I'm 49 and I consider the norm for me should be, sleeping through the night.

However I know when there are stresses in life, I will wake up several times or not sleep long enough. I go through bouts of this and I've been going through this in past few months. Lots things goin' on and all of it related to work.

I don't consider for myself to wake up several times during the night, a good thing. My tiredness shows on my face.

What has helped me in the past, is to do light stretching exercises for 1/2 hr. maybe 1-2 hrs. before I go to bed. It relaxes my body.

And cycling over the past few years, probably helps me immensely to sleep better during the times that I do klunk out peacefully at night. I think we might be underestimating, how much cycling regularily for us, has helped us sleep better.

My partner did have a sleep test/study done on him 1 whole night, at a teaching hospital a few years ago. He is diagnosed to be very mildly narcoleptic. ....he will fall asleep if his body is still for hrs...ie. watching a movie, driving a car for hrs...etc. He does not snore but most of his adult life he's never had truly long deep and uninterupted sleep..this is what narcolepsy means. He did try mild prescription drugs to keep him awake....a mild narcotic...but he felt rotten in terms of its side effects and he didn't want his body to become mildly addicted to a drug.

So he dropped drug therapy several years ago. He feels better for the decision.

This condition does give him yet another powerful reason to cycle regularily...probably for as long as he can cycle...his body becomes more alert...than if he is driving. He can only drive for up to 2 hrs. per day before he seriously battles sleepiness at steering wheel. When we moved my stuff across Canada from Toronto in my relocation...we took a long leisurely trip in the moving van. Over 2 wks. Other drivers probably would whip through Canada in half that time on the highways.

So another reason why we are car-less. I certainly have no problems with that!