Even if I go to sleep dead tired, it is highly likely I will awake, fully alert, two or three hours later. No matter what I do, I will not be able to return to sleep (see the Sleep Experiment pages for research on this problem). Today I experienced a sleep solution sleep problem within seconds of each other. This post seeks to document this event as part of the ongoing Sleep Experiment.

In the past few days I have been very active, needing to make a large number of walking trips. Last weekend, when I attempted to move the car so as to fully shovel it out, I found It would not start. My hunch is the battery has run down from lack of use. I cannot remember the last time the car was operated.

The battery powers a cathodic rust preventer. This device never turns off. It imposes a constant parasitic electrical demand. If the car is not driven at regular intervals, this constant demand will eventually drain the battery. Investigation showed a new battery to be $150 before taxes. This purchase would incur a taxi ride as carrying a lead acid battery any distance would be a struggle.

What was needed was a boost start, or a battery charge. On Thursday, I found a 12 volt trickle charger discounted by 50%. The cost of the charger would be less than the cost of calling a tow truck for a boost. But the device was being discontinued, only one location had them in stock, and the inventory was down to two units. I had to act fast. I hiked 12 miles to 5 different destinations.

On January 8th, I had a meeting with Dr H. The weather was sloppy and I had sleep problems. I hiked to 3 destinations for a total of 18.28 miles. Today, I hiked to the copy shop to purchase a needed printer cartridge, and put in 5.61 miles for a four day total of 46.76 miles. On Monday, I walk over to Ottawa for a hearing re-test. This will be another 10 mile hike. What follows are some random observations.

Random Observations

RO-1 Despite an increase in exertion levels I am eating less. When I arrive home after a day of walking, I am too tired to eat. I have a cup of tea, or decaf, some pita and hummus, and then off to bed. Prior to this I was overeating in the attempt to force myself into a normal sleep schedule. The only outcome was weight gain.

RO-2 I need to be very careful with cognitive activity conducted during periods of exertion. My error rate increases significantly. This evening after clearing the upper balcony of ice, I put on the kettle expecting it to be boiling when I returned. On return I found a hot kettle empty of water. I don’t think I was away long enough for the water to have fully boiled off. I think I plugged in an empty kettle and walked away to engage in other tasks.

RO-3 I am easily sidetracked. This post started with the intent to document a sleep wake issue. That was at 1700 hours. Then I needed walk data. That resulted in a side track into data management, the creation of a walk data spreadsheet for 2016, compiling a data format to be used as a template in future years, pulling walk data from the accident log, tabulating monthly mileage and averages for 2015. I also sidetracked into something else but have forgotten what it was. It is now 2000 hours. So roughly 3 hours have evaporated.

RO-4 Part of the evaporation was due to the fact that the template creation involved a protracted period of repetitive tasking. I have a strong preference for any form of repetitive activity. I am drawn to it like a fly to honey. I did the same thing yesterday where I sidetracked into performing a repetitive operation that was not truly required.

RO-5 My sense is that I am doing a lot but achieving very little. I attribute this to the fact I tend to be slow. I rarely complete one task before I have identified three or four more. I am always behind. I prioritize all activity so that TAQ requirements take precedence. Other needed tasks become endlessly deferred.

RO-6 I am becoming less likely to harsh on myself for my errors. I think this is due to becoming more accepting of my deficits and failures. Uncertain if this is positive or not. This morning I bought a 5 pack of paperclips. One pack was set aside to take up to the printer upstairs. This evening I noted this set aside pack was still on the downstairs desk so I interrupted what I was doing to carry it upstairs to its destination. On arrival, I found I had already placed a package of paperclips in this location. I performed a task, forgot the performance, and needlessly performed it a second time.

RO-7 I dislike using The Champlain Bridge. The traffic noise bothers me greatly and I need to buy earplugs. The pedestrian deck quickly ices over and is a slip and fall hazard. This is especially true after dusk when the temperature falls after a day of melting. The route from the bridge to Churchill via the pathway starts out strong and packed, but then becomes difficult going. See the header image above.

RO-8 My hunch is that my grocery bill is increasing because I am not using the car. With car usage, I would make one trip and buy a full list of needed items. Ten pound bags each of potatoes, carrots, and onions, and two large packages of discount toilet paper? No problem. The car will hold it all. Absent the car, I break the weekly shop into multiple grocery runs, combining each of these with walks, doctor visits, or copy shop runs. The increase in the number of weekly shopping events results in an increased number of purchases due to an increased exposure to “specials,” and the fact that I am typically buying when hungry from the walk exertion.