This Week's Health Goal: Get More Sleep!

I was thinking last week that, although I started this blog just to have somewhere to ramble, I could probably do with just a tad more structure than I have. So, I sat down and wrote out a tentative editorial calendar. In thinking about adding structure to my blog, it occurred to me that it might not be such a bad idea to add a little more structure to my life as well. (Not the first time I’ve had this thought, but ya know.) So, in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, I’ve settled on a few series of sorts.

Every Monday is healthy goal day. Each week, I plan to set a small, attainable goal that will work toward my becoming healthier and changing my lifestyle. And I’m going to share it with all of you! Don’t you feel special? J

I Need Some Real Sleep!

I sleep in strange cycles. I’ll stay up all night, then sleep half the day some days. Then I’ll stay up 24-36 hours straight—sometimes more—trying to get everything done that needs to be done. Then, when I’m completely exhausted, I’ll crash out around 8 p.m. one night and sleep for 12-16 hours. And then it starts all over again.

I’m getting too old for this nonsense. Too. Old. To complicate matters further, the lack of sleep is making me old before my time. So it’s this compounding problem that feeds upon itself. Not getting enough sleep adds to stress and also prevents weight loss, no matter how healthy you eat. So if I’m ever going to get anything else in order, I’ve got to get a handle on my sleep habits.

Try, Try Again

Like most of my goals, this one is one I’ve battled with for years. I’ll do good for a few days, then I’ll get super busy and stay up late trying to get it all done. Once I stay up late one night, it all crashes down again—and round and round we go.

Defining My Goal

It isn’t enough to say that I’m going to get more sleep—that’s too broad. So I’m setting a bedtime for myself and, for at least this week, I’m going to live by it. The kids go to bed at 9. Supposedly. So, I’m setting my bedtime for 10:00 and I’m going to be taking melatonin around 9:30-9:45 to help me along.

I’ve discovered over the years that my body does best on 9 hours of sleep. That means that I need to get up at 7:00 in the morning. That’s enough time to be able to spend some time with the kids before school and get started on work by 8 or 9. On a normal workload day, I should have enough time before the kids get home to get all or most of my work done. If I need a couple of extra hours, I’ll take it then—because if I wait till after supper, I’ll be up all night.

So that’s the plan, I think. I’ve recently gotten a couple of new gigs, so I’m still trying to work out that schedule and get used to the new styles. But I can’t let new gigs perpetuate my ridiculous sleep schedule. In fact, now more than ever, I need to be rested enough so that I can organize my jobs to get done during the day.

More to Come

I suppose I’ve said all I can say about that. I have a few more themes planned to try. If all goes well, we’ll have dyshidrosis Tuesdays, educational Wednesdays, Coke addiction Thursdays, Family Fridays, product review Saturdays, and progress report Sundays. IF all goes well. No promises.

Oh…I got my hair cut today. So there’s your dose of randomness. Now…time to wind down for my new bedtime. In the meantime, tell me…do you have trouble sticking to a regular sleep schedule? How have you coped and what impact do you think sleep deprivation has had on your health? I’d love to hear from you! J