!
+ Sometime in the midst of getting ready I consume about 8-16 oz. water – cold – bottled or faucet-filtered with ice.
+ Hubby is in bed with me and not snoring (yet); bonus if we actually go to bed exactly at the same time and have pleasant conversation where he doesn’t fall asleep mid-sentence or mid-prayer (LOL)!
+ Fan is on, usually medium. Unfortunately we live in a house with very tall ceilings and have no ceiling fans, so a stand fan has to suffice.
+ MY pillow, sheet, and fluffy comforter (add dual-control electric blanket in winter)
+ Very light-weight short gown/short PJs in summer and heavy fuzzy PJs in winter
Hmm…might could add to the list, but I must say that I truly am a pretty good sleeper, despite adverse conditions when we travel. SO thankful for a peaceful good night’s sleep! One of God’s best blessings…
This is such a fun post. And it blesses this 56 yr old lady that I am NOT in this alone 🙂
Sleep, NY State Style:
Winter: sound therapy machine…all heat vents closed upon bedtime. No matter if it is “0” degrees.
Summer: A/C unit in the window on 69.
Spring/Fall transition: ceiling fun a must with sound therapy. These two seasons are the worst. Anything goes from 30 to 90 degrees.
I have passed this addiction on to 2 of my 3 children. Thank you very much.
I CANNOT sleep with my door closed…has to be open an inch or two or I get claustrophobic. Also need at least 3 pillows, definitely one between my knees.
Very old sitcoms help me sleep: Petticoat Junction, Make Room for Daddy, Leave it To Beaver, the Donna Reed Show, etc. In our very complicated world, the simplicity of these shows is so relaxing. Love to watch June Cleaver make a chocolate cake…double layers and all. Or running the vacuum in her “dress” and pearls!
Girl, you are so funny, love it. Flannel sheets, year round. Faux feather duvet, year round. Three pillows. Windows open, or A/C or heat off, whatever it takes to keep the room cool. Bonus points if both husband is home and dog is curled up on the floor in our room, because I was single for 33 years and I relish the comfort of my sweet little family being nearby. I count it a blessing, always.
I sleep with one of those “noise machines” set to pouring rain really loud. That’s on the left side of my bed. On the right side, actually IN my bed, a transistor radio playing.
No wrinkles!
Body pillow is a must.
Hehehe. I too “need” my fan going. AC at 72 or lower is preferable. Two pillows under my head but they don’t always stay there. Comfortable up to my chin (like LPM K-Mac says). And my handsome hubby next to me.
I need
1. Shower
2. Cotton jammies
3. iPhone playing Christian music softly
4. Beagle
5. Ziploc bag with snacks for beagle
6. Cool air
7. Quilt
8. Glass of milk
my sleep habit developed while i was young. i was afraid of the dark, so i began to sleep with one pillow under my head and another over my head. i’d pull the comforter right up to my chin and have a pocket of cool air to breathe and i was convinced the boogie man couldn’t see me!
when i went off to college, this habit helped get me through the first few days of sleeping in pitch blackness. i’d always slept with a hallway light on. NOW i can’t sleep if there IS light on, and the pillow over the head again comes to the rescue, blocking unwanted light.
i most likely will need socks too, as i can’t fall asleep if my feet are cold.
the best pillow i’ve found in the past 5 years is a neck pillow that has 2 humps, a larger one and a smaller one. a pancake pillow on top and i’m set.
My family gives me jazz all the time about my fan habit. I drag it around with me or if we stay at a hotel, I HAVE TO KNOW that it has a fan that can lull me to sleep. This is a requirement. And oh, by the way, my husband is now hooked on the fan as well!
Who in their right mind can sleep without a fan and at least one. I have always been so hot natured and my spouse is exactly the opposite. Sometimes I have to wait until he drifts off to sleep before I get up and sneak the fan on medium. High is my preference but I have to give him some slack. Totally understand the fan issue
Oh, yes I have to have my fan. Of course now I must discover this Vornado …
Just must have my sound machine on and it completely dark in the room. Love my special pillow and my honey in the bed next to me. We hold hands as we go to sleep…
lip balm
read
fan
socks
flat pillow
heavy blanket
pajama pants must cover knees (even here in Louisiana)
no noise for 20 min (I have 4 kids so this is huge)
You will never know, girl, what this fun post did for my spirit today! (I’ve opened it on the 8th). My 94 year old mom is having a “moment” with her heart so we won’t be leaving as planned for our trip to the mountains tomorrow. That’s okay – mom comes first! What a lift and what fun to open this blog and find this happy blog. Loved your post and also the fun replies! Keep up the good work, Lindsee! You are a blessing! I love your serious moments and adore your “lighter” ones as well.
I’m with you with the fan and white noise. We live in tropical Florida so I totally identify with your Texas heat! Our A.C. is rarely on OFF. (Reason for the mountain trip every summer).
Pillow with silk pillow case for the head (good for your face); knee pillow; sheet in summer, light blanket in winter; water and a good book or devotion on night table; absolutely NO technology in our bedroom; and my hubby of 50 years next to me. Now, saying that makes me sound old but we’re really not! We are young at heart and take care of ourselves so we don’t even consider ourselves seniors. lol You are a sweetheart and love you as a daughter even though we’ve never met. Now, that’s a huge compliment for the mama and daddy who raised you right!!
Shirlea, I’m so sorry to read about your mom. YOU are a good daughter. Blessings to you!
So fun! I am a grammy but still need my blankie to sleep well, the soft fleece one from Wal-mart with the polka dots, sometimes just to hold and sometimes just around my feet!
I sure enjoy your sweet and fun spirit Lindsay! 🙂
ha ha I did not see K-Mac’s post before I posted, but warm feet are a must!!!
Hi ladies! OK so up here in Boston, we only need fans a few months a year lol (got a little daydreamy while reading all the posts thinking about living in a warm-weather state year round…) Anyway – heregoes:
1. Meds next to bed (for right before sleep and right when I get up or I DONT get up! Haha – have very serious lupus and need to keep in check
2. Sugar-free gingerale AND bottled water
3. TV ON – all nite actually..I need some sort of action going on and if I put it on mute, then I fall asleep with phone in hand listening to Oneplace. com sermon
4. Whether its 95′ or 12′ here, I NEED socks on my feet. Cannot sleep without socks!
5. No nighties, teddies, cutesy feminine sleepware. Sweats or shorts depending on weather.
6. At least 2 pillows, usually 3 and light light blankie!
Oh my gosh! I have issues!! Good survey haha!!
I have lupus too! If you’d like to swap stories, my email address is [email protected]
Floor fan at full blast is a MUST. Gotta have that noise! We also sleep with ceiling fan for circulation. You’re not alone! I’ll be bringing a fan to the LPL for my hotel. Gotta have my sleep! 🙂
Lindsee – can I just tell you how good it is to know that others sleep with a fan, too!? I thought I was the only one. I also need my night guard in because I grind my teeth and the room needs to be dark and cool. I don’t sleep that well anymore and run hot/cold, hot/cold all night. And, I always read before I go to sleep.
Glad your new fan is working well for you. Here is to great sleep for all of us!
Blessings,
Gretchen
I need to have it cool, have at least a sheet over me, earplugs, wrist braces, my air purifier on…my cervical pillow, and sometimes, my stuffed lamb Levi. It’s a gift from a true friend that reminds me of my shepherd’s love. 🙂
Thanks, Lindsee, for posting this…I’m so thankful I am not the only one who a) is a nightowl!, b) can stay up, get little sleep and be okay, but at the same time LOVE to sleep, c) and that you like to have it cold in the room!
Myself, I have to have my stand-up fan going (usually at high speed), a glass of water nearby, and at least three alarms set (the one on my nightstand plus two on my cell phone)..I know crazy, but you would not believe how many times I sleep through alarms. I also have roommates, and for some reason the ones I have now and all the ones from the past have ALL seemed to hate the house/apartment colder. The other day I walked in the house (keep in mind I live, as well, in a hot and humid city) and the place was 81 degrees!! When I walked in the house and immediately started sweating I asked if they were hot. Of course they said no. There’s nothing more I don’t like than tossing and turning during the night drenched in sweat – so fans are a must!!
Like I said, SO very happy to know I’m not alone! Have a great weekend!
1. take out contact lenses
2. crawl in and zonk out
Planes, buses, subways, I’ve napped on them all & more.
(just not at the wheel).
Ladies, I need to pray harder for all of y’all’s sleep troubles. I need to thank God for good sleep more often. (Sometimes I wake in the night, but that’s a different story.)
All this need for control is ironic, since God is in control and we are not. Sleep tight—and soundly!
Jennifer, I’m with you. I’m low maintenance in general and sleep is no different. I get a lot of exercise, so I’m “out” once I’m out. No special needs. I am safe, secure and loved.
1. Lavender essential oil on all pulse points
2. Eye mask
3. A/C on 69
4. Cold sheets
5. Heavy quilt
1) fan on the floor, medium, year round for white noise
2) ceiling fan, summer only
3) a must have … my fleece blanket, year round, and if hot, one foot comes out
4) bottle of water
5) and those nights when I can’t sleep at all, a spoon of NyQuil
6) lastly my phone, reading or playing a game helps zonk me out
Most of all I am thankful my hubby got a breathing machine for apnea…no more snoring…
best night time help ever.
I must have
— all my doors closed (bedroom, bathroom, closet)
— all lights off
— no socks unless it’s the dead of winter
— pillow has to be fluffed and the case smoothed
— body pillow at my side
— I start out on my right side but end up doing a complete 360 in bed before settling in on my left side
This post is hilarious! So glad I’m not alone in my weirdness!!
I must have a body pillow and two other regulate pillows! By the way Vornado fans are the absolute best fans ever!!!
My fan on 1, my cuddling pillow beside me, and a blanket over my feet if nothing else.
I am the same way…gotta have my fan or a/c on for air movement and white noise in order to sleep. Two pillows for me.
A foam rubber pillow to put my head on ( it travels with me)… Another pillow to hold on to.. A ceiling fan on, water by my bedside, and gum in my mouth :). Yes gum , my mouth gets too dry if I don’t .. And the gum stays in my mouth all night! See you aren’t so quirky after all!
I have to have a fan on to combat the sound of my husband breathing with his bi-pap machine. The snoring of years gone by was bad but that contraption makes him breathe like a heard of elephants. Don’t get me wrong, I love the man and am happy his heart will be healthy now because of it, but if the fan is not on to distract me from it, I”ll be up all night until I finally put myself on the couch. (he has to be near an outlet after all) But my weird sleep things are as follows. I can only have one pillow under my head, not to soft, not to hard. I can only sleep in a fetal position on my left side. My left hand must be under my pillow so I can feel it on my face but never directly on my face because that just feels gross to me. I must be covered up to my neck with a sheet to protect myself from my nipping cat and I REFUSE to close the bedroom door for fear I won’t hear my kids in their room should they need me which is only made more pathetic by the fact that they share a room and we still have the baby monitor to hear them if they wake up. They are 8 and almost 10. Clearly, I have issues.
OK – so even after reading all of these, I’m still a little embarrassed to admit my crazy rituals, but here goes. I cannot sleep when it’s dead quiet, so I, too, sleep with a fan. I also fall asleep best when the tv is going. My husband usually stays up later than me so he will mute it when he goes to bed, but it stays on all night long. When we first married he asked me why I did this, I told him that if I woke in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep, I needed the TV to be on so I could watch till I fell asleep again. BUT, and here is the biggie that I get laughed at by anyone I’m brave enough to tell……..I sleep upside down on the bed. By this I mean my feet are at the head and my head is at the foot. My husband sleeps the right way but I CANNOT sleep the other way around. (And yes, my husband claims that I kick him in the head quite often). This, along with and old, worn out comforter that’s probably 15 years old and 2 pillows and I’m good to go. Now that I’ve put it all out there, I feel so cleansed. LOL
What a fun post! I love all this friendly, fun chatter with my sisters in Christ from all over the States.
I’m in southern California. Most of the year we sleep with the windows open and the singing of crickets lulls me to sleep. I have a strict regime of brushing, flossing, face washing, anti-wrinkle night cream, and lip balm.. My husband calls from the bed out about every night, “Are you ever coming to bed?” 🙂 I used to struggle to sleep and was fearful, especially when my husband was away on business, but then I found Psalm 4:8, “I shall lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone, oh Lord make me dwell in safety.” Sweet dreams, my Sisters!!
I, too, love it cold. I like for it to be cold, dark and quite, but my husband likes the TV on. All through the night I am waking up to turn it off, and he wakes up turning it on. I like hearing the fans going or the window unit that we also have in our room going. I love the humming sounds.
Very quick story: I am 47 and think I’m pre-menapause. I get so hot at night…soaked. Well one night, I was burning up, but didn’t feel like getting up to turn the thermostat down so I waited for him to get up. Why? Surely he had to feel the heat permeating through our home too, right?
Well, I waited, and waited for him to get up. He never did. So finally with much emotion (I wanted him to know how ridiculous I thought he was. . . waiting for me to turn the air down) I kicked the cover off, stood up, pulled my night gown down and stomped all the way to the hall where I turned on the light and looked at the thermostat and it was 67 degrees!
“No way!” I embarrassingly thought to myself.
Talk about “out done” I was so out done with myself, and glad I had not awaken anyone else. Or so I thought. When I got back to my room, guess who was up watching TV.
He asked, “What is wrong with you?”
I asked, “Is it hot in here or is it just me?”
Of course, he went on to say, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you. You are a walking hot box. Everyone else is freezing, but you.”
Anyway, enjoyed your story 🙂
First of all, the room must be COOL!!! We keep the heat at 63 degrees in the winter, and that’s about how I like it when I sleep in the summer!(maybe a little warmer, 66-68) Last year I talked my husband into a window unit AC for our bedroom. It has brought us GREAT joy! We just installed it again this afternoon and it is all I can do now to not climb in at 2:15 in the afternoon! AC on + ceiling fan…I may play a little Words with Friends on my kindle and then I need to read a novel for a little while…nothing complicated, just something light to take my mind off the day. Now I feel like taking a nap!! Fun post!
I sleep almost exactly like you do! I have to have my fan on and my ceiling fan. I also have two body pillows that are on either side of me and one pillow for my head. Most of the time I turn my tv on to a music channel. I also have to have covers, no matter how hot it is. I prefer it to be really cold but my family doesn’t like that 🙁 So most of the time I just sleep with a sheet.
I’ve loved reading these posts! They have been so fun! I prefer cool sheets year round and two pillows. However, I can sleep anywhere, anytime and in any condition. It’s a blessing and a curse. My favorite part of kindergarten was nap time. I laid my head on my husband’s shoulder at a David Crowder Band concert and went sound asleep. Hope they don’t read this blog. Sorry guys! In my defense, it was a cool summer evening and we had a short, light rain fall on the amphitheater. My hubs wrapped his arm around me and I was just so happy, loved and cozy I couldn’t help it! So, I don’t have any bedtime rituals. After reading all these posts I think maybe I’M the weird one. Fun post, Lindsee Lou! Thanks!
I have a CD I play at night that is rain, thunder and light piano. I listen to it, or set my laptop to a YouTube video of 8 eight hours of rain, thunder and lightening. I live close to a busy freeway, and it helps drown out the sound of the traffic. The room has to be extremely cool. I like quilts and would prefer to have the air conditioning blasting, while snuggling beneath one of my favorite quilts.
I used a fan for over 20 years and it bit the dust and I never replaced it and actually sleep pretty well! I need a book, my iPad (for Words with Friends), my alarm clock, a matalesse quilt and my down comforter! I need a/c in the summer and low low heat in the winter. I also have a lavender spray for my linens that I like!
I love this blog!!! I am a fan girl too! My routine: spray of lavender on my pillows & sheets, Burt’s bees Chapstick, a squirt of omnaris in each nostril, rubbing bath & body works sleep lotion on my hands, neck, & behind my ears, & the must have-my kindle!!! It’s my pacifier! I can’t go to sleep without reading!
I am a difficult sleeper.
1′ brush teeth
2. Take Zoloft, Mirapex and pain pill to get drug induced coma
3. Cotton night shirt
4. CPAPS
5. Fan
6. Last pee call
7. Dog lying on small of bac
8. Listen to Daily Audio Bible
There is only ONE pillow, I think, in the whole wide world, that provides optimum head positioning for a good night’s sleep, for both my husband and me. We don’t know where this pillow came from, but we BOTH want it every night! We’ve searched every store we can think of for another pillow just like it, but alas, our searching has proven futile! Each morning the one of us who has not gotten to sleep with it usually wakes up with a slight headache. So, while I can (and quite often DO) sleep without it, my VERY BEST sleep is usually from 6-7 a.m., when I swipe it after he gets up and enjoy it for an hour before I have to put my feet on the floor. 🙂
Oh yes! I know what you mean! Lol. I HAVE to have my fan running all day (for circulation) and throughout the whole night (for soft noise). PLUS, 4/5 pillows AND blackout curtains. I simply CANNOT have any light in the room invading my space! Lol.
I never have needed much to sleep 🙂 – blessed that it has always come easy for me. Lay my head down and in (usually) a minute or so, I am gone.
HOWEVER, my feet have always been an issue for me – in the winter they need socks, but in the summer they need to “breathe”. In other words, my whole body is under the covers, but my feet have to stick out and have air. sigh. (Very demanding things, feet. But since they hold up my body all day and take me where I need to go, I guess this little nightly request is understandable.)
After reading other posts, there is one other thing that I must have, but have been doing it for so many years, I didn’t think about it when I posted – I must have water on my nightstand. Since I have to get up during the night anyway, I do take sips during the night – but in the morning I like to kick-start my morning by drinking it down.
Chapstick is a must for me. Two pillows and my husband next to me are also musts. Normally I’m in bed before my husband but I can’t fully fall asleep until he’s in bed next to me. We usually fall asleep with the tv on (thank goodness for tv timers).
I found this so funny. My husband and I have been married almost 29 years and we sleep with a fan on he nightstand by the bed. My two grown sons sleep with a fan and also my two grandchildren. The fan travels with us when we go on vacation or mission trips. If we have to pack less clothes, in the suitcase to pack the fan, that is just what we have to do.