Wednesday, July 03, 2013
One of the challenges of living in
the Land Of The Midnight Sun is the midnight sun. The long days of summer are invigorating and
I look forward to them every year, but like the vegetation at the end of the season
having had all that daylight to grow in, I start to look a little worn. Sleeping is a bit of a problem, if you crave
darkness to sleep in. Funny how taking a
nap doesn’t really require a moderation of the light, but sleeping at night
wants dark. Our home has a wonderful
view and we (Beverly) has chosen to do without “window treatments” in favor of
the simple straight lines of the windows and walls; nothing to obscure the
endless visual treat through the glass.
The obvious problem is the midnight sun.
The window style doesn’t lend itself to venetian blinds because the
windows rotate in, hinging on both the side and the bottom, and blinds would obstruct their movement. Some people we know have used aluminum foil
and blacked out the bedroom windows, but that is a full-time solution for a
part-time problem, and there are times when you want daylight in the
bedroom. Our daughter, Rebecca, made us
some cloth window covers that attach at the top with suction cups and are
easily placed and removed. They do
darken the room somewhat, but at midnight, it is still lighter than a bedroom
is supposed to be. We are not the only
ones with these problems. Imagine 4th
of July fireworks in the light. The
annual fireworks show doesn’t begin until midnight, and while we do lose light
quickly after the summer solstice on June 21st, it is still brighter
than optimum for proper celebration. Much easier on New Year’s Eve. When we first moved to Alaska, I would find
myself at Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage at 3 a.m. fishing for King Salmon
and realizing that I had to go to work the next day. I no longer have that disease, fortunately,
but know many who do. Midnight runs to
the Russian River for Red Salmon are common among the sufferers. I do, however, frequently find myself
outdoors working on one project or another and realize that it is already 10
p.m. The long daylight hours instill in you an energy that is absent during the
winter months. After fall equinox when the
days become shorter than those of points south, it seems that the time between
coming home from work and going to bed has barely enough space for dinner, and
by the winter solstice on December 21st, it is only a blink. Mid-February starts to pump the energy back
into your body as the days begin to lengthen 4 and 5 minutes per, and you begin
to plan all those things you will do as soon as it is warm enough to do them. Like May.
Sleeping in the summer does have some solutions. Some swear by Melatonin, but like all drugs,
natural or not, has unintended consequences.
Steady use depresses your own natural Melatonin production which may
make it hard to sleep later. Our
solution has become a sleep mask which works pretty well, as long as it stays
on. As time has gone by, we have added
ear plugs for real isolation. I suppose
a sensory deprivation tank might be the ultimate solution, but that may be
going too far.
No comments:
Post a Comment