Sleeping & kitty cat snores

My cat Derby just let out a snore that is pretty impressive for a 14 lb cat. I think it proves regardless of species, guys snore more than girls.

Why?

Snoring to me indicates that most innocent & deep of sleeps. I realize that in truth it is usually part & parcel of sleep apnea, obesity, etc. But I am somewhat jealous of that depth of sleep & lack of awareness.

When I was little, I used to sleep over at my best friend's house about every other week. I had the hardest time sleeping. I had my Strawberry Shortcake slumberbag, but I was uncomfortable. I'd lay awake listening to sounds of her house - Sugar & Coffee, her cocker spaniels, getting comfortable as they settled in for the night. But I was jealous of Beth too - she fell asleep so easily.

Even at home, I would lay awake. When my dad lived there, I remember him opening the door to let some light in and how much that annoyed me. I'd wait a second & get out of bed & close the door. LIGHT=NO SLEEP. I was 4 or 5. Getting to sleep was a major problem for me. Once I was asleep, however, waking up was a problem. Everybody assumed that I had slept from 9 until 6:30 so I SHOULD be fine...but in reality, I'd get into bed at 9:05. I might try to keep the light on to test my mother's patience so as to read as much of the young adult novel I had gotten from the library that night. (My poor mom - forever shuttling me to the library!) I'd turn off the light at 9:15. I would TRY to go to sleep - but what does that mean? Closing my eyes? Meditating? Sometimes, I'd gather all the animals around my room into my bed, thinking that a cozy bed meant sleep.

In the end, I'd go into the hall bathroom. That's sacrosanct, right? Nobody's going to bother you in the bathroom. I'd sit on the tub, reading. I don't think for hours, but I'm sure I read for at least 30 minutes many a night.

There is something within me (I think DNA???) that has categorized me as a night owl. I love being awake late at night when the world is falling asleep. It's not that I'm not a morning person. If I'm awake at 6:30, I'm fine. Of course, it's the getting me awake at 6:30 that is the problem.

The hubby & the little bear are always up before me. But they're grumpy - they need their juice and their coffee before they can get going. The brain is clearly not functioning immediately. But according to the world, they're morning people. No, the morning person is my papa - he gets up early naturally & he's happy to be awake. I'm fine once I'm out of bed - just need the eyedrops to pop open my eyelids (LASIK is somewhat drying).

In this age of genetic engineering, I'd like to know what the gene is for insomnia & night-owlness. What other traits are on it?

Lil Bear totally understands that I need a few minutes to wake up - so she'll pretend to curl up with me and within 30 seconds, Mommy, when can we go downstairs? But she usually does this at 8:30 AM on a Saturday. So I think she may have that gene, but we need extensive testing for this hypothesis...