Sleep, Insomnia, and You
The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance,
yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to
leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep
it late. ~Charles Caleb Colton
And so it is. We all know the true benefits of sleep, yet in the
end, we often get much less of it than we really need. 7-9 hours
is recommended for a healthy adult. But everyone is different.
Some people can get away with only 5 hours a night and look
fantastic. Other people need 10 hours to really enjoy life when
they're awake. Whatever your limit is, you need to learn it.
However, just because your body can handle it for a little
while, it doesn't mean your irregular sleeping patterns and
super late nights are doing you any good.
A solid, peaceful sleep can rejuvenate the body and it's the
time when your body really sets to work repairing itself for the
next day. Your kidneys and liver can work cleaning themselves
and your cells repair themselves while you're asleep.
A lack of sleep or irregular sleeping times can cause mood
swings and are often the root cause of colds.
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's
book. ~Irish Proverb
Insomnia. It can get the best of us. When night comes and we lay
in bed waiting for sleep, we seem to feel the need to fill our
time while we wait. We think of the day, our goals, events,
maybe relive the past, all during the time we are waiting for
sleep. It may be a couple hours each night before we actually
become tired enough to sleep. Why?
1. Sometimes we enjoy it. A time of clarity when we can relax
and think about whatever we want by ourselves. Sometimes we
crave that time. We may miss it when our lives become hectic and
we don't have time to just relax and think. If this is your
problem, discipline could be the only remedy. You might have to
schedule a time by yourself to just think. Or just think in the
car as your driving, or while your exercising, and discipline
yourself to not think in bed.
2. Often we aren't busy enough. We go through each day, work,
eat, movie, bed. There's nothing really interesting happening,
nothing really getting our attention and taking up our energy.
So we lay awake at night just thinking. There's nothing that
really demanded our attention today, and nothing that will
demand it tomorrow. At least, nothing really important to us.
Finding something after work to really motivate us may make us
more active in the day and more relaxed at night. When I'm the
busiest, I'm out like a light. When I don't find too much to
fill my day, I can lay awake for hours.
3. Sometimes it's stress. Don't bring your work home with you.
And especially not into your bedroom. Check it at the door. If
you work from home, avoid working in the bedroom. When you go to
bed, you should be in a place that's very relaxing. You can't do
anything while you're in bed anyway and often all the plans you
made last night while you were trying to sleep come to nothing
the next day anyway. Your work should be your work and your home
should be your home.
Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it's time to
get up. ~Author Unknown
Stress can be a big problem. It can weaken your immune system
and can even cause you to gain wait. Exercising is one of the
best ways to relieve stress. Mental discipline helps to relax as
well.
In the end, we all need sleep. We spend 1/3 of our lives in bed.
It helps to make sure you have a comfortable bed and sheets, as
well as pajamas. If you spend so much of your life in bed, it
helps to be comfortable!