When I opened my Sudoku app in the morning, I was surprised to see this screen of an incomplete game staring back at me. Of course, I quickly remembered what had happened the previous night and that I had awakened, after a surprising and spontaneous map, to this very same screen.
You see, I often play Sudoku as well as other games to help me fall asleep. Sudoku requires a lot of concentration, which can tire my mind.
Sometimes on my night Sudoku games, I nod off mid game, usually for only a fleeting few seconds. On one occasion, though, I nodded off three times but, oddly enough, resumed and completed the game without error. That was weird because I often make errors when I am ostensibly awake.
Usually however, when I come to after a brief nod-off, I simply close the tablet and roll over. On the particular night in question, however, upon coming to I was shocked to see the game still open on my lap. It sure felt like more than the usual 30 second nap.
You can see that the timer had stopped at 8:56 into the game. In the morning, I timed myself, and it took me four more minutes to finish the game. Since I usually complete a hard level game within 9 minutes or less, I must assume that I had slept for about 4 minutes on the previous evening. Oddly enough, I continued to play an error-free game in the morning despite the sleeping and the gap between my two separate attempts with that particular puzzle.
I often do imaginary Sudoku if I can't sleep. I don't know why it works, but it seems to.
ReplyDeleteRemember counting sheep? Same trick I think. I used to try to name all flowers alphabetically, then foods, and then backwards alphabetically. Now I use a tiny dose of melatonin when I need it, but seldom these days.
ReplyDeleteDo you still do Wordle? If so, is it the NYT Wordle or some other version? I am on a 145 day streak at the moment.
ReplyDeleteYes, but I have never had a streak that long. Got it in 4 today and 3 the past two days.
DeleteHave you ever had a 1 day?!? That seems a bit of a “holy grail” sort of thing. I did get, I think, the word in only 2 guesses….twice. My biggest typical guess rate is 4.
DeleteI have never gotten it on the first guess.
DeleteNo. I MAY have gotten it in 2 once.
DeleteRick is a nightly Sudoku fan. I'm less so! I love the games, though!
ReplyDeleteI usually do my games/puzzles in the morning. Perhaps I should do them at night for a change.
ReplyDeleteA 4 minute nap? I'd call that "resting my eyes".
ReplyDeleteI sometimes fall asleep while reading on my phone or playing solitaire!
ReplyDeleteI am not into Sudoku, but I love crossword puzzles...the mixed ones, I enjoy doing these in the evening.
ReplyDeleteI occasionally continue listening to a book when I can't sleep.
ReplyDeleteI recall how unattainable uninterrupted sleep is for you, so I say good on ya for extra minutes any time as needed.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who quite often nods off during a phone conversation.
ReplyDeleteSudoku baffles me, I simply cannot do it, though two of my children can and a grand daughter too. If I can't sleep I do crosswords and "code cracker" puzzles.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I think that we either have a sudoku brain or a crossword brain.
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