Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Dark and Quiet Bedroom

I have a sister who must stop the pendulum on my mother's ancient ticking S & T Child clock in order to sleep. Not me.  As long as it's dark, I can sleep. I've never been able to "sleep in" during daylight.

When I was 19, I made automotive glass in the bending department at Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass.  Glass is "bent" by heating it until it sags into a mold.  If you are a "loader", you and a helper load flat glass into molds at the mouth of an 1800 degree furnace.  It's a hot job.  Air is blown on you to make it bearable.

Every third week I worked the Midnight to 8am shift.  I'd come home, grab a bite, and  hit the sack by 9am.  I'd sleep fitfully, then be up by noon.  I could hear the typical sounds of the day, and see light peeking in.

You'd THINK that by midweek of this torture, sheer exhaustion would have kept even an early riser on the mattress, but instead it nearly put me on the floor.  And falling asleep while standing is unwise in a factory where everything is either hot or sharp.

Reflecting upon my own experiences, and listening to similar complaints from clients, has inspired me to create rooms which seal out the sounds of cars, lawnmowers, birds, and even noisy clocks !

Rather than toss and turn, wouldn't it be nice to snooze for that third-of-your-life-spent-in-bed?  Now, with properly designed light and sound proofing, you can.