My Sleep Story
Hey there. This is my first post on Steemit. I have joined recently. Well, I am getting ready to move across the world (again) and as you can imagine, there is a LOT to organise. While doing that, being busy with the rest of my life, I have been focussing more on doing what I love - sleeping. I have had a different relationship with sleep: from taking it for granted, ignoring it, hating it, to lacking it, craving it and loving it in the end.
Sleep and Lots of It
I remember that sleep was well-respected in our family. At 8.40 pm, after watching Good night, kids programme I went to bed. Nothing could make my parents change their mind and let me watch TV a bit later. Mum and Dad got up at 6 am. Mum made breakfast. Then she would wake me up. After breakfast, Mum walked me to the kindergarten. It was a pretty sweet routine. At that time, I didn't think much about sleep. I simply remember that I got plenty of it. At the weekend, when Mum and Dad wanted to sleep in, I was up at 6am, made my bed and usually sat at the table reading a book about animals. It was beyond Mum and Dad's imagination, why on Earth, I didn't want to sleep in at the weekend!
Sleep? Waste of Time
Things changed when I started a secondary school. I felt overwhelmed, there was so much to learn, read, remember and not enough time to read the books which were outside the school curriculum. So I needed to be creative! Every night after Mum and Dad wished me good night, I would lie in bed quietly waiting for them to go to sleep, then I would switch on a bedside lamp and drift into the world of reading. I got caught several times. Mornings were not fun after I overindulged in reading the night before... Still, I thought that instead of sleeping I could just read for a few hours and it would be time well spent.
Not Getting Enough Zzz
When I started Uni, in Year 2 I started studying the second degree (languages and legal science). During exams which always overlapped I survived on very little sleep, sleep was almost non-existent. I was determined and driven by a goal to pass exams (it was possible to get plenty of As without getting enough Zzz at the time) and then RELAX. It worked. I had the energy, I was young, everything was possible, the sky was the limit...
I Want It, I Need It but I Can't Get It
Fast forward to 2011, when I returned to school as a mature student. All was well until the very last month at Uni when I was preparing for translation and interpreting licence exams. In a nutshell, it is very simple. If you fail at the exams, you can't work in the industry. Translation and interpreting work was all I wanted to do and I got myself so worried about a negative outcome that I developed insomnia. Insomnia and I have always been incompatible, well until 2011. What helped? Sleep restriction. When I couldn't fall asleep, I got out of bed and read at the desk. I read novels. Reading fed my overworked brain, it seemed to be happy when it was occupied, I kept feeding it. My soul though was exhausted and in a bad need of rest. While looking for tips on how to fall asleep again, I came across meditation. At first, I brushed it off, nearly abandoned the idea without testing it. The following night I couldn't sleep again. In despair and anger, I downloaded morning and evening meditations to my iPod. I started playing the evening meditation while lying in bed and only next morning I realised that I actually slept and apart from the very beginning I didn't remember what meditation was about! Happiness!!! I could sleep again. What a relief!!!
Sleep Deprivation. A Wake-up Call
My bliss didn't last long. After graduating, I re-entered the workforce. Almost 6 years of sleep deprivation nearly "killed" me. It affected me, everyone and everything around me. I lived my life on autopilot. I thought that I absolutely needed to work that hard for the business. Isn't it expected nowadays? Perhaps, it is different for companies where CEO collapse from exhaustion in the office and then frantically make changes for the well-being of their employees. Well, things weren't that bad for me! I got to sleep in my own bed, on many occasions, it was less than a five-hour sleep but it was better than nothing. I kept thinking that I was strong, I could do, it wouldn't last long. Pulling all-nighters for me was a sure way of turning into a hungover zombie. I kept reassuring myself that it would be over soon. I must have done a good job as I lasted a long time until one day...I remember that morning clearly. The weather was nice and sunny, the skies were blue. I was calm, I didn't get enough sleep but I was determined to make changes. A slow recovery from burnout followed.
Why Is Sleep Good for Us? The Power of Sleep
Getting more sleep may be useful in shedding those extra pounds.
More sleep makes us happier, more tolerant and less irritable (better parents, more productive employees, business owners, better people in general).
Sleep boosts our immune system. When we are asleep, we heal, recharge our batteries body, reduce inflammation in our body. Our brain engine runs on eight cylinders, not four or six.
More sleep improves muscle toning and skin appearance (beauty sleep).
"Beauty sleep" improves our appearance (muscle toning, glowing skin).
Good Night's Sleep: My Sleep Hygiene
These are the tips I'd love to share with you. I have been using them for over six years now. It is my go to sleep toolbox. Of course, every night is different. Most of the time I fall asleep fast and sleep like a baby, sometimes I need to use just a few tools, sometimes more
chamomile tea in the evening (no coffee, no alcohol);
lavender balm (I add a small dab to my temples);
relaxing bath with lavender oil and Epsom salts;
deep breathing;
meditation (a great way to calm down mind chatter);
praying;
naming things you are grateful for (I go with the flow. I don't worry about how many things I name. Every day is different, isn't it? Sometimes, it's three, sometimes there's more and I lose count as I fall asleep peacefully);
reading a paper book;
no screens in the bedroom (no TV, no phones, no tablets);
no screens at least an hour before bedtime;
the work-down call (I set an alarm clock for an hour and a half before my bedtime. It means that I am slowly getting ready for sleep. No more work, TV, etc.);
making a plan for the next day ( I write it down on a piece of paper. Once it's done, I don't need to worry about. It sits and waits for me on the desk next morning);
WiFi off in the house;
battery-powered travel alarm clock (I don't keep a phone in the bedroom);
cool air (I like sleeping with an open window even when it's winter time in Europe; 65 F room temperature);
blackout curtains;
a regular sleep schedule;
regular exercise;
palming.
From Awareness to Action
In general, I have been very happy with my sleep routine. I am now working on remembering my dreams again... Make sleep a priority! Schedule it in.
Short sleepers and long sleepers have a great good night's sleep! It is totally worth it!!! Such an amazing source to healthier, happier us and it's FREE! Let's sleep our way to the top (literally) of the Mountain of Life. Start loving your sleep and your life will love you back!
From awareness to action.
Sweet dreamzzz...
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