Monday, very early in the morning, my flight landed in Chicago's Midway Airport. Once all was said and done (i.e. getting our bags, greeting family, driving home, and unpacking), it was fairly long past my usual bed time. In the last two months, I have stuck to sleeping my full 7-9 hours of sleep. I have a bedtime I mostly comply with (give or take 30 minutes), and I have a set time when I wake up in the morning. This has helped immensely in the following ways:
1. I am no longer in need of coffee!
+ This is a huge plus for me. At one point, like many college students, I was downing 4-6 cups of coffee a day just to stay “alert” at school and work.
2. "Alertness" has taken on new meaning—actually, morphed into something else.
+ It is no longer alertness I’m feeling. It is mindfulness/awareness. I am much more conscious of not only what and who surrounds me but also myself. This is crucial for me, I’ve found, since it allows me to notice how my actions may be affecting others and how my own daily habits can adversely affect my mood and thoughts.
3. Morning crankiness has gone down.
+ Much to the surprise of my friends, I do become irritated, more often than I’d like to admit. The biggest difference I’ve noticed since sticking to a sleep routine has been the reduced number of times I tend to be irked during the early half of the day. You might think coffee helps with this—and it can—but it’s only a temporary fix and can actually cause me to be more antsy (thus magnifying my irritability).
4. I have come to like mornings.
+ I no longer worry about whether or not I will need a nap (or two) during the day. My internal clock is fixated to the point that I wake up around a certain time, even without needing my alarm clock. This is much better than being forced to wake up after 4-6 hours during a school day. Waking up from your sleep naturally, I have come to see, feels much, much better. Very relaxing.
5. I have become a hybrid of night owl and early bird.
+ Every one of my fellow night owls knows that early birds have it better in terms of getting things done during the day. It’s fact. However, it is not as easy to put into practice. Unfortunately for me and some of my friends/family, we are part of a monochronic culture. This means that time is extremely valuable to us, and so everything is structured for us to do things during the day, sleep during the night, and repeat. So, sorry night owls, that’s a double whammy. BUT, you can always set a sleeping schedule and soon mornings will become your thing!
6. I have more time to work on myself.
+ Without worrying about when to sleep or wake up, I have more mind space to worry about more important tasks and recreational activities during the day. My dad has always told me “the day can be split into three sections intended for 8 hours of work, 8 hours of recreation, and 8 hours of sleep.” Now, I can genuinely see how it’s doable to manage your day this way.
So, you see, there’s a lot more to gain from setting and sticking to a sleeping routine. The first few days are rough if you’re a night owl like I was, but it soon becomes habit. So, go on! Catch those zzz’s!
