A Life of Crime and Chocolate

heyjude said:

I actually said "Oh S^&*" when I read this. You know about me and my FitBit, right?

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vagough said:

My Fitbit Flex tells me how much sleep I get every night. As someone who struggles with occasional bouts of insomnia, one of the most masochistic things I do each morning is to log in my sleep hours and then see what Fitbit.com tells me my sleep efficiency was the previous night. So Gail, I could see building on that somehow for a story. Keep us posted!

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I must admit, I had never heard of a FitBit (until HJ mentioned it in another thread), so I've just looked it up. I'm stumped. How does knowing how long you slept help you? Other than, perhaps, causing you even more anxiety about how little you're sleeping?

On the website it says 'helps you learn to sleep better.' Huh? How does a device do that? I'm not being sarky - I'm really curious. Does it come with a relaxation recording, or something?

ETA: In my experience, learning to sleep better (and longer) usually requires a form of mental reconditioning and some dietary changes.

Zelenka said:

Skulking in to say hi. Can't remember the last time I was on the forum. I haven't written anything in months so it kind of felt a bit fraudulent to be on a writers' forum I suppose...

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I once went years without writing anything. I was still a writer, just a writer taking a little rest from writing.

It's very nice to see you!

GailD said:

On the website it says 'helps you learn to sleep better.' Huh? How does a device do that? I'm not being sarky - I'm really curious. Does it come with a relaxation recording, or something?

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MIND CONTROL.

Actually, I'm curious as well. I wonder if it's just logging sleep, and that helps some people the same way that logging what you actually eat (vs. what you think you eat) sometimes helps when dieting.

I have a similar wristband. Up24 by jawbone. You can set an alarm and it buzzes you awake. Slightly nicer than an alarm clock. I think it's supposed to track how often you get up and move throughout the night. I've never used that feature. Maybe I'll try it tonight and find out if I really sleep as badly as I think I do.

Did you know Hershey makes half-pound Reese's peanut butter cups? I have one in the bottom drawer of my desk. It is larger than the palm of my hand and it is taunting me.

lizmonster said:

MIND CONTROL.

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I think that half-pound Reese's peanut butter cup is doing just that to tarak.

Tarak. You. Must. Resist. At. All. Costs. Do. Not. Allow. It. To.....

It's too late already, right? (But thanks for the idea of somnambulism. My plot bunny is now going nuts. )

heyjude said:

For me, the FitBit has shown me when I sleep best (early in the night). I've adjusted my schedule so that I go to bed earlier, so that when my eyes pop open for good at 2 or 3 a.m. it's not so bad.

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That makes a lot of sense, particularly if it helps you adjust to your own natural bio-rhythm. Hope you get lots more good sleep.

heyjude said:

For me, the FitBit has shown me when I sleep best (early in the night). I've adjusted my schedule so that I go to bed earlier, so that when my eyes pop open for good at 2 or 3 a.m. it's not so bad.

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Exactly! I've started going to bed a bit earlier than I used to after seeing my sleep patterns and realizing that if insomnia is going to strike, it usually happens around 3:00 or later.

Zelenka said:

Skulking in to say hi. Can't remember the last time I was on the forum. I haven't written anything in months so it kind of felt a bit fraudulent to be on a writers' forum I suppose...

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Nah . . . writing when you feel like it is, imo, better than forcing your self to write.

Zelenka said:

Shakes - the play sounds awesome!

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Thanks Zelenka. About half way through.

I am also putting together an evening of words and music about cats for a local cat charity. Lots of fun so far, just hoping I will get volunteers to do the reading. And I have my eye on a musician who might help out.

Sleep? meh! I have never needed much sleep - so spend part of the night reading. One thing I was told though, by a doctor, what that if you cannot sleep don't stay in bed. You start to associate bed with not sleeping. I am very stern with myself and tell myself to go to sleep. Sometimes I do as I am told.

Ligaments are responding well to the meds and I am feeling much better. Just need to keep taking the meds . . .

According to my Up24, I slept for 6 hours and 47 minutes. It took me 15 minutes to fall asleep, I slept lightly for 2 hours and 34 minutes and slept soundly for 4 hours and 12 minutes. And I woke up three times. I assume this information is all based on how much I move when I sleep. Because otherwise, it's a little spooky.

I always wake up 45 minutes before I have to get out of bed. I should take this as a sign and just get up, but I'm so not a morning person.

GailD, you are indeed too late. The Reese's cup is no more. But it tasted really good. I did manage to chop it into smaller pieces and consume it over a few days...

I've got an app that tracks sleep movement, breathing, and movement. I haven't used it in awhile but now you're all making me curious. Last time I used it it showed that I spend most of my time in very deep sleep. I like sleeping. I find it very enjoyable. Nearly as enjoyable as chocolate.

heyjude said:

If only we could combine them: sleeping and chocolate!

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We could, but it would quite messy, I think.

I am totally out of sink in this thread.

HistorySleuth said:

I am totally out of sink in this thread.

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*puts on French accent*

I synch you're supposed to eet ze chocolat, zen sleep, zen tell us eef it worked.


Okay. I've invented (fictionally speaking) a device that lets you drift off to sleep, cycles your brain through all the stages of sleep, including a good portion of REM sleep before waking you gently at the time you specified. Like it? Now I'm trying to come up with a name for it. InsomiEx or Insomni-Axe*? SleepEeze**? What do you think? Suggestions welcome.

I've got a Sci-fi whodunnit percolating here.



*I think that may be close to the name of a pop group.

** Sounds like a brand of mattress?

It's a sleeper?

The name itself should sound soothing, comforting, like a soft pillow. Avoid those X and hard E sounds.

Somnal
Dreamaid
iRest

oooh, I'll have one too. Do you get free chocolate with it?

Insomnesia. You'll forget you ever had insomnia.

Trusted and approved by doctors and patients for over seven years. Join the millions who trust their sleep to Insomnesia.

onesecondglance said:

It's a sleeper?

The name itself should sound soothing, comforting, like a soft pillow. Avoid those X and hard E sounds.

Somnal
Dreamaid
iRest

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I love it!

Namatu said:

Insomnesia. You'll forget you ever had insomnia.

Trusted and approved by doctors and patients for over seven years. Join the millions who trust their sleep to Insomnesia.

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Awesome!

muse said:

oooh, I'll have one too. Do you get free chocolate with it?

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But wait...there's more! Order now and we'll give you a half pound box of Hershey's Dream Delights, absolutely free!

Thanks so much, folks.

heyjude said:

And I want one.

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muse said:

oooh, I'll have one too.

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You do realize that any device that connects wirelessly to any other device that is connected to the internet, can be hacked. But you know that, right?

So here's your weekend laugh. I can barely understand my very outdated version of MSWord but now I'm going to write a story about a 15 yo hacker who finds a lot more than he bargained for. Whoever said, 'Write what you know about'??



*goes off in search of cybercriminals*

GailD said:

You do realize that any device that connects wirelessly to any other device that is connected to the internet, can be hacked. But you know that, right?

So here's your weekend laugh. I can barely understand my very outdated version of MSWord but now I'm going to write a story about a 15 yo hacker who finds a lot more than he bargained for. Whoever said, 'Write what you know about'??



*goes off in search of cybercriminals*

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If this was one of my stories, when he hacks in he'd find someone else got there first - and they're really not people you want to mess with...

Hi all,

Thanks for the thoughts.

It's been a couple of months (2 on Tuesday in fact) and I'm trying my darndest to get my head in a somewhat normal space.

The other day I started reading Kindle Alexander's 'Always' at 9pm and when I looked up it was 2am. Whoops. It was my first session of enjoyable deep reading in probably close to 8 months.

I've been thinking on my WIP and how I want to finish it. Just needing to get the motivation to write those 15k words or so and then edits.

Any way, thought I,d drop in and let you all know I'm doing ok. Somewhat. Day at a time and all that stuff.