Sleep Like A Dolphin
One of my daily accessories is my Fitbit Sense. I’ve been wearing Fitbit devices for years and recently upgraded to the Sense smartwatch. I previously had a Versa smartwatch, but it had seen better days. I took advantage of the Mother’s Day sale and sprung for the Sense. Given I wheel myself around the world, I can’t really log exercise and my steps are counted based on my “rolls” of my chair. I get some great satisfaction that all the energy it takes to wheel myself around is garnering me some action on my Fitbit.
What really is a draw from wearing my Fitbit is the sleep analysis. I wear my Sense to bed every night so I can monitor how much sleep I’m getting and the quality of that sleep. I’m a geek for data, so seeing my deep sleep, REM sleep, and light sleep is fascinating. The latest upgrade now shows my “snore” percentage. The things this little smartwatch can do while I’m fast asleep is phenomenal!
I’m a night owl and I don’t sleep as much as I should. I’m working on fixing that since I know good rest is restorative and healthy and I need that to keep my recovery and rehab going strong. Recently Fitbit added a feature that compares your sleep to an animal. I had to wear my Fitbit to bed for 30 days and then they could identify which animal I’m most like with my sleep patterns.
After the 30 days past, I was notified that I sleep like a dolphin. The description read, “Because dolphins need to stay on the move, only one half of their brain gets to sleep at a time.” Moral of the story is I sleep in shifts like a dolphin. As much as I don’t want to identify like that, it’s true. I’ll sleep a few hours (normally in my recliner), then get up and move to the bed where I sleep the rest of the night. As much as I’m trying to break this pattern, the dolphin in me just can’t.
I did some research on how dolphins sleep. Dolphins have to remain conscious and close to the top of the water when they sleep to survive. Since they are mammals, if they didn’t, they could suffocate and drown. They only close one eye when they are sleeping and only one half of their brain is asleep. This allows them to remain conscious and aware of their surroundings for any dangers. Because of this, they often are found motionless at the surface of the water, or resting on a seabed so they can sleep.
Now, my sporadic sleep patterns may not be the best way to sleep, but if dolphins can do it, so can I. Plus, dolphins are one of the smartest animals in the world. They are able to problem solve and have the capability for social interaction to form friend groups among humans and their own species.
When August is over, I’ll get my animal analysis and we’ll see if I’m still a dolphin. And if I am, I’ll call myself Flipper….from the old TV show. The theme song goes…..”Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning, no one you see is smarter than he.” You can’t beat being identified as fast and smart. I think I love being a dolphin.