“Back To Me” Self-Care Challenge – Day 9: Go To Bed Early Three Days In A Row

tired momIt’s amazing that out of all the amazing moms I know, the majority of us are running on fumes. Between running errands, work, raising kids, doing stuff around the house, schoolwork and all the other duties that seem to fall under our domain, it is any wonder why most of us are yawning around 8 p.m.? But then all too many of us are up at night when we should be asleep, either tackling projects that didn’t get done during the day or up on Facebook and Pinterest doing Lord knows what.

Then we wake up in the morning and the cycle starts all over again. Am I right?

I’ve been reading up on sleep deprivation y’all, and it’s not pretty.

Here’s some stuff you probably already knew, from the National Institutes of Health:

You have an internal “body clock” that controls when you’re awake and when your body is ready for sleep. This clock typically follows a 24-hour repeating rhythm (called the circadian rhythm). The rhythm affects every cell, tissue, and organ in your body and how they work.

If you aren’t getting enough sleep, are sleeping at the wrong times, or have poor quality sleep, you’ll likely feel very tired during the day. You may not feel refreshed and alert when you wake up.

Sleep deficiency can interfere with work, school, driving, and social functioning. You might have trouble learning, focusing, and reacting. Also, you might find it hard to judge other people’s emotions and reactions. Sleep deficiency also can make you feel frustrated, cranky, or worried in social situations.

Yeah, all that is pretty common knowledge, right? But the physical aspect of being sleep deprived is not to be missed:

Sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression.

All that sounds horrible. I don’t like it. I want no part of it.

So I hope that for most of us, today’s challenge is not too difficult.

Day 9 – Go to bed early THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW. 

Going to bed early one night will not do much of anything, I’m guessing. Two nights would probably have an effect on most people. But three nights? Your body’s going to be like, “CAN I TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS???”

So set your alarm, drink some sleepytime tea or take a nice warm bath (or do all three). Whatever you need to do to get yourself a good night’s sleep, do it. You will thank me later.

Will you have a problem with this challenge? What time do you usually go to bed? What time will you go to bed for the challenge?

Comments

  1. UHmmmmmm …. My house shuts down between 7:30pm and 8:30pm EXCEPT for Thursday (Greys and Scandal) so I honestly will have to pass on this challenge I think ….. Its just not right to go to bed any earlier …. LOL!!!

  2. Everything you posted is very true. Lack of sleep can cause all those problems. My daughter has a set bed time, but since we have a newborn it’s hard for us to follow. Under normal conditions, my bed time was usually no later than 10 PM. I am looking forward to getting back to that.

  3. Oh jeez, this will be a tough one for me! I’m always promising the hubs I will be “up in a few minutes,” and he gives me that ya-right-I-know-better-see-you-tomorrow-after-work goodnight kiss.

    On most nights I could easily fall asleep right after our toddler hits the hay, but within twenty minutes of realizing I could have some guilt free time to get housework, bills, or surf the web in, I dive right in! Before I know it, it’s almost (or past!) midnight, and I’ve broken my promise to the hubs.

    For three nights, I will promise to go to bed by 10:00pm. I just have to pick a day to start…..

    • Ok, so last night marked the end of my three nights to bed early, and it has been glorious! Hubs and I have had some great snuggle time, and I do feel great! Due to my three night vacation, I haven’t been able to complete any challenges, but I start up tonight! Moving forward!

  4. normally I go to bed like 2 o’clock in the morning because I’m up watching Golden Girls to 2 o’clock in the morning.Ive been trying to get my daughter to goto bed earlier and with this challenge I think that I will not only get myself to bed earlier but her as well. Im going to try for 10 pm for me and 9pm for her.

    • Another Golden Girls fan! Here is how I have my cake and eat it too. I taped ALL the GG episodes and I get my daily does of GG at a descent hour so that I can get to bed by 10PM latest.