Lazy or entitled?

Hello, dear blog readers! I find myself torn today between being tired and justifying extra sleep vs. feeling guilty over being "lazy." After getting about 10 hours of sleep last night, my dear sweet hubby woke me up this morning having made breakfast. My first inclination was to say, "only a half hour more!"

What causes me to need this much sleep? Is it the nature of my job? I had a great last couple of days at work, although in a sense there's an element of emotional drainage. For example, I absolutely love the two babes that have been in my charge for the last couple of weeks. One of them is going home today or tomorrow, but yesterday she uncharacteristically cried for three hours during the afternoon, resulting in me holding/rocking her and patting her back to try to comfort the poor little poo. While I love holding babies, three hours of crying might have worn me out. That, and another babe that was in my charge several times in the past went home with hospice care. That was sad. But in general, I LOVE my job!

Does tiredness result in lack of sleep for just one night? Is it that I didn't sleep much during my years in college? (Is it catching up to me now?) I find myself feeling guilty about needing this much sleep, but I guess I can justify it by trying to get lots done while I'm awake. I figure that once I tend to my garden in Valley Center and exercise a bit, a little bit of house cleaning and doing dishes/laundry goes a long way. Then it's time to work on the quilt or another fun craft project. Or watching Hulu or some history show on TV with my sweetie. (Gotta enjoy our free evenings while we can before he graduates!)

I'm starting to wonder if being on a routine schedule helps with tiredness. Do any of you, dear blog readers, stick to a schedule every day (or pretty close to every day)? Do you find that you need less than 10 hours of sleep to feel rested? If so, please share what works for you! I'd love to hear your thoughts.