Me-Sleep Deprived?!

So, the reason I did not post my blog yesterday is because I did the unusual and went to bed early. 

It was so weird to be in bed before 11 pm. 

For those of you that understand the importance of going to bed early, I applaud you and admire you. 

You've figured out what I haven't. 

I've been told many times over about the importance of sleep by people I love (mostly my mom) and by articles I have read. 

I don't know how many times I have to be hit over the head to really get it. I guess maybe once I see the difference in how I feel and how effective I am during the day, I'll finally truly understand. 

I have been a night owl for as long as I can remember. I love the two hours I get to myself once the kids are in bed. That's when I usually write my blog and newsletter and that's when I usually have the time to exhale that deep breath I've been holding in all day. 

But as I was whining and complaining about how ineffective I am in a number of areas in my life, my dear friend, Jeanine...my EFT mentor, asked me how much sleep I was getting. 

When I confessed to my night owl-ism, she put things into perspective for me. She told me that good sleep was just as important as good food in terms of fueling the body. She told me to aim for at least 8 hours every night...huh? 

8 hours? 

I wasn't so sure I could do that. 

That would mean missing out on my ME time..that would mean missing out on my breathing deep time. It sounded like I would be giving up too much. 

As she continued to hit me on the head in the kindest, gentlest way possible, she told me how much better I would be to cope, to be more efficient and productive and how much easier life would be. 

Now that sounded intriguing. 

I'm all for being more effective and more productive....but still, the anxiety was there. I've been trying to go to bed earlier for years! 

I do know all the stuff Jeanine was telling me, but I also have the huge list of reasons of why I have to stay up later than my kids and how important that time is for me. 

I've been struggling with my weight for years too and she told me that because I am so sleep deprived, my body needs to eat for the extra energy I'm not getting from sleep. In my haste to fuel my tired, worn out body, I do know that I grab for all the foods that are really not that good for me. I'm usually too tired to reason it out and I just eat it. If I was more rested, I would be able to make better food choices. 

Again, I know this, but another bonk on the head doesn't really hurt that bad. 

So, last night, after our little talk, I decided to honor Jeanine's advice and hit the hay about 2 hours before I usually do. I read a few minutes to wind down, meditated for a bit and then eventually fell asleep. 

Besides having the dog wake me a couple of times, I did sleep for more than 8 hours. I have to admit, I did not wake up in the fog that I usually wake up in. I also did not have the gravelly, heavy eyes that I usually have all day. 

Now, I know I'm not going to reap all the benefits after one good night's sleep but it's a start. I will continue to put forth the best effort to get 8 hours of sleep a night. 

It means I'll have to organize my day a bit better, but maybe I'll finally have the energy to be able to do that! 

Organized, full of energy, more efficient, more productive, make better food choices, have the energy to exercise, smaller bags under my eyes........maybe Jeanine and all the other head bonkers are on to something after all....~M