Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Editorial: 'Tis the season to be sleepy

Northern Advocate
10 Jun, 2012 11:03 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

They say that as you get older you need less sleep.

Well, that's what I've read anyway, but I've never been one to follow trends.

If, like me, you have the odd early start for your job, the fact older people get less sleep is highlighted by the voices on early-morning talkback radio.

Many are elderly people, up and at 'em and keen for a chat; or perhaps just unable to sleep.

That certainly isn't me. Right now I'm finding I need more sleep than ever.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's becoming downright annoying. What's going on? I've always been a "morning person", up before the crack of dawn, venturing out into the dawning world for a trot or two around the block before bouncing in for breakfast. I'm the one who used to have to wake everyone else up.

These shortening days make you feel like the world is closing in. It seems to take forever for the sun to rise and she's hurried off well before I get home at night.

A frosty morning isn't so bad. Sure, it's chilly, but it's crisp and clear and promises a lovely sunny winter's day. It's the early darkness I'm not enjoying. It feels like a few hours of sunlight have been stolen away.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Maybe I'm not getting enough vitamin D from the sun in the afternoons and then can't drag myself out of bed early enough to enjoy a healthy dose of early morning sunshine before heading to work. Having said all that, I did read recently that some new study has found we need up to 10 hours sleep a night to be healthy. Perhaps I'm extra healthy right now. Yeah right.

Winter sluggishness, that's what it will be. Perhaps I am a summer person.

It seems a bit early for the winter blues and I'm not exactly feeling blue, just a little lethargic.

Thankfully, I have something to look forward to which I think may awake me from my comatose state and kick-start me to once again being the morning person I've always been. I just have to stick it out for another couple of weeks.

The shortest day of the year is approaching, June 22, someone told me the other day. After that, she said, the days will get longer again and the sun will re-energise us. It sounded great.

I shall look forward to it. There's another bonus to the shortest day - the longest night is right before it; my last long sleep before I awake from hibernation and rally for a re-energised build-up to spring. APN News & Media

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Opinion

Joe Bennett: Hungarian barman shares fears for future

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Northern Advocate

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Opinion

Why being physically active is good for student learning – John Wansbone

04 Jul 05:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Joe Bennett: Hungarian barman shares fears for future

Joe Bennett: Hungarian barman shares fears for future

04 Jul 05:00 PM

I visited Budapest last in the 1980s when it was under communist rule.

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

'Major concern': 200 children lack safe beds in Northland

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Why being physically active is good for student learning – John Wansbone

Why being physically active is good for student learning – John Wansbone

04 Jul 05:00 PM
On The Up: McKay leads Samoa's green transport with solar-powered electric catamarans

On The Up: McKay leads Samoa's green transport with solar-powered electric catamarans

04 Jul 05:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP