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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Four Simple Goals Update II


Originally uploaded to Flickr by Flor A

You may remember that some time ago I pledged to complete Four Simple Goals before the year is out. One of those goals was to get more sleep. My aim was to go to bed by 10.30 every night. As any mother of small children will tell you chronic sleep deprivation becomes the norm after a while and you find yourself regularly struggling to get 6-7 hours a sleep a night (especially when a certain someone wakes you up at 6am every single morning). By this time of year, however, my body starts to tell me in no uncertain terms that that is just not enough - I start to feel more anxious than usual (and that's really saying something!), I develop eczema and I start to find the constant juggling of work, home and family more of a struggle than usual. At times I've been so concerned about not getting enough sleep that I've jettisoned reading in bed in favour of half an hour more sleep. Before long I realised that all I was reading were newspapers and magazines (and blogs!) and that it had been many months since I'd read a book cover-to-cover.

So what's changed? Well, I can honestly say that most nights I am at least on my way to bed by 10.30 (stopping to tidy the living room, take off make-up etc) if not actually in bed. Interestingly, what I've found since I've been reading in bed again is that I drop off to sleep much more easily if I've spent some time in someone else's head. Without reading I just turn off the light and lay awake ruminating over the events of the day and worrying about things that may never happen in the future - very counterproductive. It's still a bit of a struggle to keep myself from wandering around the house doing odd-jobs at midnight but I think just being conscious that I have a choice has to be a good thing.
Are you a bit of a worry-wart too? Do you ever worry about not getting enough sleep?

6 comments:

  1. Oh, what discipline that must take. I try to be in bed by 11:30 (um, oops, it's that time now) and I often am, but often only after frantically going through blogs, reading emails, organising stuff... and I don't even have kids to look after! I don't get a full night's sleep EVER though because my cat wakes up several times a night. Her latest thing is waking up at 6am, not wanting food or to go out, but just to chat. Once I've said good morning and given her a few pats, she goes back to sleep, safe in the knowledge that she's disturbed my rest yet again!!!

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  2. I know what you mean about having a cat! Before we had kids we had two cats and between them they conspired to wake us up every couple of hours every night for years - after that the kids were a piece of cake. I've always thought I was lucky enough to have babies who were good sleepers but I now that I think about it that may just be in comparison to the cats! Sorry to hear that your moggy was sick but glad to hear all is well now.

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  3. I always worry that I'm not getting enough sleep ... I've always been a night owl, and as life seems to get busier and busier ... well, I seem to be making do with less sleep than usual.

    Of course that does mean that every once in a while I fall into a complete heap ... I really need to practice more balance in my life!

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  4. I so get where you're coming from Caz....I've been in that place where you just can't switch off and reading something good is like stepping into a big warm bubble bath and taking you somewhere relaxing and sleep inducing.

    At the moment as soon as my head hits the pillow I sleep like a log and I'm dying to read all the half finished tomes by the side of my bed.....I think it's being out in the cold frosty air that does it....it knocks me out....

    Another thing that I find works is having a pad by the side of the bed and writing things that I'm mulling over down....sometimes that works for me..

    Enjoy your reading

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  5. Oh yes Deb I forgot to mention the pad for writing things down at night. It really does work wonders just getting those ideas out and onto paper doesn't it?

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  6. I was going to pinch your four simple goals and I think I am not doing so great. The reading I am keeping up with. Bed before 10.30am, check. Then up again at 5am. Really I should be in bed well before then, hey? Sleep. Feeling a great lack of it. Sigh.

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