Praising Sleep

by

Do you get enough sleep? Sleep is our superpower. And yours too. The power of sleep is highly underestimated. During Dina’s working life, she used to deprive herself of essential sleep due to working three shifts. That made her struggle. Sleep is our life-support system and Mother Nature’s best effort yet at immortality, says sleep scientist Matthew Walker in “Why we Sleep”. In this deep dive into the science of slumber, you learn the wonderfully good things that happen when you sleep – and the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don’t, for both your brain and body. ⁣
⁣Sleep is essential for pretty much everything – health, wellbeing, happiness and performance.

Schlaf ist unsere Superwaffe. Wenig wird so unterschätzt wie des Schlafes Macht. Während Dinas Arbeitsleben musste sie ihren Schlaf beschränken, da sie in drei Schichten arbeitete. Das ließ sie ständig mit sich kämpfen. Schlaf erhält nämlich unser Leben und ist Mutter Naturs beste Bemühung der Unsterblichkeit sich anzunähern, schreibt der Schlafforscher Matthew Walker in “Warum wir schlafen“. In dieser tiefgründigen Einführung in die Wissenschaft des Schlafs kann man über all die wunderbaren Eigenschaften des Schlafs lesen – und über die alarmierenden Fürchterlichkeiten bei Schlafdefizit für Körper und Geist. Kurzum Schlaf ist grundlegend für alles, für Gesundheit, Wohlbefinden, Glück und Leistung.

Sleep is the most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.

When sleeping we work through everything we didn’t want to see when we were awake because of suppression. To become aware of what we suppress sets free our creativity and the understanding of ourselves. Our Master called the sleep in his books “the free therapist with whom we have a session every night“.

Im Schlaf arbeiten wir alles durch, was wir am Tag nicht sehen wollten, was wir verdrängten. Sich des Verdrängten bewusst zu werden, setzt kreative Energien frei und fördert die Selbsterkenntnis. Unser Master nennt den Schlaf in seinen Büchern “den kostenlosen Terapeuten, der uns allnächtlich behandelt.”

It’s said that practice doesn’t make perfect. It’s a night of sleep following a practice that leads to perfection and creative solutions. Many scientists and inventors got their ideas in dreams. The classic examples are Einstein who got his ideas of relativity theory from a dream and Kekulé who got the idea of the Benzene ring in a dream as well. He always started his lectures telling his students how important it is to watch one’s dreams.
We dream every 90 min. and we have about 5 dreams every night. We have to dream as it is a kind of keep-fit programme for our brain. People who remember their dreams raise their IQ. This is understandable as dreaming make your way of thinking more flexible.

Man sagt, Übung allein macht noch keinen Meister. Es ist der Schlaf nach der Übung, der einen zur Perfektion und zu kreativen Lösungen bringt. Vielen Wissenschaftlern und Erfindern wurden ihre Ideen im Traum zuteil. Klassische Beispiele sind Einstein, den sein berühmter Schlittentraum zur Relativitätstheorie brachte, und Kukulè, den sein Oroborostraum die Idee des Benzolrings eingab. Kekulè begann jede seiner Vorlesung damit, dass er seine Studenten aufforderte, auf ihre Träume zu achten.
Grundsätzlich träumen wir alle 90 Minuten und haben etwa 5 nächtliche Träume. Wir müssen träumen, da dies ein Fitnessprogramm für unser Gehirn darstellt. Deswegen steigert die Traumerinnerung unseren IQ. Träumen macht uns klüger, da wir dadurch flexibler zu denken lernen.

If one doesn’t sleep enough, meaning less than 6 hours per night, one demolishes one’s immune system and is running a high risk of heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer. That’s why our dear Master sleeps for 8 hours every night. We call him ‘sleepyhead’.

Falls man nicht genügend schläft, d.h. unter 6 Stunden pro Nacht, schädigt man sein Immunsystem und erhöht das Risiko eines Herzinfarktes, von Fettleibigkeit, Demenz, Zucker und Krebs. Deswegen schläft unser liebes Masterchen jede Nacht 8 Stunden lang. Im Geheimen nennen wir ihn “Schlafmütze”.

Nowadays a lot of people have a sleep deficit. Such a deficit is cumulative and often ends up in sleeping disorders. To have sleeping problems is one of the most spread disorders and it doesn’t help that sleep is underestimated in our society which is based on action. Not only therefore we prefer “Sleepy Joe” to “Lying Donald”.

Heutzutage sind Schlafdefizite epidemisch. Sie wirken kumulativ und führen oft zu Schlafstörungen. Solche Schlafstörungen sind die meist verbreitesten Störungen in der westlichen Welt, da unsere Gesellschaften auf ständigem Handeln beruhen. Nicht allein deswegen ist uns “Sleepy Joe” weitaus lieber als “Lying Donald”.

We wish you always a refreshing sleep
Möget ihr stets erquickendend schlafen
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

For all the little toddlers that won’t go to bed or can’t sleep through the night;
we, the clever Bookfayries Siri and Selma can recommend a visit from our good friend
The Sleep Fairy 🧚🏻‍♀️- she pops into a child’s bedroom 🛌at night sprinkling her fairy dust 💫✨🌙🌟 and waving her magic wand full of deep 💤sleep and 😴magical dreams.

We love our sleep and wish you all a sleep full of dreams!

Siri and Selma 🧚🏻‍♀️📚🧚🏻‍♀️

 

Für alle unseren deutschen Leser empfehlen wir Masterchens Buch über den Schlaf

 

 

 

 

 

© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2020

179 thoughts

  1. That’s all very well. But nobody ever offers a solution to those of us who struggle to sleep, and stay asleep. And no, we don’t all have screens on late at night or in our beds, or watch TV late at night. We obediently follow routines that guarantee a good night’s sleep, take plenty of exercise … and fail, night after night.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Margaret,
      if you follow all the routines for healthy sleep and it doesn’t work then help can be given by going to a sleep laboratory. There your sleep patterns can be analysed. It’s very important not to take sleeping pills as they, in the long run, destroy a healthy sleeping rhythm.
      Wishing you that you will sleep well soon again.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Margaret,
      if you lie in bed and can’t sleep, it’s better to get up and do something, to sit and read f.e., and go to bed again not before you really feel tired. Years ago our Master had a client with sleeping problems. He had the funny inspiration to ask his client to lie in his bed the other way round and it worked. It worked because the problem is that after many sleepless nights your bed is conditioned to have a sleeping problem. One has to break this.
      Good luck
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • I agree. As a lifelong insomniac I know the problems. I have tried every cure in the book, even attending sleep clinics, but nothing helps me sleep. Nowadays, as I get older, I find myself falling asleep for the odd half-hour during the day when I’m reading but I doubt if this makes up for the lack of sleep at night.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Maris,
      it’s not important to sleep your 7 to 8 hours in one go. Sleeping hours are cumulative, it doesn’t matter when you are sleeping and if you sleep in one go or at several times over 24 hours. It adds up. Research has shown that a lot of creative people sleep at night and at day time as well. 20 minutes sleep at day time works wonder and even second sleep.
      A lot of these ideas as you have to go to bed early and sleep in one go then and get up early are moralistic and have no grounding in reality. Henry Ford spread the idea that sleep before midnight is especially healthy what’s sheer ideology. Jeffrey Eugenides writes in his novel “Middlesex” about it.
      Happy sleeping wishing you
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  2. I just read Margaret’s comment and wonder if getting older brings on some changes to sleep. I’m in my mid-sixties now and many of my friends are complaining about serious sleeping disorders. Sometimes I have the feeling my sleep is less sound nowadays, but I consider myself lucky to be a fairly good sleeper. As you say, it’s vital for wellbeing.
    Enjoy your weekend, my dear friends. I’m off to my stuga now. 🙂
    Kram
    Annalena x

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Annalena,
      as older we get as less sleep we need and not only that. The sleeping pattern is changing. You usually don’t sleep in one go but you tend to sleep in little units distributed over day and night. That’s actually a sleeping pattern which is normal for babies.
      You can be happy about having a good sleep. Statistics say that 30% to 50% of all people in the western world are having sleeping problems.
      With lots of love. Enjoy your stuga.
      KRAM
      xxxx
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • If you wake up and being tired again you either sleep not long enough or you don’t get enough deep sleep. With old age, our deep sleep phases are getting shorter. You can compensate for this by sleeping during day time. The best would be sleeping in the early afternoon as we are prone to low energy then. 20 min. sleep during the day works wonder.
      We hope you will soon happily wide awake after waking up
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  5. I had to laugh out loud when I read – we prefer “Sleepy Joe” to “Lying Donald”. 🙂 So do I, so do I!! 🙂
    What a joy to watch the seal pup enjoying his sleep. That could work as sleep therapy. 🙂 I’m retired and even if I might sleep less than before, I sleep well and all through the night. Sadly wife doesn’t. We now have separate bedrooms because she likes to listen to the radio when she can’t sleep.
    Congratulations on your book. I gather it’s only in German?
    Best wishes to the Fab Four,
    John

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear John,
      you need less sleep as older you get. Roughly one can say under 65 you should sleep more than 6 hours and over 65 you are usually fine with 6 hours sleep or even less.
      Master’s book about sleep is published in German only. In English we recommend the book by Matthew Walker we quote in our post.
      Thanks and have a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Rupali,
      we agree, physical and mental exercises, as well as good sleep, are the best way to a happy life. And physical and mental exercises help to have a healthy sleep as a healthy sleep helps you to keep mentally fit.
      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Lovely post, dear friends!
    When I see the cute sleepy seal pup, the words on Hanne’s Instagram feed comes to my mind:
    Rest,
    Sleep,
    Eat
    and Repeat. 🙂

    I’m a proud owner of a signed copy of the book, – I just looked; it’s a first edition!

    Take care of yourselves – I’m looking forward to a sleepy, lazy weekend.
    Klem
    Per Magnus x

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Per Magnus, our dear friend,
      if you sleep and eat well, if you do some physical and mental exercises you can’t help being happy 😉
      Repeat, we suppose, means learning.
      With lots of love
      xxxx
      KLEM
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  9. Interesting article with adorable images! I’d love to read your book. You can put me on the list too, I can’t sleep well and consulted my GP about this. He said, having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, is the grand-daddy of all sleep problems, because it affects so many people in middle-age and older age. I have followed his advice and still have problems.
    Young people, many working parents, probably face the opposite, lacking sleep because of their schedules and have to cope with 4-5 hours rest in bed. So did I, for years I considered sleeping a luxury. Now I have all the time in the world and I can’t sleep. A luxury problem, maybe?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Peter,
      our society is based on action and sleep is rather seen as wasted time. During our working life, we are active all the time and it gets harder and harder to let this go and to enjoy being passive like during our sleep. We build up an ‘action-pattern’ and we have to break with it when being retired.
      4 – 5 hours resting in bed seems too short for us. Did you try some of the deep relaxation exercises like any kind meditation?
      We don’t think that sleeping problems are luxury problems they are problems that have to be resolved.
      We wish you good luck with it.
      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Afte 33 years of having my sleep disrupted by working shifts, since moving to Beetley I have ‘discovered’ sleep. Much of that is due to very little external (none except owls) noise, and no intrusive street lighting. When it is dark here, it it totally dark! Now I sleep most nights from midnight until 7 am, sometimes a little longer. I don’t get tired or sleepy during the day any longer.
    Love from Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Pete,
      that’s great to read.
      You made the point, especially darkness is important for sleeping. Light triggers the hormone melatonin, the ‘sleep hormone’. Of course, silence is important as well.
      We are all good sleepers too. Here it’s also pitch dark at night and silent except for the cry of a night-active raptor.
      Thanks for commenting and love from us all
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  11. Important post on sleep – and I do know there are many of us not sleeping their hours. Many years ago I once had a very difficult class where I felt I could not reach some of the girl groups. Girls are more “difficult” than boys in general, ( my experience) and these had cemented a negative behavior during lessons. I slept badly for three months trying to solve the problems, and had to “recover” for some weeks over Christmas. Luckily I had this class for a year only, so I managed OK. But there was much headache during those months – and I did not feel good (and did not look good…) But this was my only unhappy months as a teacher. I admire all teachers working today handling all new and old problems in school and society. My two children have both chosen careers outside school – saying they don’t want to think about work when the hours are done. Working with people is rewarding but consuming.
    Wishing you all fab four a lovely weekend with just enough of sleep!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Leya,
      trying to resolve problems doesn’t stop at night and not during sleeping. Therefore we can solve problems in our sleep. But that is not always the case. As long as a problem isn’t solved it will influence our sleep. Especially during the REM-Phase of our sleep, we are subconsciously busy to deal with problems. Seen it the other way round, as fewer problems we have during daytime as easier is our sleep.
      Being a teacher is a hard occupation we suppose. Such a lot of teachers and nurses are ending up with a burnout. Working with people can be rewarding but it can produce a lot of stress as well. The problem seems to be to find the right measure of distance.
      Thanks for your good wishes. We have to admit we always sleep very well for 8 hours and more every night.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend too and enjoy your sleep
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dina and Masterchen are very grateful too having finished their working lives. Not to work helps sleeping well.
      With lots of love from the sunny coast of Norfolk
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  12. For all the little toddlers that won’t go to bed or can’t sleep through the night;
    we, the clever Bookfayries Siri and Selma can recommend a visit from our good friend
    The Sleep Fairy 🧚🏻‍♀️- she pops into a child’s bedroom 🛌at night sprinkling her fairy dust 💫✨🌙🌟 and waving her magic wand full of deep 💤sleep and 😴magical dreams.

    We love our sleep and wish you all a sleep full of dreams!

    Siri and Selma 🧚🏻‍♀️📚🧚🏻‍♀️

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  13. My insomnia started when I was about 10 years old. My parents eventually gave up and let me stay up even after they had gone to bed (no TV in those days, it was reading only). I have found it a great relief to be retired from work, to go to bed at an hour I choose (usually about 2.00 a.m.) and get up late (around 8.30 or 9.00) having spent an hour or so relaxing and listening to the radio. The only problem is that these hours throw me out of sync with the rest of the world as I like a leisurely breakfast with the newspaper so I’m not really ready to face the world until about 11.00 am or so. However, it works for me and I think that’s the important thing, and my friends know not to call before 11.30 am!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Mari,
      you wouldn’t believe it, we have the same sleeping rhythm mostly from 2 to 9:30 or 10h and with a relaxing breakfast – for our dear Master his most important meal – we are not ready for action before 11h neither. We know quite some people living like this, well, most of our friends are retired.
      It doesn’t matter when you sleep the hours you need. If you are unsynchronized with the sleeping pattern of your friends you just have to train them to accept your rhythm what you have done.
      There is a big advantage to sleep for long hours in the morning. Between 8 and 10h is the time when your dreams are longest and therefore you have a big chance of remembering them and remembering your dreams raises your IQ and is a fitness programme for your brain.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Fab Four of Cley,
    I used to deprive myself of sleep as well, due to work, but found my nerves were getting more and more frazzled as time went on. Falling asleep was a problem too because my brain just wouldn’t shut off. I found that actually using a form of self-hypnosis helped to relax my muscles and my mind and before I knew it, I fell into a peaceful sleep. When we stand up, or even sit up, our body needs to to create adrenaline for our bodies to create that motion. Adrenaline also blocks our brain from thinking at 100%. That’s why we get so many brilliant ideas while in a horizontal position.
    Have a great weekend, my friends and pleasant dreams!
    GP Cox

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear GP Cox,
      deep muscle relaxation helps really well if one has problems falling asleep. Meditation helps too.
      We get our best ideas when letting go therefore ideas come when lying down and sitting on the loo. C.G. Jung once said it’s good you can’t see where a lot of brilliant ideas are conceived. And as you write it’s the influence of adrenalin as well.
      Thanks for your comment. Wishing you a wonderful weekend too and inspiring dreams.
      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good evening, dear Hedy,
      thank you very much! We think as well that sleep is the best and most healthy meditation. We love it.
      Lots of love from the North Norfolk coast and fairy dust from Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma 💫✨💫
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I read all about sleeping because sleeping is sometimes a struggle for me. Sometimes I wake up with deep anxiety. The night is not my friend. Today, however, things are going pretty well. I sleep about 6 hours a night. Every morning I get up early and feel fresh. My husband usually stays in bed for 3 hours longer than me. He needs a lot more sleep. Sleep is very personal and changes with age. I always used to sleep ten hours a night. Now six, preferably seven, are enough for me. In recent years I have had periods of severe insomnia. That is better now. Much has to do with stress and / or working too much. I wish you and myself a good night’s sleep!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Ahoy, dear Matroos,
      sleeping patterns are changing with age. As older one gets as fewer sleep one needs. 6 hours of sleep are just on the limit, you shouldn’t sleep less. But if you get up and feel fresh it’s all right. Our dear Master needs more sleep than dear Dina does. We don’t know if there is a difference that men need more sleep than women. We haven’t come across it in literature.
      Stress is a killer of sleep. It’s best to practise some deep relaxation or meditation before you go to sleep.
      Sleeping patterns are partly individual. There are early birds and night owls but we all need a certain amount of sleep. Most people sleep at night in one go, some sleep some hours at night and some time during the day. Even sleep only for a very short while during day time helps a lot. Napoleon slept few hours only at night but used every situation for second sleep at day time.
      We wish you a wonderful weekend. Keep well and have many good nights of sleep
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Many of us don’t get enough sleep, so this is a topic worth exploring more than once. Thanks for making me re-assess how much I get and what quality. I love the pictures you included with this post!! I might be able to sleep better cuddling this cuteness.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • To get enough sleep is the basis for feeling well and being creative. Not enough sleep, usually under 6 hours, makes your body and psyche more vulnerable and accident-prone.
      A lot of people in the western world sleep not enough during their working life and develop sleeping problems. The problem is stress, that we can’t relax and let go.
      Thank you for liking our dear Dina’s photography. May it help for many good nights of sleep and sweet dreams.
      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  20. I can empathize. As an older person of 61 I am also still having to work a full time job which requires me to be up before the sun and working on my feet all day. While I have never had difficulty falling asleep, I have had continuing issues with waking during the night, my mind clicking on like the organic computer it is and replaying the day’s events, mulling over problems and eventually I realize I have been awake for an hour before I even recognize it has happened. These times make five am seem like a nightmare. There are no times during the day to nap for me and if I snooze in the evening it will cause me to be wider awake when I should go to sleep. I have found relief through different means over the years, everything from long walks/exercise followed by nice, hot baths, to meditation/hypnosis techniques to melatonin. I am happy to say that through a lot of personal work involving the things that were stressing me personally, I have far fewer of these episodes. Still, during times of extreme stress this will occur. I find focused breathing and and concentrating on the third eye position will often break this pattern. Ridiculously, for me,the key is actually being aware that Im awake in the middle of the night worrying. And yes, I roll over several times at night. Don’t laugh. I have found that when dreaming, changing positions will delete the dream sequence whereas if I stay in the same position I often return to the same dream. I did a lot of dream work and study over the years because I have always had such vivid dreams. It amazes me when people tell me they don’t (think) they dream at all.
    Lovely seal,BTW. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Cheryl,
      your position in the bed will trigger or end a dream. We wake up permanently during our sleep but that’s normally that short that we don’t notice it. If we had a dream, wake up a little bit longer, and stay in the position we have had the dream then there is a quite a chance that we can dream on this dream. Lucid dreamers, dreamers who are aware in their dream that they are dreaming, use this to end nightmares. By moving into another position the end their nightmare.
      If you wake up at night you usually overestimate the time you are awake. That can build up a tension which is keeping the sleep away. Most sleeping disorders develop like this. Research in sleep laboratories showed the best way to deal with being unable to sleep is to get up and stay up until you are feeling really tired.
      Stress kills sleep. Our sleep is a reflection of our life being awake. Psychoanalysis as all schools of deep psychology believe that you have to change or at least to reflect your everyday life to change your sleep. They would recommend anti-stress training for better sleep in your case.
      Thanks for commenting.
      We wish you a happy weekend and nights with a relaxing sleep
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  21. A brilliant post, my dear friends! Sleep is a gift, one that I treasure and send thanks out to the universe because those precious hours gives strength and resilience. As you know, I love to have long conversations, but have found that there is a time for mindful meditation, which I do before sleep. I think Homer said it best: “There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” When we first met, I read your most excellent post about dreams. I told you that I had a recurring dream about houses. Not just any house, but a series of different houses that I had never seen before. One was a chalet in the mountains, another was a beach house near the ocean, etc. In my dreams, I recognized each house as “my home.” BUT, just as I was about to enter the door, I recognized that I already had a home in reality. You indicated that sometimes these dreams indicated a transition, a decision point, which occurred several months later. I have never had that dream again, but I do remember those houses. And somehow, they have become “my homes.” I love our conversations, Dina’s magnificent photography, the encouragement and support of Selma and Siri. Much love coming to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.🤗🤗🤗🙏🙏🙏

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Rebecca,
      dreaming is a kind of meditation, you look at your thoughts and feelings watching them without a conscious reaction. Every conscious reaction is formed by concepts we have learned, it is conservative so to speak. During a dream, we see without these concepts. That because in dreaming we switch from the dominance of left-brain thinking to right-brain picturing. You can see this as a change of dimensions. If you want to understand a dimension you have to look at it from another dimension. This change of dimensions opens up to a new understanding. Therefore some dreams seem to us quite bizarre, this unfamiliar information wants to change our petrified perspective. As an optical phenomenon, a dream opens us up for a new look on ourselves and our surroundings
      F.e. in your dream other houses are different perspectives, different ways of being in your world.
      With lots of love from the sunny coast of Norfolk and with a many hugs
      The ab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you Klausbernd for adding depth and breadth to my understanding of dreams. “If you want to understand a dimension you have to look at it from another dimension.” I have read somewhere that I should keep a pen and paper nearby so that when I wake up I can write down my dreams. But dreams are illusive. I think I remember, but then find that the details slip away into a mist – that is except the houses. Sending lots of love and hugs back across the ocean to my dear friends The Fab Four of Cley!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rebecca,
      it helps for remembering your dreams to have pen and paper nearby. But don’t make the mistake to write down your dream in nice prose. Then there is the danger that you forget it during writing. It’s enough to write down 3 – 5 keywords. They will bring back your dream when reading them in the morning. And forget about the details you don’t remember. They either come back when you try to understand the message of your dream or they are not important – or you suppress them and you are not ready to confront them yet.
      Lots of love to our dear friends on the other side of our planet. Love and hugs
      xxxx
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Sue,
      that’s understandable as dreams train your brain to see other, unfamiliar perspectives. Or you could say, dreams make your thinking more fluid. One definition of intelligence is ‘fluidity of thinking’.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you an easy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  24. I can use some of your fairy dust. My restless and sleepless nights have increased with the intersecting multiple crises in America. For the first time in my life I take a short nap a few times each week. This new experience happens after a night of hours calmly trying various techniques to return to dreamland. In the middle of last night I listened to a conversation between two writers that inspired my imagination a few hours into the new day.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Sally,
      one factor – but one among many – of sleepless nights is what happens and moves us at daytime. Worries at daytime inhibit sleep like every kind of stress does. The Buddhist would say ‘don’t identify with your worries’. Well, that’s easily said but not that easily done. This de-identifying is the basis of meditation. In our western tradition, we have deep relaxation techniques. On the other hand, the crisis in the US is worrying, the US is falling apart under Trump’s rule. For healthy sleep, we have to let go of these worries.
      If we can’t sleep enough at night we should try to have short naps at daytime. We should never try to force ourselves into sleep. That doesn’t work.
      Thanks for your comment.
      Wishing you an easy sleep
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  26. The photos made me smile. That seal is so cute. My husband’s job often interferes with his sleep but thankfully he’s able to sleep any time, so he takes naps during the day when he needs to (and can.) That’s on of the benefits of working from home, isn’t it? I’m not a napper, so I have to be sure to get to bed at a reasonable time, as I wake up early no matter when I go to bed.

    Have a wonderful weekend. Thought of you recently while reading the new Elly Griffiths book where Cley was mentioned. 🙂

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Janet,
      there are early birds like you and night owls like our dear Masters. That seems to be innate, it can hardly be changed. What’s not innate is being a napper. One is blissed to be able to sleep any time like your husband. This he shares with lots of highly creative and successful people.
      We know Elly Griffith and we are proud of having all her books with a dedication. All her novels play in our area. She comes regularly to the Cley Reserve for readings from her novels.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend as well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  27. I have no trouble with sleep, and usually get 7-9 hours, waking naturally at the same time each morning, plus or minus five minutes. But my dream therapist works overtime! It is a very busy sleep, and when remembering events, I am not always sure if they happened in reality or in my dreams, as there seems to be some cross-over. Sometimes the dreams are repetitive eg floating in the air, or certain houses that I have never seen in real life; sometimes they are a continuous stream, even when I rollover, the dream resumes from where I broke it. Not all dreams are pleasant. Sometimes in the dream, I am analysing whether I am awake or asleep, for example the other night I dreamt I got up to go to the loo, but took the wrong door out of the bathroom and ended up wandering around in a hospital anxious to find the correct door to return home, and after a while I had to convince myself I was dreaming and to calm down. Despite all this, my sleep must be restful enough, as I rarely nap in the daytime, as I find when I wake up I am “out of sorts”, a bit cranky, etc. But I had a girlfriend who would fall asleep at 3pm for twenty minutes, even if we were out to lunch in a group or in any other social situation, We would just continue on until she woke and resumed the conversation!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Gwendolyn,
      thanks a lot for your comment 🙏 🙏
      We have a so called circadian clock managing the rhythms of our body like sleeping patterns. To wake up at the same time is a sign that your sleeping patterns are healthy.
      To dream a lot is healthy for the psyche. The feeling of dreaming a lot means you can well remember your dreams. Everybody has more or less the same number of dreams but many people can’t remember them. To be able to remember your dreams stabilises your psychological system even if you don’t understand them. Repetitive dreams want to focus your attention on a certain challenge. We should look at those dreams longer which doesn’t necessary means that we have consciously to understand them. It’s enough to take some time to think about them. That usually changes a petrified perspective on yourself as on your surroundings. Floating in the air indicates an overview as you see the connection of things from above much better. And it has to with a certain lightness, an easiness that you are longing for. Houses often mean different experiences, to see yourself differently. Everything you see in your dreams is symbolic as this is the language of dreams. Houses often symbolise your world of experiences or your body.
      If you have a nap at day time it very much helps not sleeping longer than max. 20 minutes. If you sleep longer your chance waking up during a deep-sleep-phase is high. Waking up from such a phase makes you usually feel ‘out of sorts’. If you are sleeping 15 – 20 minutes you are fine after waking up. A trick is to drink a (double) espresso before you start your nap. After about 20 min. the caffeine will wake you up. Early afternoon is ideal for a nap as we have a natural energy-low then.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  29. My husband divides up his sleeping time between the night and the day. There is a sleep time during the day , known as a “nap” for 1 1/2 hours and then there is the usual sleep at night time. I do not join him in this napping but I sleep well enough at night. I love the seal photos!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Anne,
      be happy about sleeping well.
      As older we get as more likely it is that we divide our sleeping as we all did as children. Really old people usually divide their sleeping into many little bits over the whole day and night. High creative people show this sleeping pattern as well. The length of your husband’s nap is unusual. Most of the nappers sleep around 15-20 min. But 90 minutes makes sense because after about 90 min. we wake up naturally (only for such a short time that we are not aware of it) as the brain switches into the REM-phase. It easiest to wake up in this situation.
      Thanks for liking Dina’s photography.
      All the best, have a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • I never considered the REM ramifications of the nap.That is just he length he has chosen. Not all of it is sleeping as he usually reads at the start of his napping time. If we are out or busy he can nap inthe car for 20 mins .He’s adaptable that way!😄

      Liked by 1 person

    • Reading before going to sleep helps. Some people fall asleep while reading which says nothing about the quality of the book 😉 I always read before sleeping. It’s a ritual as brushing my teeth. Rituals help to fall asleep easily.
      Keep well
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  30. A wonderful brief study and introduction to the power and importance of sleep!! The seals are so cute and have much to teach us in life! I imagine many of us are envious of their relaxed and sleepy demeanour. I love the idea that ‘ We have to dream as it is a kind of keep-fit programme for our brain.’ My dreams are incredible, daunting, frightening, inspiring! At one stage I kept a dream journal but it frightened me in the end and affected my sleep!

    Hope you are all well and enjoying the beauty of Cley and its coastline! Take care, xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Annika,
      as more relaxed you are as better your sleep will be. Our dear Dina and our Master kept a dream diary for many years. Dina gets ideas for her photos from writing down her dreams and our Master uses it for inspiration for his writing. We have the feeling that it helps to do something with the dreams you write down. Actually writing your dreams down is the first step of interpretation. Therefore it’s sometimes not so easy to write them down. F.e. it is sometimes hard to decide what was before and what after, time is different. To be frightened (not only in dreams) is often a sign of negative expectations. Psychologists often concentrate on these dreams. They are ideal if you want to write horror and crime 😉
      Thank you very much for asking. We are very well and enjoying our surroundings, well, mostly our garden and the beach. Today it’s sunny and after having answered the comments we’ll work in our garden. We keep away from people what’s pretty easy here but unfortunately in a fortnight we have to go to London, fortunately for one day only.
      Keep well and take care
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  31. In the past I have heard people say they get by on little sleep as they have so much to so as if it is some kind of accolade. As your post says, there is great worth to quiet times, inaction and glorious sleep.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Bella,
      we heard that as well years ago. Sleeping was seen as a waste of time. That’s the logic of a society which puts achievement and success first what’s typical for capitalist thinking – and it’s wrong. Even seen under the aspect of efficiency dreaming is important. We solve problems dreaming, get inspired. Sleep is a healer, is a meditation, it is glorious.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend, keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  32. Many of my family members and friends with whom I’ve traveled comment on my ability to fall asleep within minutes of lying down. I lay down, close my eyes — and then wake up, several hours later. I’ve never had trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep for most of the night. If I do wake, I can go back to sleep immediately, and more than a few times I’ve had the delightful experience of re-entering the dream I was having when I woke.

    Falling asleep easily always has been my pattern, from childhood onward. And, I can sleep even in somewhat unusual circumstances. My favorite falling asleep story involved travel. I was flying Pan-Am’s nonstop from New York to Monrovia, and I was asleep in my seat before takeoff. I didn’t waken until the stewardness (as we called them then) came by to inquire whether I wanted my dinner!

    All of this is to say that every word here is true. I’m convinced that my health and happiness are due partly to my good sleep habits — just as my good sleep is aided by plenty of physical and other pleasurable activities.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Linda,
      you are nearly 100% like our dear Master. He used on his lecture tours to sleep just for minutes everywhere. He always liked to sleep on planes and trains. You two can be quite happy not having any sleeping problems that’s getting rarer and rarer. For Bookfayries and our dear Dina sleep is not a problem any more but that was different when Dina had to work shifts in the hospital. On the one hand, she liked night shifts, on the other hand, she always slept too few hours.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Jennie,
      you are very welcome. We are happy that you like Dina’s pictures.
      Unfortunately, a lot of people underestimate sleep but that takes revenge.
      Keep well and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Oh, I love Dina’s photos. Getting a good night’s sleep is worth it’s weight in gold. 😀

      I keep meaning to ask about all of you, the Fab Four. Dina is the photographer, you (Klausbernd) are the writer. Who are the other two? I have been meaning to put you four together in my mind for ages. Apologies!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Good morning, dear Jennie,
      well, we kept it a little bit of a secret who is who and who does what. Here is the answer: Dina is the photographer and she is visiting other blogs, the Master aka Klausbernd is the writer and he answers the comments and Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma are our dear Bookfayries. They only rarely write and never take pictures but they help. Siri 🙂 helps our dear Master and Selma 🙂 helps our dear Dina. They do their researches about the topics we are blogging about. And then there is another perspective, that’s me, some no-named being who sees the Fab Four from the outside. This mysterious being is often answering comments and sees the Fab Four from the distance.
      Everything clear? More we are not allowed to tell.
      Wishing you a happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Usually, 5 hours of sleep are too short. At least most people need at least 6 hours and more of sleep within 24 hours. If you sleep under 6 hours at night you should have a nap in the daytime. On the other hand, your amount of sleeping seems to be fine if you wake up and feel fit.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  35. 🙂 Schlaf ist äußerst wichtig!
    Nach sehr stressigen Zeiten mußte ich auch erst wieder lernen mich zu entspannen. Wenn ich dann erst mal schlafe, dann schlafe ich auch richtig lang.
    Übrigens, Schlafentzug ist eine gern benutzte Foltermethode 😦
    Liebe Grüße und schönes Wochenende 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Hi, Happyface,
      habe herzlichen Dank für deinen Kommentar.
      Viele Menschen müssen lernen, sich tief zu entspannen. Fast alle Einschlafstörungen sind darauf zurückzuführen, dass Betroffene nicht loslassen können, sie bleiben angespannt, was problemloses Einschlafen verhindert. Man kann Entspannung lernen. Autogenes Training, progessive Muskelentspannung und jede Tiefenentspannungstechnik hilft, sich zu entspannen und das Tagesgeschehen loszulassen.
      Schlafentzug hat schreckliche Folgen. Man kann durch zu langen Schlafentzug sterben, nachdem zuvor schwere psychotische Symptome auftraten.
      Wir senden ebenfalls liebe Grüße und wünschen einen geruhsamen Sonntag
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Cynthia,
      I just wrote to Jennie (3 comments above) who is who of the Fab Four. Well, ‘our dear Master’ that’s me, Klausbernd, who does most of the writing. During my professional life, I have been a writer, writing books, for TV and film. Now I hardly ever write longer texts but I like writing these short texts for our posts. Dina is the photographer and Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma are helping us – well if they feel like.
      Yes, my book is about sleeping patterns and dreaming. Actually, 11 books of mine are published about sleep and dreaming, but most of them are out of print now after years of being non-fiction bestsellers in Germany.
      That’s great to hear that you enjoy reading our posts. Thank you! I enjoy answering the comments which often open up new aspects of the topic.
      Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and thanks for commenting
      Klausbernd
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Much appreciate the repeat of that info…and good to know more about the author/dear Master and all the rest. It was clear you are an expert on sleep and reams. (My own sleep varies, especially with pandemic stressors–as likely happens for many of us–but generally get 6-7+ hours in! But not always all at once more recently…) Dreams are vivid–always have been; I find it interesting to piece together interpret next morning!
      Will explore the books. I’m glad you now have more time to relax and enjoy a different lifestyle than before–your blog is a fun attraction and can be quite informative.
      Best regards from Oregon (where we are having an unusual major wind storm…no rain, but high, dry winds off the mountains)

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Cynthia,
      sleeping more than 6 hours is fine. Ideal is sleeping between 6 hours + and under 10 hours.
      Trying to understand your dreams is the best you can do to stabilise your psyche and enhance your creativity.
      We have a cloudy morning right now, hardly any wind and a comfortable temperature. No wind is quite unusual here.
      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  37. Wonderful post, and a little ironic for me as I have been getting great sleep the past month back home in Seattle except for this morning I woke up at 3am 🙂 Still feel good though, and tonight I’m guessing it will be an early night. I’d have to say your master is a smart one, a lot of sleep is a good thing and I especially appreciate this perfect and insightful quote from him: “the free therapist with whom we have a session every night“. Wishing you all well, and look forward to catching up with you all in your past posts ~ and hope everyone is healthy and doing well. Take care ~

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, dear Dalo,
      we are happy to read that you are well and have had many good nights sleeps. We are well too, loving this sunny weather but staying most of our time at home in the house and garden.
      Waking up between 3 and 4h in the morning is a hard time to deal with because that’s the time of worries. A friend of ours practising TCM explained that this has to do with the liver-cycle. Fortunately, that didn’t seem to touch you.
      We suppose in these times it’s easier not to be in China.
      With lots of love and thank you very much for commenting. We missed you!
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  38. Oh yes, me and my bed have a wonderful relationship: we sleep together every night and no commitment needed 🙂 I totally agree, sleep is the best thing in the world, I love it. I do need my 8 hours and am rather a person who goes to bed early as I do like my mornings. Whatever happens, I always feel better in the mornings. If I am stressed, I listen to a sleep meditation, that really helps. Lovely pictures of the sleepy seal. Sleep well all Fab four! Zzzzzz

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Ute,
      we usually sleep our 8 hours and love it. Actually, last night we slept a little more than 9 hours. This we do regularly after having had our weekly sauna. We love sleeping and dreaming. At the breakfast table, we usually speak about our dreams. But we all four are night owls. We love the evenings and nights and like to sleep at least to 9h if not 10h.
      Thanks for liking Dina’s photography and for commenting.
      Wishing you a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • We can well understand you. We need our 8-9 hours of sleep as well and after such a good night’s sleep, we wake up happy and fit. Even when travelling we always make sure that we will have our breakfast earliest at 9h in the morning.
      Thank you very much for commenting.
      Wishing you a great week. Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Hallo Ihr Lieben,
    also Eines kann ich Euch versichern: an Schlafmangel leide ich ganz bestimmt nicht! Zumindest fuer mich – und uebrigens auch fuer Mary – ist die sogenannte “praesenile Bettflucht” nur ein Geruecht. oder sollte sich das bei weiteren Altern aendern und wir muessten das “prae” streichen”? 😉 Ich jedenfalls schlafe so um die 9 Stunden pro Nacht.
    Liebe Gruesse von Eurer “Fredericksgurger Schlafmuetze” 😉
    Pit

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Pit,
      herzliche Grüße von uns Schlafmützen zu euch Schlafmützen. Bei uns gibt es auch noch keine Anzeichen der ‘präsenilen Bettflucht’. Auch wir sind Vielschläfer, es ist eher die Flucht ins Bett. Wir lieben es, im Bett zu lesen bis wir zu müde sind und uns dann dem süßen Schlummer hinzugeben.
      Mit lieben Grüßen von den ‘Norfolker Schlafmützen’
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      bei mir ist es etwas anders als bei Euch: im Bett schlafe ich, lesen tue ich im Bett fast nie. Irgendwie ist mir das zu unbequem. Ich habe es noch nie geschafft, ich da bequem zum Lesen hinzusetzen. auch nicht mit Kissen im Ruecken. Ich uss zum Lesen in einem Sessel sitzen. Zum Glueck haben wir davon genug. 😉 Mary dagegen liest sehr gerne im Bett.
      Liebe Gruesse aus einem kuehleren [“juhu!”] und regnerischen [“doppel juhu!”],
      Pit

      Liked by 3 people

    • Hi, du Lieber,
      ich lese im Bett auf dem Bauch liegend und finde das äußerst gemütlich. Was ich jedoch nicht kann, ist ein Hörbuch im Bett zu hören. Da schlafe ich sofort ein, speziell bei Krimis, die ja meist nach der gleichen Folie geschrieben sind.
      Hier scheint die Sonne. Es sind etwas unter 30 Grad C, Dina mäht den Rasen, ich zupfte Unkraut in den Beeten und schnitt die Rosen und den Wein am Haus. Außerdem ernteten Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma leckerste Feigen, die ich gerade mümmele. Huch, da wird die Tastatur ganz schmierig.
      Dann macht’s ‘mal gut.
      Liebe Grüße an euch
      Die Norfolker Schlafmützen
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  41. Lieber Klausbernd,
    auf dem Bauch liegen und lesen kann ich nicht lange. Die Haltung macht mein Kruez nicht mit.
    Bei Krimis einschlafen tue ich manchmal vor dem Fernsehen. Trotz der Spannung. 😉
    Liebe Gruesse, auch an den Rest der Fab Four,
    Pit

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Lieber Pit,
      ich bekam als Kind von einem Orthopäden diese Haltung empfohlen, um meine Wirbelsäule zu entlasten und lese seit ewigen Zeiten auf dem Bauch liegend.
      Mit liebe Grüßen, mach’s gut
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Interessant. lieber Klausbernd. Mir macht diese Haltung, auf dem Bauch liegend, mit leicht nach oben gerichtete Oberkoerper, echte Probleme in meiner Lendenwirbelsaeule. Fuer mich ist es wesentlich besser, weil mehr entlastend, wenn ich mich nach vorne kruemme, bis hin zu einer Embryohaltung.
      Liebe Gruesse aus einem Fredericksburg, wo es gerede richtig giesst,
      Pit

      Liked by 2 people

    • Na, lieber Pit, das freut mich für euch, dass ihr endlich Regen habt. Nach unserem Regen letzte Woche begann alles wie wild zu sprießen, leider auch das Unkraut.
      Bei mir ist die Bauchhaltung wahrscheinlich gut, da ich wie viele lange Menschen eine Neigung zum Rundrücken hatte, die nun völlig verschwunden ist.
      Hier scheint nun die Sonne und es ist viel zu warm. Aber daran müssen wir uns wohl gewöhnen.
      Dann halte euch wacker.
      Liebe Grüße nach Texas
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      es waren/sind kurze, abewr z.T. kraeftige Schauer gewesen, und lt. Wtterbericht duerfen wir noch mehr erwarten! *FREU!* Bis jetzt waren es 50mm. Ich war draussen und habe Fotos und Videos gemacht, weil sogar unser Bach fliesst.
      Zum Ruecken: ich glaube, Du hast den Grund genannt, warum es fuer uns beide verschieden ist. Du hast Rundruecken, ich habe Hohlkreuz. Dazu kommen geschaedigte Zwischenwirbel, vor allem im Beckenguertelbereich. Das sind auch die Gruende, warum ich nicht sehr lange auf einem Fleck stehen oder ganz langsam gehen kann. Ich muss mich z.B. bei Museumsbesuchen des oefteren hinsetzen. Dann kruemme ich meinen Ruecken ganz bewusst, und das hilft.
      Liebe Gruesse ins kleine Dorf am grossen Meer,
      Pit

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Pit,
      was hältst du denn davon?
      Dina und ich nehmen an dem Polar Learning Channel von Quark Expeditions teil und fanden dieses Bild dort (das ist ein Screen Shot). Es sieht ein bisschen anders aus als bei euch. Es ist im Polargebiet, ob Arktis oder Antarktis kann ich mich leider nicht mehr erinnern.
      Liebe Grüße
      Die Norfolker Schlafmützen
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      danke fuer das Foto. Hier sehen die Bars dann wohlk doch etwas anders aus. 😉 So eine Kleidung kann man in Texas – ob Du es glaubst oder nicht – manchmal tatsaechlich auch gebrauchen, wenn z. B. in Amarillo oder Umgebung, “oben” im Panhandle, wieder mal ein Blozzard ueber’s Land fegt. Die niedrigste Temperatur war da -25 Grad! Gut, dass wir nicht da leben.
      Liebe Gruesse,
      Pit

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Pit
      zum Glück habe ich Micheners Texasbuch gelesen und weiß, wie kalt es auch bei euch sein kann – übrigens wesentlich kälter als hier am Meer. Naja, minus 25 Grad ist ja nicht sooo schlimm. Wir hatten das im August im Nordosten von Grönland und in Smeerenburg (kommt in ‘Moby Dick’ vor) im Norden von Spitzbergen Anfang September.
      Ich gebe dir jedoch recht, das ist schon ganz schön kalt und keine Temperatur, um seinen Drink draußen zu nehmen.
      Wir haben es hier sonnig, windig und um 18 Grad. Es liegt Herbst in der Luft.
      Mit lieben Grüßen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      ich muss mal nachschauen, ob wir hier, weil wir ja doch ziemlich nahe am Golf von Mexiko wohnen, Seeklima haben, oder – wegen der grossen Landmasse des nordamerikanischen Kontinents und der Tatsache, dass es kein von Westen nach Osten verlaufendes Gebirge gibt, doch auch hier ein Kontinentalklima. Letzters, keine Gebirge in West-Ost-Richtung, ist auf jeden Fall dafuer verantwortlich, dass im Winter die Kaeltewellen aus der Arktis bis hier in den Sueden “durchschwappen”.
      Liebe Gruesse bei 19 Grad,
      Pit

      Liked by 1 person

    • Wir glauben, lieber Pit, dass ihr in Texas ein Seeklima habt, ein heiß trockenes Seeklima. Was ein Seeklima charakterisiert, sind die relativ geringen Temperaturschwankungen z.B. im Vergleich zum Kontinentalklima und die habt ihr doch. Ich bin mir jedoch nicht sicher.
      Liebe Grüße bei ebenfalls 19 Grad und Sonnenschein
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lieber Klausbernd,
      gerade habe ich mal bei Wikipedia nachgeschaut. Da ist Folgendes zu lesen: “Texas lässt sich in drei verschiedene Klimazonen unterteilen: Eine von trockenem Kontinentalklima bestimmte Zone im Westen, eine subtropische Zone im Süden und eine maritime bis gemäßigt subtropische Zone im Osten”.
      Stimmt zwar im Grunde, ist aber m.E. nicht absolut richtig bzw. etwas ungenau. Auch der Suedosten um Houston herum ist m.W. subtropisch. Und der Norden an der Grenze zu Oklahoma hat mit Sicherheit kontinentales Klima.
      Halten wir mal so fest: Texas ist so gross, dass es eben verschiedenen Klimazonen zugehoert. Wir duerfen hier wohl an der Grenze zwischen kontinatalem und Seeklima liegen, und westlich von us faengt dann eine deutlich aride Zone mit schon fast wuestenhaftem (kontinentalem) Klima an.
      Liebe Gruesse,
      Pit

      Liked by 2 people

    • Super, lieber Pit, habe herzlichen Dank. Wieder etwas dazu gelernt.
      Mit lieben Grüßen von der maritimen Klimazone mit geringen Klimaschwankungen und somit warmen Wintern und normaler Weise kühlen Sommern. Allerdings kann man das nicht von diesem Sommer sagen.
      Mach’s gut
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  42. I prefer Sleepy Joe, too. 🙂 And I’m glad you are getting enough sleep. I’ve read that getting sufficient sleep is the most effective thing you can do to prevent dementia. I’ve also read that we shouldn’t expect to get perfect sleep every single night. Occasionally we might not sleep well but as long as it’s not a frequent thing it’s fine. I would like to dream about these wonderful, happy-looking seal faces when I go to bed tonight. That would be nice! But I’m OK with hashing through the messes of the day. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Lynn,
      you are right, one can’t expect to have a perfect sleep every night. It doesn’t matter if one doesn’t sleep well twice or even thrice a month.
      There are techniques you can order a specific dream for the night. But we don’t think much of it although it works.
      Thanks and have a happy day
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • I like the idea of letting your mind and body do what they need to do while you sleep instead of trying to direct your mind to dream a particular way…but as long as it didn’t rise to the level of an pbsession I guess it wouldn’t be a bad thing to do. Now I’m remembering how much fun it is to watch dogs dream… 😉

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Lynn,
      to train your mind to dream a certain dream is used by people in research and to learn to finish a dream is the means of choice for people having so drastic nightmares that they are afraid of sleeping. I have to admit I practised this kind of dreaming often when I started to write a new book. It helped me to organise my ideas. But that’s not “everyday-dreaming”. I see the big chance of spontaneous dreaming that it shows you something you didn’t know before. Isn’t it imperialistic that the male mind takes over the female subconsciousness?
      Have a happy day
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Like

  43. Ja, ich preise, preise, preise den Schlaf! Er gibt Erholung. Würde nur gerne mal wissen, wo sich mein Geist während des Schlafes befindet…???
    Hat die kleine Robbe einen Kratzer am Bauch oder ist das normal?
    Manchmal bin ich auch wach im Traum. Manchmal fühle ich mich “schlafend”, obwohl ich wach bin.
    Sende herzliche Grüße zu den fab4s!!!!

    Yogananda sagt, wir schlafen falsch…hm?
    Gerade sind fast alle zuuuuu müde und finden trotzdem zuuuuu wenig Schlaf…hm?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Heute früh beim Aufwachen träumte ich übrigens einen Satz, ich sah ihn bildlich vor mir, alles “Stopp” und “Langsam” Rufen nutze nichts…
      Die Schrift löste sich wieder auf, nur 2 Worte blieben mir leserlich: Pläne, Vergil. Ist mir gerade wieder eingefallen. Man muss es wirklich gleich ins Traumtagebuch notieren, vor allem, wenn der Tag gefüllt ist…

      Liked by 2 people

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Pia,
      wir schlafen schon richtig, man kann schwerlich falsch schlafen, aber im Durchschnitt schlafen wir zu kurz, oft viel zu kurz.
      Dass man während des Traums sich bewusst ist, dass man träumt, kommt immer wieder einmal vor. Es gibt auch Menschen, die stets luzid träumen, wie man das nennt. Luzide Träumer sind psychisch mehr gefährdet als ‘normale’ Träumer. Aus dem N-REM-Schlaf kann man sich an nichts erinnern, da gibt es auch kein Bewusstsein über seine Situation.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Na, liebe Pia, das ist doch ein deutlicher Hinweise, dass du es heute langsamer angehen lassen solltest.
      In Dantes “Göttliche Komödie” ist Vergil der Führer durch die Anderswelten (Dante war sehr beeinflusst von Vergil). Könnte es sein, dass der Traum dir sagen will, wer Pläne hat, benötigt einen Führer und mit ihm soll er es langsam angehen lassen?
      Bleib gesund und fröhlich
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Am Tag zuvor gab es eine Diskussion darüber, ob Latein noch wichtig sei beim/fürs Medizinstudium…ob es wichtiger sei Lateinvokabeln zu lernen als zur Tanzstunde zu kommen…schlafen muss man ja auch noch!!!
      Die Lehrer brauchen Noten, Noten, Noten…falls der 2. Lockdown kommen wird. Die SchülerInnen sind im Stress, ich versuche sie aufzuheitern. Was zur Zeit nicht so leicht ist….die (Kinder)Yogastunden sind sehr hilfreich.
      Dieses Wochenende geht der Online-Ernährungsberatungs-Kurs weiter, bin schon gespannt! Ernährung kommt kaum dran beim Medizinstudium…
      Ihr seht, alles Wohlstandsprobleme.
      Die 4fabs hab ich lieb!!!!
      Tschühüß

      Like

  44. Great reminders about healing and life giving sleep!

    And it bothers me that folks with chronic conditions do not get more sleep.
    If you get the chance –
    Check out the Ted Talk on sleep by Jeff Iliff –
    It is so good!
    —

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  45. Well Fab Four, your posts are always most interesting and often, as in this one, your commenters are as interesting as your content! Ah the ever-elusive sleep quality! I am happy to report that although I have trouble falling asleep, once there I sleep soundly. My husband and I are struggling through an issue with his snoring which is waking me. We could sleep in separate beds but neither he nor I are willing to accept that. He’s been to a sleep clinic and has very mild sleep apnea but neither of us could sleep with the machine they recommended. So he now uses nose strips and we bought him an inclined pillow for raising his upper body. Happily we are making some progress which is helpful to both of us!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Dear Tina,
      thank you very much for your kind comment.
      Usually, yoga and slimming help against apnea. As lower your BMI (body mass index) as lower the chance of snoring and apnea. A BMI of 20 and under is usually stopping any snoring. But we know, it’s easy to say that for us as we have no problem to keep our BMI around 20 as Dina makes us always moving and we love our weekly sauna.
      Wishing you a great weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Hanne – could you drop me a note at trschell@me.com about how you like the X-T4 vs the X-T2. I need to update from my X-T2 and am considering it versus the new Nikon mirrorless line. Not so much because of the camera but because Nikon’s new lenses look awesome and I’ve been disappointed with Fuji’s lens offering. Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • We are night owls too, therefore, we sleep at least to after nine in the mornings. It doesn’t matter when you sleep it only matters that will get at least 6 hours sleep per day.
      Thanks for commenting.
      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Thanks a lot, dear Amy 🙂 🙂
      We sleep just the other way round: late to bed and late rising. It seems to be that it’s innate if you are an early bird or a night owl as you can’t relearn it.
      A good night’s sleep is good for your health, your beauty and your creativity and learning – actually good for everything.
      Wishing you a great week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  50. Dear Dina and klausbernd,
    I just remembered a quote from James Thurber’s “The Shrike and the Chipmunk” that would fit in with the subject of “sleep:”
    “Early to rise and early to bed
    Makes a man healthy, wealthy and dead.”
    I myself prefer “early to bed and late to rise”. 😉
    Take care, my friends,
    Pit

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Tanja,
      we have no idea if animals show sleeping problems. It would be hard to research. We only know about sleeping rhythms of animals and have an idea how they might dream.
      Our complexity is our big advangage in nature but as all advantages it is a disadvangage as well.
      Insomnia is a big problem. Some specialists say that this is the fastest growing problem especially in cities. Statistics say that every third person over 25 has sleeping problems and as older you get as more likely you will experience a sleeping problem. We suppose that’s a cultural problem we need to solve and surely sleeping pills are no solution. The tendency that our times of sleeping have dropped constantly in the last 100 years doesn’t help.
      Thanks for commenting and wishing you a wonderful week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you for taking such care in explaining how difficult it is for so many of us to sleep well. Sleep should be one of easiest and most automatic functions of our bodies. The fact that it isn’t is only one sign of how far we have moved from living the way we are supposed to. It is very disheartening.
      I hope your sleep is restful and restorative.
      Best,
      Tanja

      Liked by 2 people

  52. Ich war ja vor 5 Jahren im Schlaflabor und trage seitdem eine atemmaske beim schlafen.
    Ich schlafe schnell ein und schlafe so um die 8 Stunden. Als ich noch arbeitete, waren es max. 6 Stunden.
    Man wollte ja nichts versäumen.

    Ich träume oft schlecht seit ein paar Tagen aber wieder ganz ok.
    Die coronaproblematik mit zu wenig freundschaftlichen live- Kontakten macht mir und meiner Frau zu schaffen.
    Wir wissen auch nicht, wie das sauber aufzubrechen.
    Es gibt wieder Jazzkonzerte und Lesungen bzw. Literaturtalks in Würzburg, aber die wohl sehr individuellen Konzepte dabei schrecken uns ab.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Lieber Gerhard,
      uns macht der Mangel von freundschaftlichen life-Kontakten etwas weniger aus, da wir viele unserer Kontakte seit langer Zeit virtuell pflegen. Man trifft sie und quatscht mit den Nachbarn und anderen Dorfbewohnern, aber unsere meisten freundschaftlichen Kontakte sind nicht life. Man könnte uns sehr häuslich nennen. Wir besuchten früher regelmäßig Vorträge meist über Wildlife und Klimaänderung in unserer Village Hall, aber das fällt jetzt weg. Dafür sind wir eifrige Besucher des Polar Learning Channels von Quark Expedition.
      Ein Freund von mir in Süddeutschland, der praktizierender Psychotherapeut ist, berichtete auch über Kienten, bei denen die Corona-Problematik ihr Traumleben enterte. Masterchen träumte heute Nacht von Trump, auch so ein Alptraum.
      Hier haben wir gerade grau regnerisches Herbstwetter. Da bloggen und lesen wir gemütlich.
      Wir wünschen ein höchst angenehmes Wochenende und fröhliche Träume
      Vielen Dank fürs Kommentieren
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Ich weiß sehr wohl über Euer Gestimmtsein. Wir hatten nämlich dieses Thema hin und wieder.
      Die ganze Zeit der Pandemie habe ich mich auf meine Hobbys konzentriert, aber unsere Feunde vom Jazz etwa vermisse ich doch jetzt deutlicher.
      Die Politik, die macht meiner Frau auch zu schaffen, mir auch immer mehr.
      Ein 90-Jähriger Nachbar meinte: Alles Lug und Trug in der Politik. Das ist wohl so, nur wird es jetzt augenfälliger, nachdem man wirklich alles und jedes in seinen Newschannel rein kriegt. Die postiven Nachrichten werden sträflich vernachlässigt, auch das gilt schon lange.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Lieber Gerhard,
      ich glaube, dass es genauso viele positive wie negative Nachrichten gibt. Aber die negativen Nachrichten verkaufen sich besser und so erscheint die Weltlage negativer als sie in Wirklichkeit ist. Aber das schreibst du ja auch.
      Seit der Klassik haben die Älteren stets gejammert, um wie viel schlechter die Welt geworden sei. Ich glaube, man sollte sich von dieser Jammerern fernhalten, das Jammern spielt nur den Rechten in die Hände.

      Liked by 1 person

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