Sleep when you’re dead is what I used to say. Until one day a lack of sleep wasn’t a choice I could control. I used to stay up all night trying to outwork everyone who was asleep. It was easy when I was a teenager to go out and party all night and go to work on an hours sleep, get home late and then go out partying again.
As I grew up, something happened. I got tired. Mentally tired. Drained. It was then I wanted all of those hours back.
Lack of sleep causes many problems and tiredness is the least of your worries. Sleep is your bodies way of recharging, replenishing and repairing itself. A lack of sleep prevents this process.
Developing the habit of good sleeping patterns can result in:
- More energy
- Reduced stress and irritability
- Combats weight gain
- Increased productivity
- Alertness
- Improved appearance
- A better memory
- Lowered risk ill health and medical problems
- A stronger and more active immune system
Tips for a good night’s sleep:
- Avoid caffeine in the evenings
- Meditation; simple breathing exercises can help. Breathe in through your nose using your abdomen, and then exhale through your mouth releasing all of the stress you’ve been carrying all day.
- Read before bed without the TV being on.
- Turn your phone off and do not fall into the temptation of looking at your screen in the dark.
- Create a sleep schedule and stick to it. This will form a habit of going to sleep and waking up at the same time. Your body will soon adjust.
Sleep is so valuable and although we can stay awake, it doesn’t mean we should. I later in life suffered from insomnia, and each night I stayed awake, I thought back to all of the times in my 20’s where I stayed up watching movies and being idle. Having children makes you value sleep and so it should. We need to be as effective as possible to be good parents, employees, employers and people. Now you’ve finished reading, go and start on that schedule.
Prioritise your priorities.
This is not how your story ends;
Written By Steve Whyte
Originally published at medium.com