Dear LPG, 

Are you one of those people who wake up every morning and then has to take a few minutes to work out and remember who you are and what your plan for the day is.  I am lucky, I suppose because I have the other problem in which most days I open my eyes fully expecting to find myself in my bedroom, at home, no matter where I happen to be.

Let me explain…

Now that we are retired my husband and I like to get away from it all quite frequently I suppose.  We usually have arranged one of those coach trip outings to somewhere in the country to explore those really interesting parts that we have never had the opportunity to experience.  We enjoy the little adventures and are often off on a short break to somewhere at least a couple of times a month in the summer, but one thing always interests me.

People who travel will tell you, some hotels are better than others but I never have trouble sleeping these days, although one thing bothers me a little.  No matter where I wake up, I always imagine myself to be in my own bed at home until I open my eyes.  I suppose that we all wake up having to catch our baring’s (what day it is and what plans we have for  it), and a vivid dream can have the power to disorientate  too, but no matter how uncomfortable the bed I am sleeping in might be, in my head I am at home.  My husband tells me that I am very lucky because, for most that is the place where they would most like to wake up feeling they spent their sleeping session.  I think that even if I woke up in a prison cell, my mind’s eye would start the day snugged up in my own bed at home and I have often stretched out my hand to turn on the bedside light in the early hours as I manage to knock a glass of water or some trinket over because when at home I know exactly where the switch is and aim for it without thinking. 

 I always expect to see my home surroundings before I open my eyes for the first time each morning.  I took a look on the internet to see if there is a name for this condition and the nearest I can find is something called ‘confessional arousal’.  This appears to be when you get up and have to reboot your mind completely before  your mind  can remember who you are and where you are.

Perhaps it means that I enjoy going away so much because I am one of those holidaymakers who just loves getting back home, or that I am particularly content with my life, and if that is the case I hope that most readers ‘suffer’ in the same way  I do. 

I have come to the conclusion that anyone else who wakes up from even a nap with thoughts of being at home snug in their own bed must be a team member of those who are most content with life and I hope that, if it is a condition that has a name, a lot of people suffer.

IC, Lewisham

IC offers a little information about Confessional Arousal… 

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