get enough sleep

Having given up coffee seems to be making a big difference to my sleeping habits. For one, I get very sleepy late at night, which is a clear signal that I need to get to sleep. With coffee (even only one cup a day, in the morning) I’d get tired but not sleepy, so I can keep on going, tiring myself out further.

I also wake up much easier and earlier, which makes my day more productive, so I feel less guilty and more willing to go to bed at the end of the day.

I’ve been very good at getting to bed ridiculously early, and it is becoming easier and easier to rise early in the morning. I associate early waking with insomnia, so I don’t like it, but maybe I can get used to it and become a cheerful early riser.

I’ve been able to change my habits and get to bed early enough during the week, but weekends are still a problem. This is partly due to family habits, which tend are hard break, and partly due to afternoon naps, which give me more energy to carry on late into the night. Unlimited internet access also plays a role.

It’s ironic that today, after I went to bed quite late, I woke easier than on the days that I had enough hours in bed.

I’m learning that it is not just the amount of sleep that matters, but also the quality. Ironically, at the moment it seems that getting more sleep also improves the quality of sleep. That’s beside the obvious fact that spending more time in bed improves the chances of getting quality sleep.

I’m not sure what “enough” is in this case, but in doing eleven straight hours of sleeping I think I’m doing my part.

I’m doing pretty well on this goal. I’ve been going to bed riduclously early most nights this week, and reaped the reward of waking naturally and early and going through the day with a clear head.

I have not ‘lost’ any time. By the amount that I go to bed earlier I wake up earlier, and I don’t seem to take naps.

This week I’ve gone to bed very early early for three consecutive nights. I’m pretty sure I got enough sleep; I woke up naturally at 5 am! This morning I actually used my awake time before breakfast, instead of just snoozing. I wrote an email and read a bit.

It does mean going to bed really early (for me), but bedtime is just a habit, and can be changed.

If I have New Year’s resolutions, then one of them is to learn the discipline of sleeping well. This would include weekends.