On the Tenth Day…

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…Ten wombats sleeping…nine crocs a weeping, eight flies a feasting, seven possums playing, six sharks a swimming, five kan-ga-roos, four cuddling koalas, three little penguins, two pink galahs and a kookaburra up a gum tree. Aaaahhh, sleep.  Can somebody find me some?  I don’t need 8 hours sleep but more than 5 would be a treat.  Too many things to do and three little kids do not make a good recipe for a restful sleep.  I know I am not alone but I also know that sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture so bring on the Christmas break I say.  One sleep to go. Which brings me to our fast paced world and our now flexible mealtimes.  When I was growing up my goodest mum had dinner on the table religiously at 6pm and we all sat down and ate together (I am still trying to perfect that myself, unsuccessfully I might add).  Eating early seems to be a thing of the past as we are working longer hours and may have children and other family commitments that prevent us from eating our evening meal at a civilised hour.  Some people find that it is uncomfortable to eat close to going to bed and this is turn will disturb sleep.  Others may not find this to be the case. There is also the question of what you are eating prior to sleeping. Snacking on chocolate (unless its your 4 nightly squares of course), biscuits and cake (many of which are high in fat) are not great choices before you lie down for 8 (?) hours of sleep.  The evening is when your body is least active and therefore not burning a lot of fuel. Essentially, you are the best judge of your own body but if you are experiencing disturbed sleep, acid reflux or other problems, then have a look at your eating habits before bed.