I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about sleep from my friends on Facebook lately. Seems like many of them aren’t getting enough sleep. I’m not sure why this is, but if I can take some hints from my three year old daughter, I’m guessing they want to play instead of go to bed. Of course she’d rather play than eat dinner also, but most of us have overcome that. So why can’t we overcome the sleep issue also?
I love to sleep, but I’m occasionally guilty of not getting to bed on time. Typically, when I get to bed late, it’s because of a video game or a Netflix movie. This usually means I get to bed about an hour late. I can deal with this, although I do feel tired when I wake up in the morning. My bedtime is 10:30pm. Waking up at 6:30am gives me a solid 8 hours of sleep. I find that is my ideal amount of sleep. Some do fine with less, like Ralph Jean-Paul. During his 3AM Experiment, he found that he did well on 6.5 hours of sleep. I’ve heard that as we get older we need less sleep, and I’m still waiting for that day to come. I would really love to have an extra couple of waking hours each day. Until that day comes, I am pretty careful about making sure that I usually get 8 hours of sleep each night. In fact, often get a little anxious once the clock roles past 10:30; especially if I’m doing nothing important or fun.
One thing that perplexes me, even about myself, is why we stay up late watching TV, especially TV programs that aren’t particularly interesting. I do this sometimes, most often on the weekend. I suppose I’m fighting the need for sleep hoping that I can squeeze a little more enjoyment out of the day. When I think about it though, that extra enjoyment usually gets sucked out of the following day when I sleep in, or when I wake up at normal time and feel tired all day.
As a side note, when determining the value I place on a particular TV program, I usually compare it to renting a DVD movie or program. Would I actually pay to watch this programming? If the answer is no, then it’s not worth my time to watch.
So how do I fight this urge to stay up late? For me, I find recognizing how I am spending my time helps. If I’m doing something that I really enjoy then it may be worth while. But if I’m just vegging out in front of the TV, my time is better spent in bed sleeping. It really comes down to deciding how my time is best spent.
I’ve also found it helps to practice falling asleep. I’ve already discussed my method here. Being able to fall asleep quickly makes bedtime more appealing.
Let’s get some bullet points here to summarize.
- Determine your ideal amount of sleep and schedule accordingly.
- Turn off the TV or at least determine the value of the programming.
- Recognize how you spend your time and determine the best use of that time.
- Find a method to fall asleep fast and practice it.
Before I sign off, I want to hit on a couple of reasons sleep is important to me.
- I find that I feel better when I get enough sleep.
- I wake up easier, and that sets a good tone for the rest of the day.
- I am more prone to stay healthy. I get sick easier when I don’t get enough sleep.
Are you getting enough sleep? What are your thoughts on sleep?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I think a lot of times, not getting enough sleep is caused by having a lot on our mind that keeps us awake. When you worry about something, it’s like your mind says: “Don’t go to sleep! You have an urgent problem to solve!”. People who know how to let go and detach from problems seem to have this sleep issue a lot less.
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Eric Watermolen
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December 2nd, 2009 at 11:05 am
That’s a great point that I didn’t mention. Bedtime is often a time when worries can creep in. It’s hard to shut down the mind in order to fall asleep. This could cause worry about the worry, and cause us to avoid going to bed.
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Oh, this is a biggie for me, Eric. And a good day for me to respond, since I did get enough sleep last night. I do this thing where I don’t go to bed even though I’m tired. I ramp myself up and go looking for something, almost like I’m waiting for one last insight of the day. Something to give me a sense of completion perhaps. Isn’t that strange? This often happens when I’m online. And I rarely get what I’m looking for, because it’s such an addictive medium, and it’s so easy to ask, “but what else is there?” Better for me not to have the computer on at night, just read and listen to gentle music in the hours before bed. Oh, and the thing about needing less sleep as we age? Not for me. I actually need more. Or maybe it’s just that my sleep pattern is different now, so to feel fully rested I need to be in bed eight hours. But nine is even more delicious. I used to have trouble falling asleep, but not so much anymore now that I listen to audiobooks as I drift off. I’m usually out in ten minutes or so.
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Eric Watermolen
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December 2nd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
“Nine is even more delicious.” I really like that, I feel the same way. Time sure does fly when poking around the Internet. There are so many great things out there, it’s just so hard to stop. Only problem for me is that I notice my brain begins to shut down before the computer does. Pretty soon I’m mindlessly surfing around and not really accomplishing anything.
I hadn’t heard of anyone using audiobooks to fall asleep. It’s really a great idea, most I’ve listened to are fairly soothing. Do you find that affect your dreams at all? When I’ve listened to guided meditation CDs, I find it sometimes kick starts some crazy dreams.
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Sleep is certainly important especially for health. I am grateful that I do not have any problem sleeping. Most time I just hit the bed and within 5 minutes I am off to dreamland already. But I do have some friends who have problems sleeping.
We are pretty similar. If there is nothing interesting to do, I will usually sleep early. And I have a jogging routine. So the night before the jog, I will go to bed early.
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[Reply]
Eric Watermolen
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December 3rd, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I have toyed with the idea of jogging, but can’t bring myself to try it. Going to bed early would certainly be key for me. It’s on my list of things that would be good for me, right next to eating more fresh fruits and vegatables.
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