Please...let me sleep

During my first marriage, I trained myself to be very quiet and still. My husband was a very light sleeper and had trouble getting enough rest so the bedroom had to be very dark and very quiet and I had to be very still, lest I disturb him and wake him up. I was sensitive to his plight but it was still really hard to be so still and quiet.

Having suffered from severe arthritis since my teens, I am well aware of how hard it can be to get a good nights rest. I'm also aware that it's nearly impossible for me to stay in one position for longer than 5 minutes. I have to admit, I got pretty good at tossing and turning in slow motion and very smoothly.  I was able to turn over without even pulling the covers out of position. I was also able to navigate our home in complete darkness without making an audible footfall. I was like a cat!

There were more times than I can count where I was scolded for moving around too much, or for making a peep between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. Are you getting the idea? I lived like I was walking on eggshells for over 15 years and I must admit - it got old. When my husband and I divorced, one thing I did in my new home was to have nightlights. Lots of them. In every room. I didn't have blackout curtains - I had sheers and the outside light was allowed to stream in my room.  I was still pretty quiet but I tossed and turned, got up in the middle of the night and walked around with the lights on and did all kinds of things that were previously outlawed.

When I married Manchild I guess I figured I had to be as careful about being quiet and still, even though he never said a word about it. Imagine my shock when he got up during the night and flipped on lights and made absolutely NO attempt to be quiet. He carried on as if there wasn't another person trying to sleep in the house. The dude was loud! I almost got annoyed at his lack of consideration for my sleep.  I finally broke down and asked him to be a little more considerate and to quit turning on the spotlights while I was getting my beauty rest. He tries but he's still loud.

I used to think that I was a very quiet sleeper but recently my kidlet told me that I snored. Snore? ME???? No way! Manchild told me that I talk in my sleep a lot. Another surprise. I don't know if that's something new for me or if I've done it all along. I do know that I've been existing on about 5 hours of sleep for the last 4-5 years. I wish I could sleep longer but I guess it isn't in the cards for me. This coming weekend I'm going to have a sleep study to see what I do during the times I'm asleep. I wonder if I'm one of those kind of people who get in the car and drive to the gambling hall and gamble all night while I'm asleep. It's too bad I don't get up and clean the house or something productive.

I'll be sure to take pictures because I'm going to have wires attached to my noggin for 3 days and I'm sure it will become a fashion statement. I might have to make a sci-fy movie since I'll look so goofy. I need some plot ideas. And maybe a tin foil cap.