The Fog

[Texbow]

You young guys might not follow this but I'm wondering if some of you are finding yourself in the fog like I have. Stay with me here... I'm not a old geezer just yet but I'm knocking on the big 50's door. I've chalked it up to just getting older. Have you noticed that when you wake up in the middle of the night, natures call or whatever that you find yourself a little slow in being 100% clear? I call it the fog. It only last maybe 3 or 4 seconds in reality.

It's got me thinking about how would it be in a situation that required a quick and clear head. Would the sense of danger remove the fog or with age is it just a fact of life that we don't respond as quick out of a deep sleep as we did when we were 30. My concern is that those few seconds could cost you your life. It's also made me value my laser sights more. I feel that I can get on target easier with a laser sight when lets say I may not be in 100% form.

It also made me think how medication might effect our reaction times. Trying taking NyQuil before you go to bed and see how you feel at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. Routine medication seems to be a fact of life for many over the age of 60. Knowing and accepting this fact could help you plan for the best solution in a home defense situation.

I'll be 49 soon and I've just started noticing this over the past year. I assume it gets worse with age. Anyone else notice the fog?

[Dragonfighter]

A good clattering or loud noise and you'll be clear. Ask me how I know

[nitrogen]

I'm a little less than half your age, but know just what you're talking about. It takes me about 30 mins to become fully awake in the morning.

I'll tell you that when you hear a loud suspicious noise, at least I'll be fully awake within half a second.

Most of the time it's just the cats messing around, but I'm somewhat paranoid, and will investigate almost any noise.

[WildBill]

Anyone else notice the fog?

I think so, but I can't remember too well!

That's one reason people have dogs. It takes me a while to get going in the morning, but as Dragonfighter says when you hear that "bump in the night" the adrenaline kicks in pretty quick.

P.S. I thought nitrogen was an older guy. His profile says he's a Senior Member.

[frankie_the_yankee]

I've noticed that I'm slower to come to full alertness as the years have gone by.

But I've got me a nice big German Shepard that puts up a huge ruckus whenever he notices anyone outside.

A few times that he has alerted on something outside in the middle of the night I've had no problem getting up to investigate. (So far it's just been the occassional deer wandering into the yard.)

Big dogs are a lot better than alarms in my book, for a lot of reasons.

Someone hears that boy bark and they think twice about trying to get inside. And while they're thinking twice, I'm getting my 1911.

[txinvestigator]

GSD and full perimeter alarm.

Plus a few years ago we had what I thought was an intruder at 0400. It was a great test of our immediate action plan.

[DoubleActionCHL]

A good clattering or loud noise and you'll be clear. Ask me how I know

Was it eight tiny reindeer? Did you shoot Santa Claus?

[Will938]

Speaking of "fog" many times when I wake up my vision is blurrier than usual...which doesn't help because I wear glasses too. Its hard to wake up in the morning, but when someone tries sneaking up on me I've been told that I'm frighteningly quick. Like, with my eyes closed I grab their wrist/throat at the same time and toss them on the other side of the bed before they can react...most of the time anyway. I've also woken up to someone saying "toast" with their finger against my head.

[Skiprr]

Hm. Thirty years ago, it used to take a klaxon to wake me up in the middle of the night. Now, in my middle 50s, a mosquito sneazes on my backyard fence twenty yards away and I'm wide awake.

Go figure.