My family loves its sleep. Pam turns into a pumpkin if she doesn’t get 8 hours each night; she’s a princess if she gets 10. Even my kids sleep well. They both still take naps each day. And most nights, they’re in bed by 8 and don’t get up until after 7 the next morning.
Now that I’m finding myself up at 4:30 every Friday morning to run with T, I figure that rising early 1 or 2 more mornings per week shouldn’t be that big a deal. So, I’m getting motivated to get back to the gym on Monday and Wednesday mornings to go spinning.
But did I mention that I love my sleep? My daughter is my alarm clock and I have her trained to leave me alone until 7AM. So if I actually enact my plan, I’m going to be losing a minimum of 5 more hours of sleep per week.
5 more hours of sleep gone per week? I’m already down 2 1/2, can I really bump that up to 7 1/2? That scares me a lot. And it scares me for good reason. We all know that lack of sleep can cause temporary mental deficits–decreased reaction time, inability to concentrate, and irritability are just some of the side effects of sleep deprivation. Studies show that sleep deficits aren’t that easy to make up. After multiple nights of sleep deprivation, it often takes more nights of adequate sleep to erase the effects of the earlier sleep deprivation.
In other words, it doesn’t pay to lose sleep. But if you find yourself in a situation where you know you’re going to have some sleepless nights the best way to limit those negative effects is to bank sleep in advance of the sleep deficit. Sleep a few hours extra each night during the nights preceding the expected period of sleep deprivation.
Of course, it’s better to avoid sleep deprivation in the first place. You’ll be much happier and more centered. You won’t be crabby and your wife won’t be mad at you–at least for not sleeping enough.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I wish I could sleep bank. I rarely sleep enough, but I don’t set alarms, or have to get up. I’m just a light sleeper with crappy body chemistry, sometimes up half the night, sometimes up for good at 4 am. I used to not be able to get to sleep, now I can’t stay asleep.
Mac – Getting up early doesn’t have to mean losing sleep, at least not as much as you imply. Getting up early really is not about morning discipline; it is about evening discipline. No one wants to get up early if they haven’t had enough sleep so you have to make sure you still get enough sleep by going to bed early. Sleep deprivation is NOT sustainable.
Mac, I agree with Princess
you just need to get to bed earlier–depriving yourself of sleep will only set you up for less energy and a greater desire to eat. I know my appetite goes up as my hours of sleep decrease. Julie, I know what it is like to be up at 4 am. As a chronic insomnia thought i would a list my “rules to live by” for good sleep
hygiene.
1. no caffeine–that means not even a cup of jo at 6am or a can of soda at lunch–NONE
2. no alcohol with dinner
3. nothing to eat within 3 hours of bedtime.
4.exercise daily, but not within 3 hours of bedtime.
5. weight training is especially helpful.
6. use the bedroom for sleep/sex only.
7 no TV in the bedroom!
8. no TV or computer work witing hour of bedtime
9. wake and sleep at same time each day.
10. take up a quiet activity witin one hour of bedtime..ie read, journaling
11. learn the art of meditation. I personally use a sleep mantra just as athletes use a mantra
to push thru difficult portions of the race. Mine is simply “sleep” or “I feel relaxed, tired, calm etc.
Repeat the mantra and each time a new/random thought comes up acknowledge it as a random thought and go right back to the mantra. Works most of the time for me!!
I personally feel that insomnia in women is hormonally linked. I know I definatelty notice a cyclical pattern.
Hope my rules help someone else out there. It is no fun being up at 4am!
Many a times the strenuous workouts and the body pains that accompany them make me deprived of sleep.
And, as a matter of fact I was taking sleeping pills which actually worsened my problem. I have taken up meditation to search for inner peace and I can now at least get a 4 hour sleep without any breaks.
Hope I can be as lucky as Pam and catch up with her.