I know exactly what you're talking about, Jim. I rarely sleep through the night, and I rarely stay awake while trying to watch TV before I go to bed. Even if I'm watching a game show in the afternoon, I tend to nod off for maybe 10 or 15 minutes -- long enough that I often don't know who won the game.
When I lived in town, my backyard dropped off into a ravine above a creek and was a haven for whitetails. The deer eventually got used to me, and as long as I slightly turned my head and averted my eyes, I could get within just three or four feet of them. That only happened, however, when I was filling my bird feeders with what they clearly believed were deer treats.